We’ve all been there. You’re elbow-deep in a regression model with a side of spatial interpolation, when someone from marketing leans over and says:
“Quick question—what’s the difference between psychographics and demographics again? And could you explain it like you would to your 5-year old?”
Breathe. You’ve got this. You’re a data professional, and if you can wrangle the thousands of variables from our library, you can definitely wrangle Nancy from Sales.
Here’s your go-to guide for translating data nerd speak into Office Human:
- Demographics ≠ Psychographics
What you say:
“Demographics are the who—age, income, household size. Psychographics are the why—attitudes, lifestyles, whether they prefer oat milk over dairy.”
What they hear:
“You just made up two words to confuse me.”
What to say instead:
“Demographics tell us that Bob is 42, married, and makes $75K. Psychographics tell us that Bob thinks oat milk is a conspiracy but spends $600 a year on craft beer.”
- Location Intelligence Isn’t Creepy
What you say:
“We use location intelligence to determine spatial patterns of behavior for strategic site selection.”
What they hear:
“You’re a stalker”
What to say instead:
“I figure out why people go where they go. It’s like digital people-watching… but more useful.”
- “Risk Index” Is Not a Personal Threat
What you say:
“The AGS CrimeRisk database uses weighted indices and benchmark scores to assess relative crime levels.”
What they hear:
“You’re saying my neighborhood is sketchy?”
What to say instead:
“It’s a combination of crime occurrence data and other factors that indicate a relative risk for future crime.”
- Retail Demand: Not a Magic 8 Ball
What you say:
“Retail demand analyzes product demand using a variety of behavioral indicators and categorical spending variables.”
What they hear:
“You can predict the future?”
What to say instead:
“I can tell you if people in this zip code are more likely to buy kombucha or a lawn tractor. Which is basically the same thing as being psychic.”
- Hexagons, not just for elementary learning
What you say:
“I made this map for you using H7 hexagons”
What they hear:
“I made this map for you and it’s going to look like a kindergarten craft project”
What to say instead:
“This is the latest and trendiest way to visualize data on maps, it’s going to blow the client away”
- When All Else Fails… Blame the Model
If your explanations still aren’t landing, do what we all do:
Smile, nod, and say,
“It’s complicated, but don’t worry—it’s all in the model, and the client will be happy.”
Being the data expert in a room full of non-data folks can be really frustrating at times. Just remember—your job isn’t to make them data scientists. It’s to help them make better decisions without having to Google “What is a multivariate cluster analysis?”
And if you ever get truly stuck, our data glossary is an amazing resource that can break down what you think are basic terms into even simpler definitions for the demographically challenged.
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