'Everyone' is not a target audience
While most people can engage with most forms of media that they choose, creators do not aim to target 'everyone.'
A target audience refers to a specific group of people that a product, message, or content is intended to reach and engage with. It helps marketers and creators tailor their strategies and communication to resonate with the preferences, needs, and characteristics of that particular group.
Demographics
Demographic - a subset of a target market that share particular characteristics.
Example - many television advertisers purposefully target the 18-35 age demographic.
BUT - this does not people who are older than 35 can’t buy the product – it just means they are part of a different demographic and might need a different style of advertisement.
Demographics require nuance
One common mistake made by businesses is overlooking the fact that people don't always fit neatly into specific demographic categories. For example, when researching your customer base, relying solely on race may not capture the full picture, as individuals often identify with multiple cultural groups based on factors like parental heritage, place of birth, and upbringing. Gender is another area where rigid demographic classifications may not apply to everyone. To avoid excluding members of your community and potential customers, it's crucial to embrace inclusivity by using inclusive imagery and language in your messaging, especially when dealing with sensitive demographics.
Psychographics
Categorises people by their personality, interests and other factors. This can be a powerful way of marketing the same product to people from seemingly radically different demographics.
Personality
Attitude
Personal values
Lifestyle
Social class
AIOs (Activities, Interests, Opinions)
How does genre relate to target audience?
Film genres are categories that help us understand the type of movie we can expect to watch. Each genre appeals to a different group of people based on their preferences and interests. Therefore, when making advertisements for particular films (and making the films themselves), genre plays an important role in capturing specific audiences. Demographics and psychographics can help us to understand these audiences. For example, action movies might target younger audiences who enjoy thrilling adventures, while romantic comedies might appeal to those who appreciate love stories and light-hearted humour. By understanding the genre of a film, advertisers can effectively target the right audience and ensure that people who are drawn to that particular genre are more likely to watch the movie. This means that we must be aware how to understand what a film genre is and how to communicate this to audiences through our designs.