Media Literacy

Target Audiences




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All media work to identify specific groups as TARGET AUDIENCES. Remember, the MEDIA in the United States are comprised of individual business corporations and their aim is to make a profit. To do so, they must entice the public to buy, consume, or watch their products. Groups are targeted based on demographics such as age, race, income, or locale. They also can be targeted by zip codes, projected patterns of media use, or telephone polling.

One way to determine who a target audience for a program or print medium might be is to examine the advertising. The television commercials found during Saturday morning cartoons will typically be for toys because the target audience is children. Those found during the Nightly News will typically be for cars, investment programs or medicinal products. Those found during programming for MTV are for cosmetic, skin-care, and other teenage related products. Examining the commercials or print advertisements provides an indication of who the TARGET AUDIENCE is.