Target Audience

Target Audience

A target audience is the intended audience or readership of a publication, advertisement, or other message. In marketing and advertising, it is a particular group of consumers within the predetermined target market, identified as the targets or recipients for a particular advertisement or message.

The target audience for Stranger Things is teenagers, and young adults. The target audience for Shang-Chi is adults. The target audience for Snapchat is teenagers. Not one targets a specific gender, although one may watch or utilize these more than the other (for example, more women use snapchat than men).

Niche: Specific (A niche audience is a specific audience)

Target audience can be based on several categories, some of which are: occupation, interests, age, and gender. These audiences are essential for advertisers as they need to know who to target for their ads. Market research can help to find the correct audience.

The effects /  Hypodermic needle model

If you believe the media has total control over the way you think and behave, you are likely to subscribe to the effects model. This suggests that the mass media are powerful and oppressive, and control the passive audience by injecting their minds with messages, causing them to think in a particular way.

Albert Bandura began his research in 1961, and started with a test in which he would get children to watch adults attacking on an inflatable bobo doll. When the children were left alone, they began to replicate the action of the adults, the majority of which attacking the doll also. Likewise to the adults, the children kept their calm composure whilst doing so.

This was a huge discovery as people had previously believed that carrying out violet behavior was cathartic.

Bandura researched again, this time using using recordings of adults being violent. Children copied the behavior, even when the adults were actually dressed up as cats.

What children saw, children do.

In my opinion, I believe this research is conclusive, in showing that children are influenced by those older than them, or closer to them. In turn, this can create violence between children, and can harm their upbringing, and can also harm their future. This also shows that children are heavily influenced by what they see on television, and social media (nowadays).

Uses and gratification theory

If you believe you have control of what you watch, and in fact you use the media more than it uses you, you are likely to subscribe to the uses and gratifications model. 

The theory argues that we are not passive consumers, but active consumers. We consume media because it satisfies a need; our needs are surveillance, personal identity, personal relationships and diversion.

Surveillance is when you seek you new information, you don't need it but you want it. An example of this is watching the new, listening to a podcast etc.

Personal identity is when you consume media to discover more about yourself, and to learn more about who you are. An example of this is reading magazines tailored to your age group.

Personal relationships is when you make connections with media figures. For example, a TV character or a radio host. Often, we consume media because our peers do, and we want to relate to them. It allows us to connect.

Diversion is when you consume media to allow yourself to forget or escape real life.

Commonly, I satisfy my need of diversion, to get away from difficult things that often occur in my life. I usually play on my computer, scroll TikTok and watch YouTube. Not because I need to, but I want to.

Animal Crossing

Animal Crossing is a game franchise developed by Nintendo, with its newest release being Animal Crossing: New Horizons, released in 2020. It is classed as a social simulation game. The franchise is extremely successful, both in its market and in the wider entertainment market. It focuses on letting the user relax, while making friends in game, and getting some social benefit; it makes the user happy.

The game released during the Covid-19 pandemic, a time in which many people had to stay at home. With more people at home came more people who wanted something to do to relax; this game was Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The game provided an escape for people, making it absurdly popular. The game also reflects how users want to be in real life, carefree, relaxed. Users can make the game and play it however they would like. It also has a social aspects, in which you can talk and play with friends. Cool enough, the game reflects reality in the fact that the in game time will match real life time.

Fandom: Henry Jenkins came up with the idea that fans act as 'textual poachers', in which they take elements from media texts to create their own culture. Audiences are active and creative participants rather than passive consumers, in a new culture called 'participatory culture'. They create online communities, collaborate to solve problems, and shape the flow of media. For words such as viral, Jenkins prefers the term 'spreadable media'.