CPT. Erik Skaggs (ret.) founded KC Ranch in 2007 for the purpose of providing operations analytics to downrange assets of the U.S. Department of Defense. First used in 2009, the audience segmentation methodology that would later serve as the inspiration for the BESM™ analytics framework uses a bell-shaped curve to visualize audience segments according to assigned thresholds. The BESM™ methodology was launched in its current form in June 2018, and its first sale of services commenced the following year.

Understanding the BESM™ Methodology.

The Base-Enabler-Segmentation-Methodology (BESM™) is owned entirely by Erik Skaggs through his company, KC Ranch, Inc., a Washington State S-corporation. It is both a framework and an analytic process. As a visual framework, BESM™ breaks down the information environment in a region, country, province, or small area into five audience segments: Friendly Base, Friendly Enabler, Unengaged, Adversary Enabler, and Adversary Base. As a framework, BESM™ allows operators to understand how messaging themes can either motivate or suppress the audience segments--and to which degree of effectiveness. This framework has been deployed to identify and respond to any instance where civil society is being engaged or weaponized.