Outdated Assumptions
Marketing has long been obsessed with youth. The assumption? Young consumers are more adventurous, more likely to try new things, and just beginning to step into their peak earning and spending years. The hope? If a brand can hook them early, it can create loyal customers for decades to come.
For years, age and gender demographics were the go-to for marketers because it was the only reliable information available. If you were launching a new superhero movie, you’d buy ad space on ESPN to target young men. If you were selling baby products, you’d advertise in Real Simple, where 90% of the readership is female. Traditional media measurement was built on these broad strokes, and when digital came along, we transferred the same thinking onto new platforms.
But let’s be real: We are now in the most data-rich era in marketing history. We can collect and analyze thousands of data points on every single person we interact with. Yet, many marketers are still stuck in the same outdated methodology.
Demographics give you a starting point, but they’re a blunt instrument in a world where precision is everything. Two 25-year-old women might have completely different lifestyles, interests, and values. One might be a sneakerhead who loves underground hip-hop, while the other is an outdoor enthusiast who spends weekends hiking national parks. The idea that they’d respond to the same marketing just because they share an age and gender is flawed at best and lazy at worst.
Instead of treating people like data points in a spreadsheet, brands should focus on behavioral, psychographic, and contextual targeting. What are people engaging with? What motivates them? What communities do they belong to?
The Pitfalls of Demographic-First Thinking
It Ignores Cultural Nuance – A 30-year-old Black woman in Atlanta and a 30-year-old white woman in Portland might technically fit the same demographic box. Still, their cultural influences, media consumption, and purchasing behaviors could differ vastly.
It Doesn’t Account for Fluid Identities – People no longer fit neatly into categories (if they ever did). Gender, interests, and even age-related behaviors have become more fluid. Think about how Gen X has embraced gaming or how Gen Z is nostalgic for Y2K fashion.
It Wastes Ad Spend – When you’re laser-focused on demographics, you’re likely paying to reach people who don’t care about your brand. A better approach? Target people based on behaviors that indicate genuine interest.
The Better Approach: Human-Centered Marketing
To create effective marketing strategies, brands need to understand people more deeply. Here’s how:
Focus on Passion Points – Instead of assuming all 18- to 24-year-olds are into TikTok trends, dig into niche communities. A gamer might be more influenced by what’s happening on Discord than by a mainstream ad on Instagram.
Leverage First-Party Data – Social listening, purchase history, and direct customer interactions give you insights beyond traditional demographics.
Embrace Contextual Targeting – Where and how a message is delivered matters as much as who it’s delivered to. A campaign that meets someone at the right time and place—an in-store experience, a Twitter thread, or a Spotify playlist—will consistently outperform one that casts a wide net based on age and gender.
Marketers who continue to rely on demographic targeting are playing checkers in a world that has moved on to chess. The brands that win will be the ones that understand people—not just their age or gender, but their motivations, interests, and the way they move through the world.
I 100% believe in marketing that taps into culture, emotion, and lived experience—not outdated assumptions.
It’s time to evolve. Are you ready? Then, justask@projectartcollective.com