Psychographics deal with the mental, emotional and lifestyle habits of the consumer. They basically explain why your customers buy your product or service while demographics only determine who your buyer is.

Psychographics primarily deal with variables, which include interest, values, attitude, personality, lifestyle and more. These variables can determine how customers will respond to your brand. 

It also looks at what motivates the customer’s buying decisions and how their principles influence their buying decisions. It attempts to identify their emotions and beliefs not only their age, gender or race.

Understanding your customers will assist them in understanding your brand better. Overall, psychographics gives a full picture of your target audience's desires and how you can relate them to your marketing strategy.

Netflix is great at this as it asks you to choose certain shows that you like when subscribing. That way, it collects data about your show preferences and viewing patterns or habits to recommend series or movies to keep you watching.

Let's jump into the benefits:

You understand your audience’s preferences and uncertainty

Psychographics paint a clear picture of who your audiences are and what they want. This means you can individualise your content because you know how your customer thinks.

You know what attracts your customers to your brand and what influences their buying decision in terms of their desires and hesitations. It's all-inclusive data that helps you direct them to a decision.

You can target market campaigns effectively 

Once you have the information you need you can reach your audience more effectively. You can use your target’s persona to understand their beliefs and attitudes.

An example would be the Volvo (XC90) “Road Trip” car. It shows a couple that is travelling around South Africa to visit friends. They are not focusing on luxury but rather comfort.


Campaigns examples that include psychographics in their marketing 

Lifestyle

The Nando’s Mzansipoli advert focused on most South Africans' lived experiences. “How life is a lot like the game of Monopoly”. People pay rates and taxes, rent, buy houses, spend money and so on. It's basically survival of the fittest. 

Nandos focused on the lifestyle variable of most South Africans and personalised their content based on that.


Values 

Brand South Africa ran its ‘OneAfricaOnePeople’ campaign in honour of Africa Day as a reminder that Africans value diversity, inclusivity and differences.

The campaign was trying to unite Africans and say no to xenophobia and violence. This shows a brand that pays attention to people’s values.


Interests

You can target your audience based on their interests like the White Walker by Johnnie Walker, which played on the meteoric popularity of Game of Thrones.


Habits

Savanna played on the idea that their customers preferred to keep it simple by introducing the Juniper Flavoured Cider, which is equivalent to a cocktail. The advert makes light of fancy cocktails where one from a group of friends in a bar takes the whole day to get his fancy cocktail drink.

Psychographics provide a full outline of a person on what really makes them and that, in turn, helps you craft the right message or content and place it in the right direction.

What other subjective information do you think marketers need to look at, in order to personalise meassages? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

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Looking to create great customer experience and strengthen relationships with your consumers? Consider the Four ways CRM helps brands create the best marketing campaigns.
*Image courtesy of Vecteezy.