← DictionaryTarget Audience
also called target market
The group of people a business intends to reach and serve.
Who you are trying to reach.
What It Is
Target Audience is a Business item, filed under Audience. What it actually refers to is the group of people a business intends to reach and serve.
It is an idea you reason with rather than a deliverable you hand over, so two teams can both hold it correctly and still apply it differently. That definition is deliberately narrow — the narrowness is what makes it usable.
How It's Used
Most of the time Target Audience is used in commercial decisions, pricing conversations and how the business runs. It rarely travels alone — expect it next to Ideal Customer Profile, Segmentation and Market. The practical test is whether a decision changes because of it.
Why It Matters
Ignoring Target Audience rarely fails loudly — it fails slowly. When it is unclear, margin leaks in places nobody is looking. The businesses that treat it seriously spend less time redoing work.
Imagine a rule of thumb that helps you choose between options. Who you are trying to reach.
Termshift™
How the meaning shifts depending on who is using it, and where.
In agency and in-house rooms, Target Audience means exactly the group of people a business intends to reach and serve.
In plain conversation it comes out as who you are trying to reach.
The Bottom Line
Target Audience pays off when it is specific and costs you when it is not. Who you are trying to reach.