| If you've been involved in marketing during the | | | | targeted campaign are going to be just about as |
| past decade, you've probably noticed that things | | | | untargeted as you can get. To reach a more |
| are a bit different since this whole 'online' thing got | | | | refined group of people based on attributes that |
| underway. While being online has starting to | | | | aren't as generalized as most demographic |
| become an 'ordinary' part of many people's | | | | groups, marketers need to find ways to measure |
| day-to-day lives, the experience of being online is | | | | 'who' consumers are instead of 'what' they are. |
| very different from any other type of popular | | | | Here are a few more recent targeting |
| media. Those of us over the age of twenty | | | | approaches that marketers are using to reach |
| clearly remember a world without the 'Internet'. | | | | highly refined audiences. Psychographic Targeting |
| Back in those olden days most media consisted | | | | For marketers to effectively target any audience |
| of marketing channels to which the majority of | | | | they need to have a clear understanding of the |
| the population flocked. In exchange for giving | | | | personal interests that the target audience shares. |
| people access to this content, advertisers were | | | | Social scientists categorize this segmentation as |
| given access to the people who came to visit. | | | | the study of psychographics. Psychographics are |
| They tossed their messages in front of us as we | | | | commonly defined as individual attributes directly |
| wandered around hoping that something would | | | | relating to personality, values, interests or |
| catch our eye. Sometimes it did. Mostly it didn't. | | | | lifestyles. There are sometimes referred to as |
| Because these mass marketing models were | | | | IOA variables or characteristics (for Interests, |
| based on 'quantity' and not 'quality' of consumers, | | | | Attitudes and Opinions). Psychographics often |
| there was an up-front expectation that there | | | | target the most personal parts of who we are. |
| would be a tremendous amount of waste. | | | | We belong to multiple psychographic 'groups' |
| Advertisers understood that even if they were | | | | based on our interests as individuals. Our |
| targeting the very best demographic group for an | | | | relationship with each group ranges from little |
| offer the vast majority wouldn't even see or | | | | involvement to whole involvement. For example, I |
| respond to the marketing offer. For marketers, it | | | | may take my bicycle out for a short spin on a |
| was the safety in numbers advertising approach | | | | warm summer day. This action classifies me as a |
| that kept them going. This approach also trained | | | | bicyclist and helps me to identify with other |
| us, as consumers, to understand that our direct | | | | people who enjoy riding bicycles. However, my |
| involvement in the marketing process wasn't | | | | involvement in this group is very different from |
| really necessary. The TV commercials would | | | | the guy who's training for an upcoming Tour de |
| continue to run whether we watched them or | | | | France and spends 6 hours a day on his bicycle. |
| not; the print ads would stay right where they | | | | My identity with bicycling is one of enjoyable |
| were printed even if we didn't open the magazine | | | | weekend pastime while for the guy in training it's |
| or newspaper; the ad on the side of the bus | | | | almost on par with being a lifestyle. If given the |
| would keep moving down Main Street would keep | | | | opportunity to purchase bicycling paraphernalia I'm |
| going even if we ignored it. But the arrival of the | | | | going to have a different perspective as to its |
| online world started to change things and pretty | | | | value and necessity than he will. Marketers looking |
| dramatically. Consumers now have millions of | | | | to reach a thin-sliced audience need to understand |
| "channels" to choose from and advertisers have | | | | common shared traits and how individuals in these |
| fewer places where they will reach mass | | | | groups 'weigh' their interests in these areas. |
| markets. In fact, the very structure of the | | | | Whether targeting deer hunters, urban dwellers, |
| Internet means that consumers don't even need | | | | backgammon players, people of Scotch-Irish |
| to look at or interact with advertising | | | | descent, unicyclists or guys who mow their lawns |
| anymore...unless they really want to. Culturally | | | | on Saturday morning, the value of each |
| we've developed a number of ways to share | | | | psychographic slice is going to depend on how the |
| information with one another. We've also learned | | | | people in these segments define themselves. |
| how to customize messages so that they reach | | | | Technographic Targeting Online targeting is often |
| specific people. We never pick up the phone and | | | | restricted by technological limitations that prevent |
| think 'Okay, I need to talk to every person on | | | | marketers from reaching consumers. For |
| Earth. What's the number?' We don't send an | | | | marketers to effectively reach consumers it's |
| email to everybody in the company every time | | | | often necessary to know where potential |
| we have a thought to share with Sandy in | | | | obstacles or bottlenecks exist. Technographic |
| accounting. When we start any new marketing | | | | targeting focuses on identifying the technological |
| campaign we need to first think about who the | | | | foundations that consumers are using to connect |
| campaign is trying to reach. What is the ultimate | | | | with the Web. This includes things like computer |
| goal? What is the campaign saying? What | | | | CPU speeds, Internet connection speeds, |
| obstacles can get in the way of the right | | | | Operating Systems, browser types, browser |
| consumer receiving the message? What should | | | | versions, and drivers or extra software availability. |
| the consumer do to take advantage of the | | | | A common example of technographic targeting is |
| offer? In the past mass marketing has | | | | measuring the online bandwidth capabilities of a |
| represented the ultimate delivery mechanism for | | | | visitor to a web site. For example, if, as a |
| advertising messages but paints the audience with | | | | marketer, I wished to send a video based ad to |
| such a broad brush that its goal of reaching the | | | | my target audience I'm going to want to know if |
| right people can't be efficiently kept. To be truly | | | | they can receive the ad. While broadband adoption |
| effective, a delivery system has to reach the | | | | over recent years has made this task easier, |
| greatest number of individual consumers who can | | | | there are still millions of people worldwide who are |
| take action on the message being sent. The | | | | using dial-up modems to get online. Without |
