The subtle ways advertisers target audiences — and why they shouldn’t

In the early days of advertising, the goal was to appeal to most people. With the right frequency and messaging, advertisers believed a brand would stick in the consciousness of the audience, eventually driving them to take action, such as a purchase, and ideally become a lifetime customer or subscriber. As advertising capabilities evolved, marketing teams sought to segment audiences and reduce wasted impressions by targeting specific groups with specific messages.

Targeting started in simpler forms. For example, an automaker aired a family-friendly car commercial during soap operas and a sports car during late-night TV. By the 1960s, more brands asked ad agencies to target minority groups, a focus that was previously rare.

To do so, agencies tested new creative to learn what resonated with specific ethnic groups, basing strategies on the Burrell Method by ethnic micro-targeting. This ranged from the Lorillard campaign for Kool Menthol Cigarettes that targeted African-Americans and featured African-American models to the 1990s McDonald’s commercial that explicitly targeted inner-city African-Americans.

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About The Author

Mark Williams is Senior Director, Media Operations at Fullscreen. Mark combines a love of film and art with 10+ years in tech and internet marketing. He began his professional career in Los Angeles working in independent television and film. This experience led to an interest in online entertainment marketing. Before joining Fullscreen, he was a Senior SEM Manager for Demand Media, and earlier worked at Shoes.com managing AdWords and MSN AdCenter campaigns. Mark is a seasoned pay per click specialist, having managed $150MM+ in search engine marketing advertising dollars across AdWords, Yahoo! and Bing.