It used to be relatively easy to reach any given demographic segment through advertising or other content. At one time, you could reach adults via ads during popular shows on one of a small number of available channels. Or advertise during breaks in cartoons on Saturday morning or during weekday after-school TV specials. Demographics also reliably consumed print media according to their age, gender, and lifestyle choices.
Today, media consumption is far more complex. Kids don’t see TV ads any more, because they’re more likely to be on Tiktok, bingeing ad-free cartoons on Netflix, or playing Minecraft or any of a number of other computer games.
For adults, it’s even more complex. Their attention is split across TV, streaming services, the web, and other forms of media. They’re also opting out of conventional ad delivery systems either by installing ad blockers online or using ad-free services like Netflix.
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It’s also getting harder to organize people by interests. Take fishing, one of the most popular outdoor recreational activities in the U.S. In the past, media geared to people who fish used to focus on a small number of specialist print publications, clubs, and events.
These days, however, the audience for fishing enthusiasts is likely split between a large number of online forums, amateur blogs, video content on streaming sites, podcasts dedicated to the sport, online fishing courses (paid and unpaid), as well as traditional print media.
There’s also some evidence that demographics are less predictable than in previous generations. People tend to be more flexible when it comes to how they live their lives. Many wait longer to start a family or retire, so it’s becoming harder to correlate age with behavior, and vice versa.
As well, people are no longer as easily split along gender lines. Not only is society more relaxed about gender definitions, particularly younger people, but behavior can’t be as easily predicted based on gender alone. For example, advertisers now recognize that men shop for food and use washing machines.
Private islands of information
Since the media that people consume is becoming increasingly fragmented, and the communities they belong to are clustering in different ways, the average consumer may well be accessing information that’s very different to what their peers consume.
Take two people of the same age who live in the same apartment building, are members of the same club, or work in the same office. Despite similarities, they may still be living very different lives based on the content they’re exposed to and information they access. It’s not just about having different interests and activities; even if they live very similar lives, they can still live in separate information worlds.
This phenomenon is called the “information cocoon” or “filter bubble.” In some ways, this filtering of information is a good thing. Consumers can choose what information they want to be exposed to and control the sources they access, instead of passively consuming whatever is broadcast by a small number of content creators.
Visit the same online stores, use the same online sources, or have similar points of interest, and an information cocoon can easily be created. If not, an algorithm will probably do it for you.
We now have access to far more information and a wider range of entertainment and informational content than ever before, all thanks to the digital ecosystem of content creators.
However, this phenomenon is pushing us into strangely isolated communities that often don’t interact with one another. Consider how much easier it is to form friendships with people who use the same social networks as you, as opposed to people who don’t. Or how difficult it is for someone to join in water-cooler conversations when they don’t subscribe to Netflix.
Crossing the information divide
So what’s the solution? For starters, this complex problem requires a complex strategy. Segmenting your audience is certainly essential. Spreading your content around the digital ecosystem is another solution. It’s no longer enough to reach customers by focusing only on select channels, because consumers are split across many different locations, both online and offline.
Some brands in China are beginning to recognize the problem of consumer information bubbles. There’s an unusually high level of competition for customer attention in this market, and customers there are inclined to research thoroughly before they buy. In fact, they seem to do twice as much research as U.S. consumers before making a purchase.
The new era of customers living on information islands means that a single advertising concept is no longer sufficient to come out on top in the market.
Forget winning ad slogans like “Where’s the beef?” or a single creative idea spread across all channels. Today’s fragmented audiences require much more segmented messaging and channel-specific content. What we need is a ‘snackable’ content approach that’s tailored to each channel and segment.
Creating novel content is key to reaching and engaging with customers in separate information cells. Spreading innovative pieces of content across various social media platforms is one of many new ways to approach a fragmented audience.
This approach may seem chaotic, and leave audiences confused about what exactly a brand stands for. But the approach is being used with success by some brands in China, where information bubbles seem particularly pronounced.
Make no mistake: It is a bigger challenge than ever to reach audiences when you have a message to convey.
Although the internet makes it easier to reach people in some ways, it can also make it harder to connect. The best thing brands can do is simply recognize this new reality and learn how to adapt.