From its origins as a 'bulletin board' forum space to becoming a broader social media platform that hosts almost every topic-led community you can think of, Reddit has become a place for interaction, conversation and, consequently, an opportunity for marketers to reach out.
That opportunity is vast according to new research, with 17% of the British adult population said to have visited Reddit in the “last seven days”. Over the past four weeks that audience is the equivalent of 36% of adults.
But who are they - and what should marketers be considering when it comes to reaching out to them?
Data from Kantar TGI’s October 2022 release, shared exclusively with PMW, reveals that Reddit’s users believe in their power to influence almost as much as they are influenced by the things they interact with.
Across Kantar TGI’s annual panel of 24,000 respondents, Reddit users were 30% more likely to agree than an ‘average’ adult that “people come to [them] for advice before buying new things”. The same proportion were also more likely to agree that they are early adopters of the ‘new’ and that they buy new products before most of their friends.
“What’s really interesting about Reddit users is their belief in their ability to influence people, particularly on technology,” says Gary Brown, lead analyst at Kantar TGI.
“Redditors are especially likely to feel they can convince others with their views on laptops, tablets and smartphones. If tech brands can tap into what drives these self-claimed influencers, then there’s potential to amplify their messaging in an extremely efficient way.”
Reddit users: an “especially useful” demographic for disruptor brands
Reddit users are more likely to embrace disruptor brands – with those surveyed being 33% more likely to agree with the statement “I like to stand out in a crowd”.
But as much as they believe in their ability to influence, they are also swayed by celebrity and care about celebrity culture – and those using the platform are as much influenced by what they interact with as they are confident of their own power to persuade.
Overall, Reddit users were 55% more likely to agree that “celebrities influence my purchase decisions”. But the influence goes beyond what they’re buying, with the data showing the platform’s visitors were 32% more likely to agree that social media posts “influence their political view”.
Brown says: “This is a group who are likely to love tech generally, who place value on looking good and being at the forefront of their peers in terms of setting trends.
“That makes them an especially useful demographic for launching and spreading the word about new, disruptive brands. Premium brands in particular shouldn’t overlook this cohort – Redditors are twice as likely as average to be attracted to designer labels.”
Young and ambitious: fewer dependents, higher disposable income?
The typical Reddit user is likely to be on the younger side agewise, according to the data's October release, with 31% of users in the last month being aged between 15 and 24.
Almost a fifth of Reddit users (19%) were what Kantar TGI identifies as young, unmarried and living at home, compared with 6% of adults generally. But their ambition is clear – with users being 49% more likely than the average adult to “want to get to the very top” in their career.
Brown says: “We know that Reddit users skew younger than average, they tend to have fewer dependents and so higher disposable income, making them a potentially attractive market to target. They are keen gamers so brand messaging or offers that tie into that will be well received.”
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