Audience profiling methods

Audience profiling methods

Advertisers of film trailers define their target audience carefully as they can establish and identify the right ideologies to make their target audience desire their product as they have an idea where they can concentrate on the advertisement of their film.

Demographic profiling is the most simplest method of identifying the target audience which this method collates an audience and categorises them into age, class, economic status (working class, middle class, and upper class), geographical area, gender and religion and beliefs. This method surmises everyone in broad groups that has the same attitudes.  

Psychographic profiling is categorising audiences in terms of motivation and needs instead of simplistic demographic factors in order to move away from very broad groups of audiences that are difficult to target.  This method allows the audience to be targeted through their needs and wants.  The advertisers of film trailers aim to link the film’s ideologies to the consumer which as a result generates a better bond and empathy between the product’s band and the audience. The audience possesses an emotional attachment/loyalty with the product’s brand which is creating importance for advertisers of film trailers as they have a wide range of undifferentiated products.

Another method of profiling audiences is cross-cultural consumer characteristics which groups the audience in terms of aspirations that are personal to the individual and does not profile the audience by simplistic demographics but in profiles them in terms of needs and desires.

There are five groups that comes under the category of this profiling method of cross-cultural consumer characteristics which are aspirer, individual, mainstreamers, reformers, and succeeders

Aspirers seek to improve themselves which they often define themselves by the status of brand names which they consume, which they absorb the ideologies of the product they have consumed as their own ideologies as consumers believe that their own status is established by their consumption of products.

The individual has an understanding of media and expects high production of advertisement and purchases and consumes the image of the product but not the product itself.

Mainstreamers are usually concerned with security and stability which they often buy popular brands and consume mainstream texts.   

Reformers are idealists who consume environmentally friendly products actively and purchase and consume brands that have a positive image in terms of supporting the environment in a positive manner (buying products that establish this responsible and caring ideology).

Succeeders are a group of people that internally feel in control and are secure of themselves. They are usually in situations where they have control, dominance, and power. Succeeders buy and consume products (brands) that reinforce and reflect their control, power and dominance.   

Another audience profiling method is lifestyle marketing, which organisations of media occasionally nickname themselves as it makes it easy to identify their target audience.  The latest analysis done by these media organisations is done by using the LifeMatrix (psychographic market research tool). The LifeMatrix identifies ten categories which are centered around attitudes, beliefs and values.

These categories are dynamic duos – good work ethic, hard-driving, high-involvement couples, free birds – active altruistic seniors, fun- active young people, aspirational, fun seeking, home soldiers- family orientated, home-centric, and materially ambitious , priority parents- activities, family values, strongly dominate in terms of media, renaissance women- active, affluent, caring and influential mums, rugged traditionalists- love of outdoors and traditional male values, settled elders- are devout, older and have sedentary lifestyles. Tribe wired- creative young singles, digital and free spirited.

The purpose of audience profiling is use to profile an audience in as much detail, to create a certain ideology for the product, relating to the attitudes directly and beliefs and values of that target audience.