Marketing Personas: A Good Place Perspective

Content warning: here there be spoilers

If the first season of The Good Place taught us anything, it’s that in order to get your target audience to feel and act a certain way, you need to understand them inside and out. Michael, all-time demon and sometimes angel, understands this and uses his intimate knowledge of his four subjects to design the perfect way not to torture them, but for them to torture each other. 

Granted, we as marketers aren’t trying to torture anyone. But we are trying to inspire people to act a certain way (i.e. “buy now” or “sign up”). Why shouldn’t we take a page out of Michael’s book and work to better understand the people in question? Of course, Michael had four individuals to focus on while we have thousands, so going person by person is a non-starter. That’s why we need a way to group people with common interests, traits, and behaviors, creating archetypes that can help us better hone our marketing. 

Introduction to Marketing Personas 

Imagine you sell handmade jewelry. It’s high-quality, pricey but not too inaccessible to someone on a middle class income, and each piece is unique. Who are you selling to? 

Why Categorize People

For starters, you could sell to people who either want jewelry for themselves or want to buy it for someone special. When building your digital ad campaign, are you talking to these people the same way? Are you using the same imagery? Consider the following:

• Someone buying a Christmas gift for their partner might care more about how unique the jewelry is. They might respond more to imagery showing couples in love with statements about the gift being “one-of-a-kind.” 
• A mother buying a gift for her 16-year-old daughter might be more concerned with how well-made or durable the jewelry is. She might respond more to statements about quality and promises of warranties. 
• A person buying jewelry for themselves might just like the look but be wondering if it’s worth spending money on something extravagant just for them. Hit them with ads about how treating yourself to something beautiful is an extension of self-care. 

Familial roles and gift giving are only part of the equation. You also want to consider what income levels or other demographics you’re targeting. Consider the following: 

• When talking to higher-income individuals, focus on how unique each piece is. Make them feel like they are spending their money on someone special. Push more elaborate pieces in your ads.
• When talking to lower-income individuals, focus on value. Tell them they can have someone beautiful and don’t have to pay an arm and a leg for it. Promote special deals or payment options. 

Long story short, just saying “we sell jewelry” doesn’t cut it. Group your audiences by commonalities and speak to those unique needs. 

How to Reach People

Great, but how do you know who is actually seeing the ad? Can you be sure the mother in the example above isn’t seeing a romantic ad intended for the partner? 

There’s no perfect way to ensure people only see the intended ad. However, you can maximize your chances by understanding where these different categories of people are likely to come across ads. 

For example, where do people of a certain age, gender, income level, or career frequent online? Will they see you in an ad placed on certain news sites? What social media are they likely to use? You can also place Google ads associated with certain search terms. So, you’ll know who the person searching “Christmas gifts for wife” will likely be.

Where to Start 

Build your marketing personas. Use templates (like the ones we use below) to define not an actual individual (like we do) but a category of individuals to help you better appeal to them. 

We chose to use The Good Place characters to illustrate the value of marketing personas because they are varied and almost archetypal all on their own. That and it was a lot of fun. Let’s see how your fictitious jewelry company might target them.

Marketing Persona Examples: The Good Place

Eleanor Shellstrop 

Hypothetical appeal: Let’s be honest, Eleanor may not be all that interested in fancy jewelry. That said, she would respond to the idea that she’s getting something at a crazy good deal, especially if she thinks she can potentially resell it at a markup on Facebook Marketplace. Hit her with statements about exclusive deals and how the fancy stuff should be for everyone.

Tahani Al-Jamil

Hypothetical appeal: This one should be easy. Tahani is clearly the target market for nice jewelry. That said, your business model is built around the idea that your jewelry is high-quality and financially accessible. That won’t sell Tahani, who is very wrapped up in having the best of the best. Focus on how one of a kind your jewelry pieces are. Push your more expensive pieces and remind her that no one (not even her sister) can copy it.

Chidi Anagonye

Hypothetical appeal: Chidi might like the idea of buying a nice gift for someone special, but is it ethically sourced? Are you hand-making the jewelry yourself or is it a factory of underpaid workers? And where do you get your precious stones from, because Chidi definitely wants to avoid a blood diamond. Run ads appealing to the ethics behind your business, consider partnering with nonprofits that fight against inhumane mining practices. 

Jason Mendoza

Hypothetical appeal: Jason might like a little high-quality bling for himself – if he can afford it. It’s likely he isn’t your target market, but if you are in the business of selling to Gen Z influencers and aspiring dancers on a budget, just make sure your product reflects that as well as the terminology you use in your ads (bling). Have examples that appeal to Jason’s fashion sense and then hit him with how important it is to look the part when you’re spinning records on TikTok. 

How to Make a Marketing Persona

Simple. You can use one of our templates as a jumping off point and adapt it however you like. In fact, we’ve made a clean version of this template available on Canva for free! Have questions about the template (or marketing personas in general) and want to chat? Schedule a FREE CONSULTATION.