What Is Affinity Marketing?

Affinity marketing is a practice by which businesses and companies target their marketing efforts toward a small, niche audience that is likely to be receptive to the products or services being sold. In doing this, the marketers can be more assured that their messages will be heard and that they will get positive responses. This concept can help a company build its overall brand by specifically catering to different audience segments in each marketing campaign. Another type of affinity marketing occurs when non-profit organizations team up with profit-earning companies to double their marketing reach and power.

Marketing in the modern world can be a very difficult task. Companies hoping to reach out to every section of society with a single message may find that their efforts fall well short of their marketing goals. By targeting specific groups for a single campaign, however, marketers may get the response they desire. Effective affinity marketing can eventually strengthen the overall brand of a company if it is practiced with diligence and efficiency each and every time it is used.

As an example of an affinity marketing campaign, imagine that a company is coming out with a new brand of hair spray that is designed exclusively for younger women. It would make no sense to put ads for this product in magazines targeted to men. Instead, the company might choose to run an ad on websites that cater to the demographic. The company also might pay for a television commercial to be run in conjunction with a popular show about young women. With these methods, the marketer is hitting the target audience in the most efficient manner possible.

Many possibilities are available for those wishing to practice affinity marketing. Prominent displays in the stores frequented by the target audience may be used. In addition, it might be effective to run an interactive campaign or even a contest that plays on the characteristics of those most likely to buy the product. Such techniques can further strengthen the bond between the marketer and the desired audience.

There is another type of affinity marketing which is based on the efforts of non-profit organizations to publicize their causes. At times, these non-profits may team up with a corporate brand for a marketing campaign. The corporation gets the benefit of being associated with a worthy cause, while the non-profit gets the powerful marketing reach afforded by their corporate partner. For these reasons, this type of marketing is often called partnership marketing.