Dive Brief:
- A new blog post from Google makes the case that consumer intent as glean from search data is better for mobile marketing targeting than demographics.
- The assertion is a thinly-veiled stab at Facebook’s demographic-driven campaign targeting options.
- Google also points out that marketing on mobile devices is all about being useful, especially in what it terms “micro-moments.”
Dive Insight:
Facebook has a massive amount of demographics for targeted marketing, but Google touts its consumer intent data based on searches as better information for targeted marketing, particularly on mobile devices. To bolster its argument that demographic data creates pre-conceived targeting for marketing campaigns, Google pointed out in a blog post that 56% of sporting goods searchers on mobile are female, as well as 45% of home improvement searchers. Meanwhile, 68% of skin and body care influencers over the last six months were male.
"Intent beats identity. Immediacy trumps loyalty. When someone has a want or need, they turn to their smartphone for help—whether it's a karate newbie watching an expert do a move on YouTube or a mom looking for the best deal on a pair of sneakers. When a need arises, people turn to search and YouTube to look for answers, discover new things, and make decisions. We call these intent-filled moments, micro-moments," the Google blog post explained.
"They're the best opportunity marketers have to connect with people at the exact moment they are looking for something. Understanding consumer intent and meeting their needs in the moment are the keys to winning more hearts, minds, and dollars."
The key takeaway for marketers is when targeting campaigns, whether on mobile or not, is when thinking about data sources, think “all of the above.” Intent, demographics and first-party data all should come into play when creating target segments.