Demographics play a big role in the branding of your product. When thinking of demographics, you are focusing on the people who are most likely to respond to your brand and there are a number of factors involved. These can come into play in every aspect of your company including its company branding design. Keeping that in mind, here are some of the things you should be thinking about.
The marketplace of today is diverse and therefore we can’t stick to one marketing strategy that works for all. To be able to create messages that resonate with the target audience, you should understand their demographics. Here's how you should go about it when dealing with different demographics:
Age:
Millennials (born 1981-1996): These are tech-savvy individuals who are socially-conscious and value authenticity as well as experiences. User-generated content, influencer marketing, and purpose-driven or social impact oriented messaging are likely to work best for them.
Gen X (born 1965-1980): Gen Xers are independent, realistic people who prefer clear-cut communications and have a great respect for their time. Product benefits and properties which save time should be mentioned and kept precise.
Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964): Brand conscious boomers prioritize trustworthiness and quality in what they do. For example traditional advertising channels such as TV ads and print brochures prove helpful here as well as testimonials linked back to the brand history.
Location:
Urban vs. Rural: Urban audiences may be attracted to high-tempo trendy marketing whereas more leisurely pace focusing on community could work better with rural audience members. Consider these differences in lifestyle when formulating your message.
Income:
High Income: This can be marketed by accentuating exclusivity or prestige. High-quality visuals, brand storytelling
Low Income: To budget conscious shoppers, highlight how affordable it is and valuable at the same time through offers of promotions emphasizing how they can get more out each purchase.
Gender:
Men vs. Women: Although there might be some minor distinctions between them it’s not good to make generalizations about men compared to women since this matter involves subtle aspects of human behavior such as psychology. A problem solving approach that highlights functionality may bode well with males whilst females may prefer emotional appeals steeped in values based stories.
Beyond Demographics
Demographics is a starting point, but it’s not the end-all-be-all. Here are some other factors to consider:
Interests and Values: What are your audience's passions and beliefs? Connect with what they care about.
Pain Points and Needs: What challenges do they face? Solve their problems for them with your product or service.
Media Consumption Habits: Where do they get their information? Target them through the channels where they hang out.
When you understand your target audience’s demographics and go deeper than the surface, you can create messaging that speaks directly to them, creating connectedness, which will result in higher performance metrics.
Values:
Think of the values of your demographic. These could range from political and environmental causes that your company might stand behind, the quality of your product, or, if you are in the food industry, it could be the dietary value of the food you sell.
Age and Generation: Consider the age group you are catering to when creating your logo brand design. Young children will be drawn to bright colors, sharp contrasts and quirky images. Millennials are children of technology and appreciate sleek, modern designs. An older generation will appreciate a more traditional format and recognizable fonts.
Education:
While it is always good to keep language simple, a brand that is dealing with technological or financial products and services will have to show it has the education to deal with this sort of advanced thinking. In all other circumstances, it is best to explain things simply and clearly but be sure to always use proper grammar no matter who you are catering to.
Formality:
While it is always a good idea to maintain an air of politeness, it is best to remain formal if you are in a work environment (B2B selling) while a more casual tone might be okay with home sales. Of course, the formality of your approach can also vary depending on the individual you are dealing with and you may need to communicate a bit before you can determine the proper amount of formality to use.
Emotional Disposition:
While most products and services appeal to those in an every day environment, others might cater to those dealing with unpleasant circumstances or those that are excessively happy. Whatever the case may be, prepare yourself to deal with their emotional disposition so they will detect that you are sympathetic to their needs.
While these are all factors that will come into play when branding for various demographics, it is also important not to try too hard to cater to one group. It’s most important to let the authenticity of your brand stand out and let it work so that it attracts its target audience naturally.
No matter what type of branding you are looking to do, it’s a good idea to get an expert opinion to make sure you are catering to your audience effectively. Lien Design can help.
Lien Design are a design branding agency located in San Diego, California. They are always on top of the latest trends and can help your company reach its target audience while also letting the authenticity of your brand show through. Contact them for all your graphic design and branding needs.