R093 TA2: Target Audience and Segmentation

1 Give two demographic factors used to describe a target audience. 2

One mark for each of the following, to a maximum of 2.

• One valid demographic factor
• A second, different demographic factor

Model answer. Age, and household income.

2 Explain the difference between demographics and psychographics when describing an audience. 4

One mark for each of the following, to a maximum of 4.

• Demographics defined as measurable factual characteristics
• An example of a demographic
• Psychographics defined as values, attitudes and lifestyle
• An example of a psychographic, or why the distinction matters

Model answer. Demographics are the measurable facts about an audience: their age, income, occupation, education and where they live. Psychographics describe how that audience thinks: their values, attitudes, interests and lifestyle. The distinction matters because two people with identical demographics can want opposite things. Two 30 year olds on the same salary in the same city might be targeted completely differently if one buys on price and the other buys on sustainability, and only psychographics tells you which is which.

3 A museum is producing an interactive touchscreen exhibit for visitors aged 60 and over. Explain three design decisions the audience should lead to, and why. 6

One mark for each of the following, to a maximum of 6.

• A decision about text size or legibility
• The reason linked to the audience
• A decision about contrast or colour
• The reason linked to the audience
• A decision about controls or navigation
• The reason linked to the audience

Model answer. The text should be set noticeably larger than usual, around 18 to 20 point for body copy, because age related changes to eyesight are near universal over 60 and many visitors will read the screen without their glasses. Colour contrast should be high, with dark text on a light background and no pale grey on white, because reduced contrast sensitivity makes low contrast text effectively invisible and museum lighting adds glare. The controls should be large, clearly labelled buttons with no swipe or pinch gestures, because gesture conventions are learned from phone use rather than being obvious, and a visitor who cannot work out how to move on simply walks away from the exhibit.

4 A sportswear company is launching a campaign aimed at women aged 18 to 25 who run recreationally and post about it on social media. Discuss how this audience should influence the style, platform and content of the campaign. 8

One mark for each of the following, to a maximum of 8.

• The platform choice is linked to the audience's behaviour
• A decision about video or image length or pace
• Captions or sound off viewing is addressed
• A decision about tone of voice
• A decision about imagery or casting
• A psychographic or behavioural insight is used, not just age
• Accessibility or inclusivity is considered
• A judgement weighing the factors

Model answer. The audience's behaviour decides the platform first: this group watches short form video on a phone, so the campaign should be built vertically at 9:16 for feeds and stories rather than cropped down from a 16:9 master, and each piece needs to work in under fifteen seconds with the point made in the first three, because that is when the thumb decides. Almost all of that viewing happens with the sound off, so every spoken line needs burned in captions and the key message has to be carried by on screen text and image rather than by voiceover. The tone should be conversational and peer to peer rather than corporate, because this audience is unusually alert to advertising that pretends to be authentic, and a brand voice that sounds like a press release is dismissed instantly. Casting and imagery follow the same logic: real recreational runners of varying body types and paces, shot on routes that look like ordinary streets and parks, are more persuasive than studio shots of athletes, because the audience is buying an identity it can see itself in. The psychographic insight underneath all of this is that running is being used to mark progress and to belong to a community, which is why the campaign should centre on shared achievement and give people something they would willingly post themselves, rather than centring on the product's features. Captions and strong contrast also make the campaign usable by deaf and partially sighted members of the same audience, which costs nothing and widens the reach. Of all these factors the behavioural one is the most decisive, because getting the format and the first three seconds wrong means the rest of the work is never seen at all.