What Does target Mean
Target is a term in the English language that is not part of the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ). However, it is often used in our language with reference to an objective , a goal or a target .
The notion is used frequently in marketing and advertising . In this context, the target is the intended recipient of a service or product and its corresponding dissemination campaigns.
It is important to mention that the target is an ideal construction that is developed from market studies . Suppose a brewer wants to launch a new nonalcoholic variety. After carrying out an analysis of the market and consumer tastes, the company determines that the target of the product will be women between 30 and 50 years old. This means that the new non-alcoholic beer is more likely to interest this group of society, and that the advertising will be aimed at captivating this social sector.
Determining the target, also called the target market , is very important to optimize resources. If a company wants to impose a new candy, it will most likely try to attract the attention of children since they are the traditional target for this type of product. In case this issue is not taken into account, you may be investing in advertisements that do not even reach potential consumers of the treat.
One of the main defects of market studies and, consequently, of the estimation of the target, is the interference produced by prejudices , among which those associated with machismo always stand out. Among the most common examples of this phenomenon are the associations of sports to men, kitchen utensils to women, and toys to children ; Just look at the real world for a second to find sporty women, foodie men, and adults who spend their entire salaries on toys.
Despite the many impressive advances in technology, human beings have not evolved socially enough to be in balance, which is why modern life is so difficult and stressful. This is evident, for example, every time a multinational company that invoices billions a year asks in its surveys if a certain product attracts more male or female audiences ; behind the innocence of these two terms hides the cancellation of millions of people, since their meaning in this context is "heterosexual men or women".
The search for the target for a product or service is not always optimal, but this does not prevent large companies from continuing to enrich themselves; However, if all of them implemented an open vision adapted to the times, the benefits would be many and for everyone. One of the factors that is slowly collaborating with a change for the better is the Internet, since it gives the public the possibility to raise their voice. Through social media, anyone who feels excluded from an advertising campaign, or who finds its content offensive, can report it without much effort.
On the other side of the spectrum are those few companies that are committed to a revolution through products or services that aim at an unexpected target , or that "create" a new target , placing in the same group people who until then have never met. they had found in an advertising campaign .
Finally, Target is the name of an American chain of stores , a stadium in Minneapolis and a town in France .