Definition

Statistical characteristics of a population (age, gender, income, etc.) used to determine who your ads should stalk across the internet.

Example Usage

Our target demographic is women aged 25-45 with household income above $75K, which narrows things considerably.

Origin

From Greek 'demos' (people) + 'graphia' (writing); statistical term used in marketing since mid-20th century.

Fun Fact

Companies once spent millions on demographic research; now a marketer can model demographics with a few clicks and some historical data.

Source: Statistical Marketing Research Standards

Related Terms

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buying

The art of parting with money in exchange for goods or services, or more cynically, the process of convincing yourself you need something you definitely don't. In business contexts, it's either a strategic investment or buyer's remorse waiting to happen.

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analytics

The data-driven magic of discovering patterns in numbers that either confirm what you already suspected or reveal uncomfortable truths about your business. It's the corporate world's obsession with turning everything—clicks, purchases, employee bathroom breaks—into measurable insights and pretty dashboards. Modern companies worship at the altar of analytics, believing that if you can't measure it, it didn't happen.

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Addressable Market

The total revenue opportunity for a product within a specific segment, subdivided into TAM (total), SAM (serviceable), and SOM (serviceable obtainable). The pie chart that looks progressively more depressing as you divide it.

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demand-side platform

Software that allows advertisers to automatically purchase ad inventory across multiple exchanges and networks through a single interface, because manually buying ads on ten thousand websites would require immortality. Abbreviated as DSP by people who enjoy acronyms.

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pyramid

In business contexts, a hierarchical structure that's theoretically stable but often resembles a financial house of cards. Most famous for the multi-level marketing version, where enthusiastic salespeople discover they're actually the ones being sold to. The Egyptian kind at least has the decency to last 4,500 years.

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brand safety

Ensuring your ads don't appear next to content that makes your company look terrible, like extremist videos or conspiracy theories. Surprisingly difficult to achieve at scale.

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See “Demographic” in Corporate Speak, Gen-Z Slang, Pirate Speak, and more.

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