| bottom line is that a message that reaches | | | | knowing how my target audience accesses the |
| 1,000,000 of the wrong people isn't more | | | | web, I run the risk of wasting impressions by |
| effective than a message that reaches a single | | | | sending ad content to people who can't receive it. |
| right person. The ultimate goal of effective | | | | On the other hand, by measuring the connect |
| advertising is to maximize effectiveness while | | | | speed of my target audience, I can then sort that |
| reducing waste. Correctly targeting a campaign | | | | audience out into sub-groups and provide separate |
| means first identifying who the best people to | | | | ad units for each group. Technographic measuring |
| receive a particular offer are and how to go | | | | can also tell marketers a lot about a potential |
| about identifying where they are. When we target | | | | customer. A high-tech company looking to |
| online audiences that are three primary areas of | | | | introduce a new cutting edge product can |
| exploration: 1. Contextual targeting 2. Database | | | | effectively target prospects by measuring the |
| targeting 3. Behavioral targeting Let's take a | | | | operating system on the recipient's computer. |
| closer look at the differences between these | | | | Prospects running the most recent versions of |
| three areas. Contextual Targeting The simple | | | | Windows or the Macintosh OS might be classified |
| definition for contextual targeting is the placement | | | | as being technologically savvy while prospects still |
| of messages where the people most likely to be | | | | running Windows 98 on a 7 year old PC are |
| interested are most likely to see it. Contextual | | | | probably not good candidates for marketers |
| targeting is perhaps the oldest type of targeted | | | | looking to reach 'early adopters'. Centrographic |
| marketing. For years, trade magazines, area | | | | Targeting While geographical targeting is generally |
| newspapers, local television stations and local radio | | | | considered part of standard demography there |
| stations have served as channels for contextual | | | | are a few variations that fall outside of the basic |
| marketing campaigns. Because each channel | | | | geographic targeting realm. Whereas most |
| caters to a specific range of the population either | | | | geographic targeting focuses on regions and areas |
| based on topic interest or region, advertising using | | | | of the country and world based on their |
| contextual targeting has generally meant reaching | | | | proximately to one another, centrographic |
| an audience that has already been 'filtered' down | | | | targeting focuses more on population |
| to a common interest or locale. In online | | | | characteristics that can be associated with specific |
| marketing, contextual marketing works in a similar | | | | regions. For example, every winter across the |
| way. Many web sites focus on, or have sections | | | | Northern United States there is a need for snow |
| that focus on a single or limited range of topics. | | | | removal services. There is also a need for |
| Like trade publications, these sites attract a | | | | services like heating system maintenance, fuel |
| self-selected audience who share a common | | | | delivery and sales of things like ice scrapers and |
| interest whether its butterfly collecting, paintball | | | | snow tires. Meanwhile, in the Southwestern United |
| battlefield strategies or exploring the validity of | | | | States the need for these services or products |
| UFO sightings. For advertisers looking to | | | | each winter is very limited or non-existent. On the |
| communicate with these specific groups, good | | | | other hand, the hot summers in the Southwest |
| targeting is as easy as placing topically relevant | | | | requires air conditioning and home cooling services |
| ads on those pages. Demographic Targeting | | | | that are not always necessary in the North. |
| Demography covers a broad range of ways a | | | | Centrographic targeting can also identify and |
| population can be sliced up to define certain | | | | isolate differences between population groups. For |
| segments. A few of the more traditional | | | | example, people living in a city like New York are |
| segments include: - Age/ Lifecycle - Gender - | | | | going to have a different perceived need for |
| Race/Ethnicity - Socioeconomic status - Location | | | | products and services than people living a few |
| of residence - Religion - Nationality - Occupation - | | | | hours north in rural New York might. Even staying |
| Education level - Family size - Marital status - | | | | within the boroughs of New York, the cultural |
| Ownership (of home, boat, car, etc.) - Language | | | | diversity of different ethnic groups alone makes |
| While many of these characteristics can | | | | for dozens of unique regional markets. Significant |
| effectively narrow a population down into an | | | | differences can also exist among cultural groups |
| audience, traditional demography often offers just | | | | that share a similar language and history, or |
| a generalized benchmark of behavior. For | | | | current geography. For example, Hispanic |
| example, I currently live in a fairly rural part of | | | | populations living in Southern California and those |
| the country. While I share a number of | | | | living in Southern Florida may share common |
| demographic characteristics with other people | | | | cultural histories and ancestry but represent very |
| within my particular zip code (middle aged, white, | | | | unique markets based on unique regional |
| own my own home, went to college, married, | | | | characteristics. While reaching those audiences |
| speak English, or a variant thereof) those | | | | requires a new layer of understanding on the |
| benchmarks do a lousy job at identifying us as a | | | | parts of marketers, if used correctly the ability to |
| whole or me as an individual. My little town runs | | | | reach more of the right consumers with any |
| the gamut of religious and spiritual beliefs, political | | | | marketing offer is also going to result in greater |
| leanings, socioeconomic levels, education and | | | | effectiveness and much less waste. Rob Graham |
| what's considered a fun way to spend a Saturday | | | | - LearningCraft, LLC. October 1, 2007 |
| evening. In short, we share very few | | | | Rob Graham is Director of Training at |
| characteristics as a population apart from our | | | | LearningCraft, LLC., a company that provides |
| choice to live in the same part of the country. For | | | | Online Marketing Training. Join Rob November 15th |
| marketers trying to reach 'us' based solely on | | | | in Cambridge, MA for the Internet Marketing Boot |
| where we live, the results of any geographically | | | | Camp. Space limited. |