Horizontal & Vertical Marketing

There are two types of market targeting:

Horizontal marketing: Your brand targets a demographic or customer avatar based upon age, gender, occupation, marital status, etc. Ideologies and personal are mismatched and left unthought of.‍

‍Vertical marketing: You brand is targeting those of common of belief systems or identity by marketing an idea. Customers may be 20yo or 50yo, married or divorced, but they share a common ideology.

Here's the thing:

You and I aren't motivated to buy because we are 25 years old, married, and work a $50,000/year job.

And neither are your customers.

Although details of sex and age do matter on the business end, horizontal marketing is uninspiring.

Humans just don't think so robotically!

On the other hand, a brand that sells an ideology that I am deeply passionate about screams...

"THIS BRAND IS FOR ME!".

So, if I may make a case for it...

A vertical marketing strategy does two things for you:

1. When a prospect comes into contact with the intangible idea you are selling, no matter their demographic, you are the brand for them (it being something they identify with).
2. Vertical marketing helps you cultivate community based on what communities are ACTUALLY built upon - common identity.

A vertical marketing strategy isn't for every brand

nor is it so black and white - in reality it looks more like a combination of the two.

But mindset matters. It changes the way we do.

Those that aim vertically go up.

Truly,

Elijah