Which targeting option should an advertiser use when trying to reach 25-30 year old males?
Correct Answer
Demographic targeting
Why is this the correct answer?
Demographic targeting is the right option when trying to reach 25-30 year old males. Demographic targeting on the Google Display Network allows advertisers to target users based on age, gender, parental status, and household income. By selecting the 25-34 age bracket and male gender, the advertiser can restrict ad delivery to this specific demographic segment. This ensures budget is concentrated on the audience most likely to be the target customer, rather than reaching broader audiences with irrelevant demographics.
Why are the other options incorrect?
Interest category targeting
Interest category targeting reaches users based on their browsing interests and behaviour — it does not filter by age or gender, so it would include all age groups who share those interests.
Contextual targeting
Contextual targeting matches ads to webpage content based on keywords — it targets content topics, not the demographic characteristics of the people viewing that content.
Keyword targeting
Keyword targeting on the Display Network shows ads on pages containing those keywords — like contextual targeting, it reaches content, not specific demographic groups.
Real-World Example
A men's grooming brand targets males aged 25-34 using demographic targeting on the Display Network. Restricting to this segment reduces wasted impressions by 60% compared to run-of-network targeting and cuts cost per acquisition from £18 to £7.20 by eliminating spend on irrelevant age and gender groups.