Characteristics of Target Customers

<-NARRATOR:-> Listen to part of a lecture in a business class.
<-FEMALE PROFESSOR:-> People who are likely to buy a company's product are called target customers.
And these target customers influence a company's marketing strategy.
In order to develop a marketing strategy,
a company will look at certain characteristics of the target customers to decide when and where to advertise...
so that they'll reach the target customers most effectively.
I'd like to talk to you today about two characteristics of target customers that can influence marketing strategy,
specifically age and geographic location of the target customers.
Say a company makes toy cars.
Who are its target customers? Kids, right?
So, if the company wants to make sure its television advertising reaches its target customers,
it'd want to advertise during times when kids are actually watching television...
like during children's television shows.
That way it can make sure that kids see the advertisements.
And that way the company'd get people in that age group...to go buy toy cars...
or to ask their parents to buy 'em at least.
Now, another important characteristic to consider is geographic location...
places where the company's target customers live.
Think about a company that makes boats.
Its target customers are people who own homes near oceans or lakes...
places where they can use boats.
After all, people who don't live near water don't have much use for boats.
So, by placing advertisements on signs along the road or on television in cities and towns that are near oceans or lakes,
the company'd be more likely to reach the target customers for its boats...
and sell more of 'em as a result.