This is a VERY exciting time as the UK Census is published in earnest this week, which means up to date baseline data on the UK’s population and habits over the last ten years.
Creating campaigns with insights and data at their heart can really help left-brain thinkers get behind a campaign, so internal sponsors, for example, it also means, more importantly, that your campaign is more likely to hit the mark with your audience.
One of my passions is data and insight. And the Census is about as interesting as it gets! It is a treasure trove of information about the nation’s population and can be used in many ways.
The Census is the most extensive survey globally, in fact, carried out across many countries every ten years.
Importantly, this data also helps to better understand the demographics of the population, which is critical for marketing and communication purposes. And, it informs how we can talk to our audience better based on their habits and demographics.
Today you will learn; what demographic data is, why it’s useful in campaigns and where to start.
Let’s dive in!
Links mentioned in this episode:
The UK Census release schedule
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Full transcript (unedited)
This is a VERY exciting time as the UK Census is published in earnest this week which means up to date baseline data on the UK’s population and habits over an exciting time in our history. Creating campaigns with insights and data at their heart can really help left-brain thinkers to get behind a campaign, so internal sponsors for example and also it means, more importantly, that your campaign is more likely to hit the mark with your audience.
One of my passions is data and insight. And the Census is about as interesting as it gets! It is a treasure trove of information about the nation’s population and can be used in many ways.
The Census is the most extensive survey globally, in fact, carried out across many countries every ten years. And it’s a census of the population, not a census of the economy. There was a new Census undertaken in 2021 and the results have been drip fed until now but the publishing schedule kicks in in earnest this week with lots of interesting updates.
That means it provides an excellent snapshot of who lives in the country and where they are. It also means that it offers an opportunity to measure the country’s progress over time.
It is used by governments, businesses, and other organisations to communicate information about the state of the nation and the economy, to plan for the future, and to evaluate the performance of government and other organisations.
Importantly, this data also helps to better understand the demographics of the population, which is critical for marketing and communication purposes. And, it informs how we can talk to our audience better based on their habits and demographics.
Today you will learn; what demographics data is, why it’s useful in campaigns and where to start.
Let’s dive in!
Why is it essential for campaigns?
Census data is important for many reasons, including accurately measuring the population and providing data for planning and communication purposes.
The Census also helps to inform decision-making at all levels of government, including the allocation of resources, the distribution of services, and the development of policies.
The Census is also extremely useful for PR campaigns as they often rely on demographic data to decide which areas to target. The Census simply is the daddy of data when it comes to demographics.
It provides data on age, gender, race, and other key demographics, which comms pros can use to inform PR campaigns and tailor them to the area’s specific needs. This allows PR campaigns to reach their audiences most effectively and maximise the impact of their message.
The Census is also a great platform for communicating the latest demographic data to the public, such as the latest data on the gender pay gap, the ethnic makeup of the country, the average age of the country, and the educational attainment of the country.
This allows the public better to understand the state of the nation and the economy and hold decision-makers accountable for the actions taken on their behalf. It also allows us as professional communicators to better tailor their communication plans to the demographics of the intended audience, which is an essential tool for ensuring that your message is received and understood.
What is demographic data?
Demographic data provides information on age, sex, and other population characteristics.
This is helpful when conducting research, and planning PR campaigns.
One of the most common uses of census data is to communicate with and influence the public, which is especially effective when used in conjunction with other data such as social media and polls.
The Census has also been used to conduct research, which can be used to answer questions and test hypotheses.
So you can start to see why this is an exciting time for your campaigns and why you should be reviewing your audience’s needs and behaviours as let’s face it, ten years is a lifetime, right, given everything that’s going on in the world.
Where to start? here is an example of how I use Census data in my own campaigns.
The Census provides data on age, ethnicity, and other demographics, which are used as the basis for an audience’s needs and behaviours.
I use census data to identify gaps in the market and areas that might need more attention and focus, for example, and review the performance of my current audiences.
I also use census data to inform and shape my communications and other strategies, so that I can tailor my message to the needs of the audience.
I get asked to do a lot of strategic comms projects in the built environment, for example, where this sort of insight is essential. One example is a regeneration projects for a housing developer and we wanted to really get under the skin of who might buy a home here.
Before we design the marketing campaign and identity, I start by looking at the demographics of the local area and also the migration history and patterns to see not only where people are coming from but also why.
I don’t use it in isolation there is a lot of desktop research and correlating different sources of mainstream data from places like Rightmove and the Housing Market Index, for example. But what this does is form a picture of the sorts of people who are likely to buy or live in that local area.
I’ve simplified this but you get the picture. Once we have an idea of who these people are and are not, we can then build the buyer personas and ultimately craft the message and build the identity that would attract them to this new place.
So for someone like me, this is epic! that we have a new Census as ive been caveating insights with *data taken from 2011 Census* for so many years now, especially in the last 5 where it has started to feel really out of touch.
Here are 3 things you can do right now;
- Look at the Census – have you ever taken a look to see this ultimate treasure trove of info? go check it out the link is in the shownotes
- Take one of your campaigns or your next campaign or project and see where it could be improved using this data
- Do an audit of ongoing campaigns or long-running projects to make sure that your messages are really hitting the mark with what’s going on in the real world.
Of course if you need any help with figuring this out then please do get in touch via my speakpipe page or using my contact details in the shownotes.