A target audience is the intended audience or readership of a publication, advertisement, or other message catered specifically to said intended audience. In marketing and advertising, it is a particular group of consumer within the predetermined target market, identified as the targets or recipients for a particular advertisement or message. Businesses that have a wide target market will focus on a specific target audience for certain messages to send, such as The Body Shops Mother's Day advertisements, which were aimed at the children and spouses of women, rather than the whole market which would have included the women themselves. A target audience is formed from the same factors as a target market, but it is more specific, and is susceptible to influence from other factors. An example of this was the marketing of the USDA's food guide, which was intended to appeal to young people between the ages of 2 and 18.
The factors they had to consider outside of the standard marketing mix included the nutritional needs of growing children, children's knowledge and attitudes regarding nutrition, and other specialized details. This reduced their target market and provided a specific target audience to focus on. Common factors for target audiences may reduce the target market to specifics such as 'men aged 20–30 years old, living in Auckland, New Zealand' rather than 'men aged 20–30 years old'. However, just because a target audience is specialized doesn't mean the message being delivered will not be of interest and received by those outside the intended demographic. Failures of targeting a specific audience are also possible, and occur when information is incorrectly conveyed. Side effects such as a campaign backfire and 'demerit goods' are common consequences of a failed campaign. Demerit goods are goods with a negative social perception, and face the repercussions of their image being opposed to commonly accepted social values.
Defining the difference between a target market and a target audience comes down to the difference between marketing and advertising. In marketing, a market is targeted by business strategies, whilst advertisements and media, such as television shows, music and print media, are more effectively used to appeal to a target audience. A potential strategy to appeal to a target audience would be advertising toys during the morning children's TV programs, rather than during the evening news broadcast.
Target market
A target market is a select group of potential or current consumers, which a business decides to aim its marketing and advertising strategies at in order to sell a product or service. Defining a 'target market' is the first stage in the marketing strategy of a business, and is a process of market segmentation. Market segmentation can be defined as the division of a market into its select groups, based on a variety of factors such as needs, characteristics and behaviours, so that the application of the marketing mix can be appropriate to the individual. Segmentation of the market gives a business the ability to define its target market for its product or service, and apply the marketing mix to achieve the desired results.
A target market is a common tool utilised by many marketers and business to determine the set of customers they intend to focus on and serve their marketing messages to. It is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as "A particular group of consumers at which a product or service is aimed" (Oxford Dictionary, 2016). A target market is determined and defined by the goals set out in the marketing plan. From the marketing plan the marketer can establish the appropriate target audience necessary to successfully complete effective marketing communications (Percy, Rossiter, & Elliott, 2001, p. 65). Distinguishing the target market is a key decision for any businesses as it is the group of individuals whom the marketing is tailored for. Once a business has determined their target market an offering can be designed to satisfy the particular needs and wants of the particular audience (Hoyer, Macinnis, & Pieters, 2013, p. 7). The target audience is often segregated by factors such as demographic and psychographic differences. The audience within these target segments can have different regional, ethnic, lifestyle, and monetary and religious requirements. Tailoring the offering to a target market allows the marketer to satisfy the particular needs and wants of the consumers within this audience (Hoyer, Macinnis, & Pieters, 2013, p. 13).