This document discusses understanding the target audience for business publications. It identifies four key traits of the target audience: age, educational background, interests, and group membership. These traits provide insights into how to effectively communicate with and grab the attention of the target audience. The document uses examples of elementary school flyers to illustrate how these traits, such as age and educational level, influence design choices like graphics and text.

1. The Target Audience
3.02 Understand business
publications.
1

2. Slide 2
Traits of the
Target Audience
Once the type of publication is determined, the
next step is to examine the Target Audience.
Knowledge of the Target Audience
is critical to effective communication
through publications.

3. Slide 3
Traits of the
Target Audience
The identifying characteristics of the
Target Audience provide the
“hooks” for grabbing their attention
by appealing to their
Age
Ability
Special interests, and
Group Membership

4. Slide 4
Traits of the
Target Audience
Although a Target Audience can be
characterized by many traits, we will only
cover the following four in this objective:
Age
Educational background (ability)
Interests
Group membership

5. Slide 5
Age of the Target Audience
 What is the general age group ?
 Elementary
 Preteen
 Teen
 Young adult
 Mature adult
 Senior citizen
1. Is the publication being prepared for
young children to entertain them and
tell a story at a birthday party?
2. Is it for a classroom to inform students
about a topic?
3. The age of the Target Audience will
assist in choosing Design Elements that
will be used in the publication.

6. Slide 6
Age of the Target Audience
Look at the two versions of an elementary
school flyer and discuss which one is more
appropriate. Version A or Version B?

7. Slide 7
Educational Background
of the Target Audience
What is the general Education Level of
the Target Audience?
 If it can be defined, knowledge of the
Educational Background will determine
the amount of text, word choices, and
amount of graphics used in the publication.
Remember, less is more!
Be concise and get to the point.

8. Slide 8
Educational Background
of the Target Audience
If you think back to the previous flyers of the
elementary school, what do you think about the
educational level of the Target Audience?
 Can the audience read well?
Their vocabulary is probably limited, so
more age appropriate graphics were used
to convey the message than text.

9. Slide 9
Common Interests
of the Target Audience
 Does the Audience (group) as a
whole share Common Interests,
such as knitting, doll collecting,
bowling, stamp collecting, kayaking, or
fly fishing?

10. Slide 10
Group Memberships
 Special Interest Groups
 Boy Scouts
 FBLA
 Gaming
 Gardening
 Harry Potter
 Other Groups
 Religious
 Ethnic
 Political
 Sports
 Sorority or Fraternity
Is the Target Audience a member of a
particular group?
Does the Audience share similar
Group Memberships?

11. Slide 11
Let’s get to work!
Use your new knowledge about the
Target Audience along with Design
Principles in the next activities to
develop some publications!

12. Slide 12
Elementary
School Flyer
Version A

13. Slide 13
Elementary
School
Flyer
Version B