Demographic targeting has a flaw: traditional thinking is dooming products' futures, and the golden rule we always cite is sending many products and brands down a dead-end road. A flaw overlooked by everyone has put demographic targeting on a pedestal. Now, should we demote it, or view it with colored glasses? The answer lies in our marketing practice. Let's search for the truth with doubt. A CEO might say: "My product is designed for young people, with super competitive selling points, a new-generation substitute, a large market capacity, and it fits the target group's lifestyle, with pricing aligned with channel promotion interests." A marketer might say: "Our product's precise demographic targeting is urban white-collar workers. Based on this, the company has developed a detailed promotional strategy, targeting this group for precise delivery." A salesperson might say: "Our product targets young people, and we try to distribute it in channels that young people can easily access." From the boss to planning to sales, do you think they are right? They are right in words, but wrong in deeds. Yes, their statements are consistent, but I say that acting on this demographic targeting is wrong. Right in words, wrong in deeds. Following the preset demographic targeting to execute the expected marketing steps is wrong. How can something that seems right be wrong? To answer this, let's first understand what demographic targeting is. Demographic targeting directly appeals to a specific consumer group, highlighting that the product is designed specifically for that group to gain their recognition. It combines the brand with consumers, enhancing their sense of belonging and making them feel "it's my brand." The process of demographic targeting is essentially market segmentation. The general strategy of demographic targeting is the common method of market segmentation. Using market segmentation, a company can determine its target market, concentrate efforts to serve it, develop suitable products, and adopt appropriate marketing strategies to meet the needs of the target market. The essence of demographic targeting lies in "planning," not "implementation." It guides marketing and sales activities but is by no means the "core ideology" for execution. Keep the targeting in mind, but broaden the execution. This is the practical rule of demographic targeting. You know who you want to sell to, but the so-called target customers are absolutely not confined to the circle you define. They are scattered among the vast population, growing in the details of urban life, consuming on countless platforms, active in different circles, lingering in the urban hustle, and indulging in chicken soup for the soul. Can your demographic targeting precisely connect with them? No, absolutely not. So-called precise demographic targeting is merely "targeting for the sake of targeting," just setting a sales direction. You must not be obsessed with it. The correct approach is to "expand the territory," widen the scope, expand the audience, and broaden the communication boundaries. Zhang Dali strongly agrees with a saying from an advertising veteran: "Advertising is broadcasting to the masses, using volume to cover the people you want." Similarly, demographic targeting is about using "expansion" to cover the people you want to reach. If you want to target mothers, your marketing actions should actually target women. If you want to target urban white-collar workers, your implementation plan should actually target urban office workers. The channels you want may not be findable; the people you want to brainwash may not be on your communication path. In the end, "precise targeting" becomes "precise contraction," and seemingly reasonable reasons become self-imposed shackles. In the end, it's said: inaccurate demographic targeting leads to elimination. Precise demographic targeting does not hold in new media communication like Douyin Speaking of demographic targeting, we must mention new media. When it comes to new media, brands have mixed feelings: they love it because it's lightweight, but hate it because there are so many platforms. Information is fragmented, massive, and decentralized, making it extremely difficult to communicate to your target audience. The biggest paradox between demographic targeting and new media communication is that it seems precisely aligned, but in reality, it's completely mismatched. Using precise demographic targeting for promotion and communication results in scattered fragments; finding a single noticeable piece of information is a luxury. Douyin is increasingly attracting corporate attention. During interactions with various companies, Zhang Dali's team has observed various aftereffects of demographic targeting theory in new media communication. Every company immediately says: "Our product targets a certain group, and we want to communicate precisely on Douyin, find our audience, increase followers, and convert." At this point, I always explain the logic of a bustling restaurant. A restaurant's popularity is determined by the number of parked cars; the number of parked cars basically determines foot traffic, because we all believe that a restaurant with many people must have good food. The logic here is "spectator thinking" and "follow-the-crowd thinking." If others go, I go too; if everyone chooses it, there's basically no risk, and following is safe. Did the restaurant do demographic targeting? No. The restaurant did spectator effect. Because of this