Audience Research - Aspects of the Audience

Target Audience:  A primarily 16-25-year-old middle market aspirational audience. 

Age: Those aged 16-25 are the first generation to come of age during the era of social media. They are growing up in in a digital world of judgement, distrust and distorted reality, making it difficult for brands to from long term relationships. Research drawn from interviews and a 1000 respondent survey yielded these findings:

• 41% of those researched, feel judged on social media.
• 25% don't feel thy can be themselves online.
• Almost 1/3 feel they don't have a fixed identity.

Neuroscientists revealed that the formative age of 16-25 is the critical moment in life when the true individual identity is formed, and when peoples ambitions, values, and ideas are formed. However, today's youth are made to live in this world of constant peer pressure and exposure. 45% of all 16-24 year olds admit that their social media posts are not an accurate portrayal of their true identity, showing how they seek status from the online identity that they construct for themselves. 

This age group is also incredibly ambitious, possibly due to their exposure of social media influences "perfect life". 30% of 16-25-year-old claim they would sacrifice their best friendship or never go on holiday, in order to "make it" in life. Many (40%) in this age group also feel as if their image and beliefs are not reflected within brand advertising. 16-25-year-olds are now a very lucrative demographic for companies as they contribute an estimated £20 billion to the UK economy each year, and students account for around half of the UK population. Since this age group are the main users of social media brands have discovered that it is effective to advertise on platforms such as Twitter. Thus it can be concluded that many in this age demographic engage with pop culture and music videos through social media as it has instant updates on their favourite artists and song releases.

Middle Market: Describes those who are middle class, they are neither very cheap nor very expensive. This group is reflected in the BC1 demographic groups. In 2016 the frequency of grade B was 23% and grade C1 was 28%, meaning combined the BC1 demographic group made up just over half (51%) of the UK population. 

Aspirer: The aspirer psychometric group seeks status and wants to appear rich and attractive. They want to buy status brands that show their place in society. They are alright with investing in luxury groups and consider themselves stylish and trendy. They may also be easily influenced by celebrity endorsements. Therefor in a music video aspirers would want to see a 'celebrity' performer who is attractive, and would appreciate aesthetics.