TARGET AUDIENCES

Why is it useful to understand your target audience?

Imagine you are a burglar. How would you decide which house to break into?

Top ten deterrents for burglars

1. CCTV camera2. Sound of a barking dog3. Strong heavy doors4. TV the has been switched on5. Locked UPVC windows6. Cars parked on drive7. Overlooking property8. Surrounding fences9. Gates outside property10. Motion-activated security lights

Source: Co-op Insurance/the Guardian

How do media producers define target audiences?

Demographics: • Age• Gender• Income• Occupation• Education• Ethnicity• Sexuality

Socio-economic classifications

A – higher managerial or professional i.e. surgeon or company directorB – middle manager or professional i.e. teacher, solicitor, accountant.C1 – supervisor, junior manager administrator.C2 – skilled manual workers i.e mechanics/plumbersD – semi-skilled and unskilled manual workers i.e postal workers/van driversE – low-paid or non-working i.e. pensioners/students/part-time workers

Psychographics: • Activities• Interests• Opinions• Attitudes• Values• Behaviour

How do you research target audiences?

Secondary research Primary research

YouTube viewsIMDBBox office revenueiTunes salesFacebook ‘likes’Twitter statisticsGoogle trendsMagazine and newspaper reviewsBlogs

SurveysInterviewsFocus groups

How do you evaluate target audiences?

Qualitative Quantitative

ReviewsCommentsOpinions

StatisticsViewsTicket sales

LO1 tasks:

You need to research the potential target audience for your product using a range of techniques; primary and secondary, qualitative and qualitative. This research needs to be detailed and valid.

You need to analyse and present your findings to create a persuasive presentation for your product. Use infographics where appropriate.

You need to evaluate your research. Is your data accurate? Is it robust?