Target Audiences
Targeting is directing promotions of a product towards a group of individuals who are likely to buy it. Different products are targeted at different audiences. After a company determines their target audience that audience is researched in order to learn about lifestyle, attitudes, values, etc. Then companies can more effectively reach their audiences by knowing what t.v. shows they watch and what magazines they read. It is through the media that companies make impressions and influence consumers to buy their products.
Two main products that depend on their advertising would be tobacco and alcohol products. Advertising from that of brewers, who frequently reach, target, and entertain youthful audiences on radio and television are a main support to the structure of these companies. As of now beer commercials on t.v. are much more popular than liquor commercials, but the liquor companies are making efforts to gain commercial time. Seagram's commercials have appeared during weekend college and professional football telecasts, Monday Night Football, and during a 7:00 P.M. showing of the Cosby Show. The company's radio ads also ran on youth-oriented, rock-and-roll format radio stations. But it is felt that the media influence is so strong, allowing liquor ads on the air can only lead to greater alcohol consumption and higher levels of alcohol problems.
Tobacco companies also claim they don't target young people, but that is hard to believe. Tobacco promotion in the movies can be the most subtle and insidious form of tobacco promotion because there is no warning about tobacco use. Nothing on the screen says when tobacco companies have paid to have their product portrayed favorably. The camera moves in to focus on a bright sign where a neon cigarette arches up to meet neon red lips. It slowly pans downward to feature an attractive young woman smoking.
The message: life is beautiful; life is exciting; life is smoking.
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