My Target Audience

In this post I will clarify the audience I am targeting my music video at. This will help me as I make the video to keep in mind the nature of my audience. 

What will they like? What will they dislike? What is appropriate?

Age: 10-16

My target audience is of the secondary school age. Owl City's music is largely based around youthful imagination and energetic synth melodies. These characteristics can be related to around the 10-16 age group. Owl City's songs do not contain any adult themes such as sex, drug use, alcohol use, or violence. This 'PG' approach shows that Owl City aims for young audiences. The music often hints at romance such as in the song 'Deer in the Headlights':

Met a girl in the parking lot
And all I did was say hello
Her pepper spray made it rather hard
For me to walk her home
But I guess that's the way it goes

The romantic themes seem to be presented in a more humorous light and so it's not so heavy. This would match this target audience as at this age they will be maturing and learning more about relationships. Attitudes towards it may be different but with humour it eases any tensions. It also fits in with Owl City's lighthearted style.

Western Nationality
The artist from Owl City is from America and so he sings in English. This means that the majority of fans will be English speaking. This also means that most of my target audience will be of a western nationality such as: American, British or French. Although Owl City does have a large fan base in Japan, the majority will be from the west.

Social Class: E
As the age suggests, the audience will be secondary school age. Being students puts them in the E class as they do not earn any money unless they have a part-time job. Not having a job to keep them busy, students have more spare time on their hands. This spare time would be spent surfing the Internet, doing outside activities or socialising with friends. In particular they will have more time to listen to music and watch music videos. Having no income, their parents/carers will be the ones providing for them. This is important as if the child wishes to buy Owl City's album or single they will have to ask their parents/carers to purchase it for them. This means that Owl City's music and the music video I make must be suitable enough to be approved by parents/carers. Luckily, Owl City's lyrics, as mentioned earlier, are void of any adult themes and to match this I will create a music video without those themes.

Mainly Female
Owl City's music has a very sensitive and lighthearted nature to it; especially when mentioning anything to do with romance. If viewed from a stereotypical perspective, I would say that females would appeal more to it because of it's sensitive style. They also may be more interested in romance than boys of around 10-16 years old. Owl City does include a lot of space and adventure themes as well that could attract a male audience. However, I would say that the target audience would still be predominately female.

Explorer

My target audience would fit into the 'Explorer' category. Being young, they will have a lot more energy than older audiences. They will be more curious about the world around them and will want to explore it. They will be adventurous and will be open to new things. Owl City's music is very much tailored for the adventurous kids. Themes of space and foreign countries will drive their imagination and curiosity. My music video will largely be relying on this explorer attitude. The story line will be based solely around two kids becoming inspired by a shuttle launch. It will show them running around, collecting objects and using their imagination to create a rocket.




What have I learnt?

• Now I know my target audience in more detail, I can tailor my music video to suit them.
• My main characters will be two children the same age as my audience to create a relation between the two.
• My narrative will be energetic and lighthearted to fit the song and also the audience's personalities.