When you were in school, were you ever surprised to run into one of your teachers ‘in the wild?’ Out in your town, shopping with their family, or at the movies? It can be a shock to a kid, but teachers are just like regular people. With one important difference.
In their demographics, values, spending habits and interests, teachers and educators are a better audience than the general population for consumer-focused brands. This predominantly female segment makes most of the purchase decisions in a household. And there are over seven million in the U.S.
The Teacher Twist
Teachers are like average shoppers in many ways, but with important distinctions in key consumer categories:
Financial Services. Teachers are more likely than the overall population to have or use credit cards. Also, 77% of teachers have at least one type of banking product or investment, compared with 58% of the general population. 94% carry some sort of basic health, hospital, and/or life insurance in comparison with 84% of the overall population.
Health and Wellness. Teachers are more likely to take the initiative about their health than the general population—with higher percentages eating healthy foods, exercising regularly, and getting vaccinations. They are also more likely to believe that vitamins/minerals are good for long-term health.
Sports and Fitness. Educators are more likely than the overall group to engage in many sports and fitness activities. The two most popular activities for both groups are walking for fitness (55%) and swimming (50%.)
Restaurants. All Americans eat out frequently at “family and sit-down restaurants.” Educators do so a bit more at 94% compared with 85%
Travel. Teachers are more likely than the overall population to travel. In response to a question about whether they had traveled domestically in the last 12 months, 83% of teachers said yes compared with 67% of the total group.
Teachers are Ideal Consumers
Don’t just take our word for it.
As mentioned in the Huffington Post article Why Marketing to Educators May Be the Best Decision You Ever Make “…educators are the ideal audience for your marketing efforts…” Also, Forbes recently published an article as well on How to Influence Generation Z Through Education.
All the above insights come from a report we commissioned from Simmons Market Research: Teachers as Consumers: Background, Interests, Buying Patterns, and Media Uses. We recommend this 60+ page report as a great starting point to get to know the hidden side of teachers: as ideal consumers.
