Definition: The intended group for which something is performed or marketed; the specific group to which advertising is directed.
Example: The target audience for the book is from young adults upwards.
I personally think that this definition is very accurate as the way I see it is a specific group of people that a product is aimed and advertised towards. Every specific target audience is made up from factors of personality, for example age, gender or religion. However to go and watch a media product does not mean you have to be under the target audience factors, anyone can watch any film and it is certainly a good thing when a film with one target audience attracts more than one audience as it raises the initial grossing prediction for the film and therefore brings more popularity and fame to the product and companies/people involved.
You can find out more information about a specific target audience by conducting a research situation. This could be done by asking people in the target audience to fill out a questionnaire and then you could conclude you results to create a more specific audience and to gather more ideas to change your initial narrative idea etc.
Target audience research methods:
Primary Research - Primary research is to start from scratch and find out all of your research independently without help of other people or products. If it's possible, talk to your initial target audience and find out more information regarding codes, conventions and stereotypes. Ask your audience questions about your product and find out a mixture of positive and negative thoughts and use this research to help you to improve your product so that it appeals to a wider audience.
Secondary Research - Secondary research is the opposite of primary and requires using sources of information to gather useful information. The research could come from books, blogs or general internet searches. This method gives you a wider perspective on a strategy or method and instead of questioning people yourself, the source will do it for you. The best places to go to gather wider research and still include other peoples opinions are blogs and forums.
Movie Planning:
If you're trying to find out target audience information about a movie you could get an opinion of your movie idea by handing over copies of your synopsis and gather the good and bad things about it. You could also use this method to find out what you movie needs to make it more appealing to either a wider or more specific audience. This method also works for other media products such as TV, music and video games.
Certificates:
A media product certificate is the age rating that a board has given the product due to the suitability of content. The guidelines are usually picked based on violence and language that may offend younger viewers or be of a bad influence. All age ratings for movies being broadcasted in the UK are passed by a company called the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification). This means that any movie that passes thorugh to the UK from another country MUST go through the BBFC so that they can decide on a suitable ratings for British audiences.
The BBFC process is simple. The product is given to them for what they call a 'solo viewing' where a small group of their people will sit down and watch the product. The people will take notes whilst watching about content and put hteir idea's towards the final decision. However before they decide on a decision they rate the product on a scale of 2. The scale is simply to decide what area of the age ratings they are going to place it in and once the scale vote is finalised they will come to an agreement for the final ceritficate. The official BBFC certificate guidelines are as follows:
U - The U symbol stands for Universal. A U film should be suitable for audiences aged four years and over. However, it is impossible to predict what might upset a particular child, especially at this lower end of the category range.
PG - PG stands for Parental Guidance. This means a film is suitable for general viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for younger children. A PG film should not disturb a child aged around eight or older. Parents should consider whether the content might upset younger or more sensitive children.
12/12A - The 12 certificate is just for videos, DVDs and Blu-rays. 12A is for films at the cinema only. 12A means that anyone aged 12 or over can go and see the film unaccompanied. The A stands for 'accompanied' and 'advisory'. Children younger than 12 may see the film if they are accompanied by an adult (eg someone over the age of 18), who must watch the film with them.
15 - No-one under 15 is allowed to see a 15 film at the cinema or buy/rent a ‘15’ rated DVD. 15 rated works are not suitable for children under 15 years of age. 15's could include any of the following:
18 - Films rated 18 are for adults. No-one under 18 is allowed to see an 18 film at the cinema or buy/rent an 18 rated DVD. No 18 rated works are suitable for children. 18's could include any of the following:
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