demographic targeting

Definition

Directing marketing messages based on statistical characteristics like age, gender, income, and education—the paint-by-numbers approach to audience segmentation. Simple, measurable, and often wildly reductive.

Example Usage

Our demographic targeting focuses on women aged 25-34 with household incomes over $75k in urban areas.

Origin

Market research and census data applications to advertising, formalized in the mid-20th century.

Fun Fact

Cookie deprecation is making demographic targeting increasingly difficult online, forcing a return to contextual approaches.

Source: Market segmentation and targeting principles

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