thinking, some restaurants try to expand their parking lots, attract non-dining vehicles to park, or even hire cars to park. The restaurant parking thinking is the answer I want to give: demographic targeting is just a plan; when implementing, you need to broaden. On Douyin, communication is not about precision, but about whether there are spectators and popularity. Once the audience is large enough, you'll naturally have the precise audience you want. So, in new media communication, if you overemphasize demographic targeting, you'll weaken the effect of strategic planning, turning big successes into small ones, and turning potentially trending topics into half-baked efforts. In new media communication, the planning attribute of demographic targeting is what marketers should understand, but it is by no means the core ideology for execution. If you keep thinking about the target audience, you'll keep making mistakes. The more you try to precisely connect with the audience, the more you fall into the "contraction trap," and in the end, you may think you've precisely targeted the media, but the effect is basically zero. This is also why many corporate accounts struggle to succeed, and ultimately, Douyin Blue V accounts become corporate advertising accounts. Who likes watching ads? People buy VIP to skip ads! Precise demographic targeting has caused companies to suffer in new media communication. Whether my conclusion is correct is clear from the budget and conversion rates. What's even more enviable is that personal accounts that broadly gather followers are thriving, and inserting a subtle brand ad can easily command a six-figure price. Where do they win? They win in "expansion," in non-precise demographic targeting. Demographic targeting is useless in sales channels In sales channels, demographic targeting also has flaws. Channel partners first judge the price: whether the product's price fits their profit system, whether the category fits their channel planning, and only then consider the so-called target audience. Companies face a different situation: oversupply, and channels have much more bargaining power than companies, especially for non-well-known brands. It's not about whether you want to enter a channel or whether it fits your demographic targeting, but whether the channel selects your product and whether they charge entry fees. Demographic targeting here can only be used for rough selection. Any channel with foot traffic is suitable; the key is whether the channel lets you in. This applies to special channels and traditional channels. How applicable is demographic targeting to e-commerce? In traditional e-commerce, platforms like Taobao, JD, and Pinduoduo operate on traffic thinking + search thinking + recommendation thinking. The mix of these three forms is all of traditional e-commerce. Demographic targeting here is about positioning keywords and long-tail words, using shopping demand words derived from demographic targeting to guide sales leads. In fact, this lead guidance inevitably requires expanding the target audience. For example, a mid-to-high-end skincare product positioned for women, when driving traffic on traditional e-commerce platforms, needs to target skin issues, care functions, product ingredients, etc., addressing common skin care problems for all women. In promotion, only by strengthening the coverage of common demand words can you drive traffic to the store. Precise demographic targeting becomes broad traffic generation. Is precise demographic targeting still useful? If it's useful, it's only in the final screening at the conversion end that the theory is justified, because the final buyers might be the people you want. The result is right, but the execution is wrong; without the earlier expansion, there would be no final screening. Emerging second-class e-commerce, like Douyin and Kuaishou, takes a different approach, where precise demographic targeting theory completely fails. The correct operation first focuses on account heat and follower growth, not precise followers. "First attract people, then screen them" is basically an industry rule; whoever doesn't follow the rules will hurt themselves. But there are companies that don't believe this, sticking to precise demographic targeting thinking, immediately researching precise customer acquisition, doing ad wholesale, special topic explanations, and product medleys. Ask yourself: would I watch it, or would you? Of course, only those with urgent needs would watch. Unfortunately, platforms don't give traffic to such low-quality content; if you want to do it, you have to pay for ad placement. Precise demographic targeting completely fails in second-class e-commerce channels; what you need to do is expand, and expand again, first gain attention, then seek conversion. Demographic targeting: exploring more areas Is precise demographic targeting suitable for brand communication? The answer is also no. Is it suitable for corporate strategic planning? Also no. Moreover, how to correctly and effectively use precise demographic targeting in product development, terminal applications, and other marketing scenarios will be a major test for marketers. To quote the opening of this article: "Right in words, wrong in deeds." We will discuss the gains and losses, and the degrees and measures, of precise demographic targeting in future installments on the Zhang Dali Channel public account. Source: Zhang Dali Channel (ID: weiguangali), Author: Zhang Dali Are you "watching" me?