Shane Edwards • November 21, 2019
Demographic Profiling – The Bottom Line
In days gone by it is true to say that advertising was often a lot less specific than it is these days and employed a much broader approach to getting an advertising message out there. Back then it seemed that not as much consideration was given to whether or not the person or a group were really likely to be part of the target audience for a product or service. Clearly this type of approach is not ideal as it risks falling on a lot of deaf ears, while failing to zero in on those who could genuinely represent an audience for a product or service. At JogPost we have seen both!
The new world of demographic profiling
Enter demographic profiling. What this really boils down to is finding out the demographic most likely to be receptive to your product or service and targeting them with your advertising campaign. This demographic will be arrived at by finding out factors such as:
• Gender
• Age
• Ethnicity
• Location
• Income
There are various ways that this kind of information can be gathered, that can range from surveying to more sophisticated software that is designed to gather the information necessary to inform a leaflet or any other kind of advertising campaign.
Media and entertainment demographic profiling
The idea of demographic targeting has become a major factor for all sectors including the entertainment and media industry. Television programmes are studied and made to appeal to definite demographic groups, normally divided along gender and age lines. One audience that is considered a very difficult one to crack is young men between the ages of 16 to 34, although if you can win their interest and loyalty they can be very profitable customers to cultivate. For this reason many media arms will make greater efforts to capture this particular demographic.
When you are considering your own leaflet advertising campaign, it makes perfect sense, therefore, to do your homework and study the demographic you’re aiming for so that you can make sure that your leaflet drop reflects your findings and targets the ideal audience that your product or service. That will include targeting certain areas of town based on the likelihood, for instance, those who are seen as most likely to be prepared to make house improvements, replacement windows etc. Other targeting may include areas of town where more young people have flats or live in shared houses, such as in university towns, where takeaway leaflets may go down particularly well.
Low tech vs. high tech
There are many different ways of measuring demographics, both low-tech and very high-tech but even with a modest budget it is very possible to do your own demographic profiling to make a real difference to the success of your advertising campaign, and to ensure that fewer of your leaflets end up in the bin!
At JogPost we have a lot of experience with clients who have enjoyed very successful advertising campaigns by getting the demographic right. Contact us now to discuss your own leaflet drop.
