Know-How Exchange : Branding

shahud...

I think the "someone" who told you about the Marlboro campaign was playing semantics, not explaining a marketing principle!

This is one of the drawbacks of employing too much jargon - and we marketers are as guilty of that as anyone else, I'm afraid.

Using the exact words that you quote, could we define a "target market" as everyone you've identified as a potential customer, whereas a "target audience" could be that group of potential customers that you can reach with a particular marketing communication message?

In practical terms, however, I'd be inclined to consider the two phrases as interchangeable.

Bob

I think there can be a difference in the terms.

Target market is who you want to sell to. For Marlborough, the target market would be various demographic breakdowns of people who smoke or might be willing to smoke.

Target audience is who the media you are using reaches.

You hope that the target market and target audience overlap perfectly, but this doesn't always happen.

Not sure if this is accurate, but I'd guess that your target market includes the folks who actually BUY your product. The target audience would include those who INFLUENCE the buyers.

The best example is my six-year-old daughter, who has zero buying power. She's a member of the TV audience who gets bombarded with commercials for the latest idiotic, breakable toy. I'm the one who puts that toy on my credit card.

- Shelley

Hi shahud

Target market are those whom you are targeting in selling your products. these people will use your products/services, the end users.

Target audience is the people who are reached by the various media you are using to communicate your marketing activities.

in cases of products used by adults, who make the purchase decision on their own Target Market and Target Consumer overlap each other. In case of Marlboro ad both are same, existing and potential smokers, as mentioned by peter. Most adult products are in this category, interestingly Baby products like baby cereals, diapers etc also have the TM and TA overlapping, parents :)

for products in which the end user is different from the purchase decision makers, the Target Audience is the purchase decision makers and users both while Target Market are only those who are end users. examples are kids products, toys dolls etc.

hope this helps.

cheers!!