We all know marketing is manipulative. After all, the goal is to get people to buy something. In order to do that, you have to appeal to them, to convince them they need something. The thing is, no one needs a carbonated corn syrup beverage. No one needs a car that costs more than some houses. But by convincing people it’s what they should want, you create a desire — and eventually, a need.
To me, the most manipulative part of marketing is the use of demographics. On the surface, marketing demographics — information on customers’ gender, age, race, and other identifying factors — are used to inform companies about the people who use or are most likely to use their products. For example, if you know your product will be popular among millennials, it can be useful to know their buying habits. Unfortunately, this often leads to stereotyping on a major scale.
Stuck in the 50s
Ever notice how housecleaning products are always marketed towards women, specifically mothers? Watch a couple dish soap or laundry soap commercials and you’ll find that they almost always feature and target women. This no-doubt stemmed from the perception at one time that most household items were purchased by stay-at-home moms who took care of most of the cleaning.
But everyone cleans. Single people clean. Families clean. Women and men both clean. But because cleaning products market themselves almost exclusively toward women, cleaning is still seen as ‘women’s work’.
Bro culture
The use of demographic information can provide insight, but when companies use that information to guide their marketing, it can easily lead to perpetuating stereotypes. When you see that your main audience is men in their 20s, so you fill your ads with beer, attractive young ladies, and “manly” imagery (whatever that is), you’re promoting a certain image of what a 20 year old man should be. When enough companies grasp onto that image, it becomes the societal norm.
Real world example
I recently started a business selling lamps that I make out of old wine and liquor bottles. A lot of the people who love my products so far are women. Maybe this is because pop-culture has co-opted wine as the main interest of millennial women, even though the wine industry itself focuses on global consumption statistics rather than demographics.
I think a main reason for my resonance with women is because most of my lamps match more closely with what society has deemed as ‘feminine décor’. How I use this knowledge can really affect my sales and whether the way I run my business reflects my values.
I could look at the fact that most of my customers so far have been women and decide when setting target demographics for online marketing that I only want to reach women. This might save me money, as it narrows my audience and prevents uninterested parties from clicking on my ads.
Or, I could look at the fact that most of my lamps so far only match a couple of different decorating styles. If I want to expand my audience, I should expand my product offerings to be more appealing to people of a wide variety of tastes, regardless of their gender.
Likewise, when I create my advertising, I could focus on “what will women like?” or I could focus on “what best represents me and the products I create? The latter will result in less stereotyping and a more natural, appealing brand image.
Applying this to your business
Not only does narrowing your demographic targeting perpetuate stereotypes, but it also narrows your audience. If you market toward women, men won’t want to buy your product. You’re telling them it’s not for them. But if you market toward people’s actual preferences — which are what actually matter when it comes to making a sale — then you remain inclusive.
Even if your product or service is just for one gender (which only applies to a handful of items), people don’t live in a bubble. If my lamps could only be operated by people identifying as women, I would still want those women’s male friends and family members to know about my business so they could gift my products to the women in their lives.
So, instead of narrowing your demographic targeting, look at how your products and services can benefit people of all lifestyles and backgrounds. Sure, you may have a demographic that converts more highly than others. You should definitely utilize that information. But that doesn’t mean you have to exclude people who don’t fit that mold. Because if you do, at the end of the day, you’re just costing yourself sales and furthering societal perceptions of how certain people are ‘supposed’ to live their lives. And no one wants that.
