The marketing world is an ever-changing, ever-evolving industry, especially in today’s fast-paced digital landscape. Every day, more and more complex algorithms are rolled out in hopes of directing the perfect advertisements tailored to the right user, but, still, it seems that many brands are falling short of expectations. In their 2021 insight report on the new generation of consumers, Adolescent Content found only 8% of Generation Z believes that companies have a strong understanding of their values. Among Gen Zers, uniqueness ranked as the second most important quality a brand can exhibit, the first being authenticity. While traditional advertising was often about reaching as many people as possible, today’s climate is quite different.
With an endless library of information sitting in every customer’s back pocket, they are no longer limited to the brands that they see on billboards and bus stops. Five-star ratings rule the online marketplace, and “one-size-fits-all” marketing is no longer cutting it. To hook their target audience, brands must focus not only on their customers’ needs but also on their customers’ beliefs. By orienting your marketing around those who share your company’s values, you will not only acquire new, enthusiastic customers, but you can also strengthen your brand identity.
"By orienting your marketing around those who share your company’s values, you will not only acquire new, enthusiastic customers, but you can also strengthen your brand identity”
Honest, transparent messaging geared toward specific users can build a real, lasting relationship with a consumer base, which leads to more sales in the long run. Your business may even become a trailblazer in the creation of a new industry powerhouse. Millennials and Gen Zers spent their formative years on the Internet, exploring obscure interests and connecting with people who share them. Through the evolution of social media, web forums, and online messaging systems, previously marginal communities have blossomed into influential, trend-setting groups. A perfect example of this phenomenon is the self-described “geek community.”
The “nerd” stereotype emerged in the 1960s media, usually serving as a foil to our cool, socially adept main characters. To be a nerd was to be the butt of the joke, a quintessential failure to “fit in,” which was a death sentence in traditional marketing. For decades, their culture and interests received little attention from major brands, deemed too “fringe” to merit unique advertising campaigns. Fast-forward to today, however, and you will see a group Superhero movies routinely bring in billions of dollars, and comic conventions draw hundreds of thousands of attendees. The tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, a once-mocked staple of nerd culture, made a gross profit of under $8,000 in its first year of existence. In 2021, their publisher grossed $816 million. How did they do it? It was certainly not through television spots or media campaigns, seeing as their initial budget was $2,000. Furthermore, geeks are generally unmoved by traditional advertising. “They grew up with technology,” explains digital marketing leader Perry Simpson. “They tend to be skeptical of marketing. It takes a different approach to reach [them].”
What the founding geek brands did was listen. They read reviews in gaming magazines. They attended fantasy conventions and conducted player surveys. They swarmed to the Internet–which, at the time, was populated almost entirely by geeks–to absorb popular opinion. Then they took all this feedback, and they used it, over and over again, to continually improve their products. D&D’s parent company took an incredible risk by launching a geek-targeted company in the early 70s, but they believed in their product, and they believed in their audience, and that dedication has propelled them to enormous success and acclaim.
Another early example of user-oriented marketing was launched by Subaru in the 1990s. While the majority of car companies avoided any demographic outside the white, middle-class young adult, Subaru found that this approach was failing to move their product. They attempted to adapt their brand to fit the popular demographic, but the market was already occupied by more established manufacturers. So they shifted their approach. Through market research, they identified the already successful selling-points of their products and to whom those selling-points appealed. One of these results was by extremely unexpected–Subaru found that a key demographic of their consumers was lesbians. “The marketers found,” writes Alex Mayyasi of Priceonomics, “that lesbian Subaru owners liked that the cars were good for outdoor trips, and that they were good for hauling stuff without being as large as a truck or SUV.” At a time when popular brands deemed the LGBT+ community as far too controversial and insignificant to target, Subaru embraced their identity as the “lesbian car” and founded a strong, enduring relationship with their lesbian customers that still holds true.
Today, appealing to LGBT+ customers is a popular tactic amongst major brands, particularly during Pride Month. The LGBT+ community is speaking out against “pink-washing,” the wave of what they see as empty statements of support from brands. In a 2021 study by Creative Coffee, non-binary shoppers were asked how they would identify a retailer that they can truly trust. “Look at their past campaigns,” said one respondent. “Have they openly supported the lgbtq+ community before? Was it only during pride?” Other marginalized communities have echoed this sentiment. “Just like Pride Month,” writes journalist Ernest Owens, “Black History Month has become a routine time of year when corporations say the absolute most while doing the least for marginalized communities.” Environmentalists have similar complaints about “green-washing,” the trend of dishonest advertising by corporations claiming to be eco-friendly without actually implementing green initiatives.
With small communities expanding to encompass more and more people, some of these opinions have spread to the mainstream. Backlash against inauthenticity has become a common theme when discussing the pitfalls of modern advertising. 78% of Gen Zers feel that brands are “all talk and no action.” Finding an audience whose needs match your product is important, but effective marketing also identifies people whose values match those of the company. Identifying untapped markets is the first battle, but successfully engaging with them is the war. Niche groups, as well as this new generation of customers, are capable of seeing through inauthentic communication. Successful brands put their money where their mouth is by listening to their customers. Ethnographic research and customer feedback must inform your product and your business practices, or your marketing will fall flat.
“Successful brands put their money where their mouth is”
Ultimately, appealing to minority groups–whether they be identity- or interest-based–means speaking their language. If companies can show that they have done their research, they can show that they are willing to listen and learn. For those who are often denied a voice, this can be a powerful tool in building lasting relationships between brand and consumer.
