Why Hilton is marketing to mindsets, not demographics

Hilton, the hospitality company, has moved beyond demographics as it seeks to create marketing that truly resonates with consumers.

"Demographics are dead," Stuart Foster, VP/Global Brand Marketing at Hilton, warned his fellow marketers at ad:tech New York 2017.

The terminal decline of this established marketing strategy – which sorts people into groups based on their age, income, household size, and so on – has resulted, in part, from the advent of digital insights that provide a rich, granular view of prospective guests for the hotel chains under Foster's guardianship: Namely, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton, Curio Collection by Hilton, and Tapestry Collection by Hilton.

In highlighting the limitations associated with this marketing technique, Foster outlined "the Hilton...

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