BEYOND DEMOGRAPHICS
Surface-level insights won’t build loyalty.
Most brands say they know their customer—but scratch the surface, and all they have is a vague demographic profile.
True loyalty, the cult-like kind, doesn’t come from targeting an age group or income bracket. It comes from tapping into who your customer is, what they believe, and how your brand fits into their story.
It’s not just demographics.
Age, gender, income, location — those are surface-level facts. They’re useful but not enough. You need to know their psychographics: values, fears, dreams, frustrations, ambitions, identity.
You’re not just selling them a product. You’re helping them express something about who they are (or who they want to become). Your brand is a character in their movie, not the other way around. What do they want to stand for? What are they running toward (or away from)? What would make them say, "This brand just gets me"?
Nobody buys a Harley-Davidson because they need a way to get to work. They buy freedom. Rebellion. Identity. You have to know the real emotional purchase happening underneath the surface.
If your definition of "core customer" could apply to everyone, you haven’t gone deep enough. A real core customer profile should feel almost too narrow — because that’s where loyalty lives.
WHAT’S
WORTH NOTING
Surface-level facts aren’t enough.
Demographics can tell you where your customers are—but not who they are. True understanding comes from digging into their values, emotions, and ambitions.
Your brand is part of their story, not the other way around.
The best brands know they’re playing a role in helping customers express something bigger about themselves.
Beliefs matter more than behaviors.
It’s not just what they buy—it’s what they believe about the world, about themselves, and about what your brand helps them become.
Emotions drive decisions.
People don't buy products. They buy what those products mean to them. Speak to that layer if you want real loyalty.
Specificity creates belonging.
Trying to appeal to everyone is the fastest way to mean nothing to anyone. The deeper and narrower your focus, the stronger your community.
Clarity is non-negotiable.
If you can't clearly finish the sentence, “Our best customers are people who ____, because they want ____ and believe ____,” you don’t know them well enough yet.