Online Marketing to Demographic Segments

At the DMA's Nonprofit New York Conference this August, I'll be moderating a panel discussion on fundraising "from people who don't look like you." It's aimed at discussing the opportunities and pitfalls of reaching out to different demographic groups. As part of the research, I'm identifying news items that may add to the body of knowledge, and I'll be blogging them here.

Today's New York Times announces the launch of Rushmore Drive, a search engine that is aimed at blacks. It does this by looking at search results (probably from its sister company, Ask.com) that were clicked on in heavily black cities and comparing them to the search results that were clicked in less black cities. While that's not exactly precise, the model found distinct differences in "hair products, dance, cars, fraternities and sororities" and recipes.

Yes, the article says, one could find much the same results at Google by including a phrase like "African American" in the search. And to the extent that someone is aware that their demographic or lifestyle differences will impact the search results they want, that's an option. But search, and in fact much of the internet, has been about making it easier, not harder, on the user.

It will be interesting to see how this succeeds, and how Google reacts.