Dirt trackers, biohackers, and professional snackers.
No, Marketing Brew isn’t getting into slam poetry. Those are three subcultures identified by Horizon Media’s Why Group intelligence center in its third subculture field guide, which is meant to help marketers target people based on interests and passion points as opposed to more traditional demographics.
In past years, the guide has focused on Gen Z subcultures, but expanded to a cross-generational approach this time around. Gen Zers have been “paving the way” for the rise of niche communities because they’re “extremely online,” but Horizon clients have been increasingly asking about subcultures among other generations, Maxine Gurevich, Horizon SVP and head of cultural intelligence, told Marketing Brew.
“We got a lot of statistics back on the fact that people are more likely to trust someone that they have more common interests with than someone their own age,” she said. “That was the moment when we were like, ‘We need to look at subcultures that are defying age, because that’s not really a key marker of identity anymore.’”
This year’s subcultures encompass millions of adults across seven areas of interest, which were identified based on social media audits, a September survey of 1,000 US adults, MRI-Simmons research, and Horizon’s social intelligence tool. Here’s a high-level look at the niches the report suggests marketers might want to dive into.
Kick the dust up: Motorsports like Nascar and F1 have proven their appeal to audiences around the world in recent years, but there are also hyper-local communities of people who are ready to drive to survive. Horizon calls them “dirt trackers,” or people largely in rural communities in the Midwest who are enthusiastic about dirt-track racing. They’re “gritty, community-driven, [and] nostalgic,” opposed to flashy marketing stunts, and look up to local celebrities, including a growing group of younger drivers.
Life hack: Then there are “biohackers,” members of a subculture obsessed with “mental and physical optimization” that originated not in rural America, but in Silicon Valley, Gurevich said. Since cropping up several years ago, biohacking has spread from the California tech community to other areas and industries, she said.
Biohackers are an “innovative, analytical, health-obsessed, [and] forward-thinking” group who likely won’t respond well to one-size-fits-all marketing, according to the guide. They like “brands that cast a more elite halo” and influencers who “talk the talk and walk the walk,” like Tesla and Elon Musk and Goop and Gwyneth Paltrow, Horizon found.
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Financially savvy: The “FIRE fighter” subculture is all about financial independence and retiring early, hence the acronym. They’re careful spenders, but “if you can prove the value in their life, they will actually embrace you,” Gurevich said. This community skews 62% male, follows people like Warren Buffet and McKenzie Mack, and values “cash-conscious brands” like Ikea and Goodwill, per the report.
Pampered pets: Members of this next subculture are likely less concerned with their own retirement than they are with the current happiness of their pets. They’re the “extreme paw-rents,” described in the guide as “pet owners who take pampering to new heights.” Also in contrast to FIRE fighters, these pet parents are 67% women. Horizon researchers found that 30% of this group’s discretionary income is spent on luxury pet products, according to Gurevich.
Spooky szn: Another one of Horizon’s subcultures, the “dark tourists,” are more into frightening vibes than fuzzy ones. They like to travel to spooky locales like ruins or abandoned buildings, preferring to avoid tourist traps and other crowded destinations.
“Horror has become a huge genre in popular culture in general, and this is kind of like a subset of that,” Gurevich said. “Dark tourists really are there for the thrill and the unknown.”
Little treat: Who doesn’t love a little treat? Members of the “professional snackers” subculture certainly do. Ever since “girl dinner” took the internet by storm during the summer of 2023, “snackification” has become a major trend, Gurevich said. Perhaps inspired by girl dinner, women make up 65% of this subculture. They see snacking as “a way of life and a social currency, making this community highly valuable to brands looking to drive trial,” according to the report.
Roll with us: Last but not least are the “free-wheelers,” a group united by their love of roller skating who Horizon describes as “diverse,” multigenerational, “fun,” “nostalgic,” and “expressive.” This subculture has roots in Black communities, per the report, and is especially prominent in Atlanta, but is starting to expand into other states, Gurevich said. Free-wheelers are likely to be drawn to brands that connect “fashion, movement, and music,” like Cash App, Nike, and Sephora, according to the guide.