Audience Segmentation

Have you ever noticed the difference between the commercials played on ESPN opposed to the ones played on HGTV?  I have to admit that I do watch both of these channels.  I watch ESPN's SportsCenter religiously every morning and I do watch HGTV during the holidays with my Mom.  The main  

Breaking down the audience into different groups is the best way I can define audience segmentation.  In advertising, a brand can choose where to place their ad so that it will reach their maximum target audience.  ESPN's targeted audience is for male viewers (as much as I hate to admit it to all you girl sports fans out there, it's the truth) and HGTV's targeted audience is for female viewers.  The commercials you are most likely to see on ESPN are for beer, athletic equipment, action movies, and the newest sports cars available.  Now on HGTV, the commercials are aimed towards women (aka mothers) who shop for products such as ziplock bags, Clorox products, food to cook for their families, and often times I have seen Home Depot commercials and Lowe's commercials advertising for gardening and remodeling.  

Audience segmentation has also put people with similar interests in contact with one another.  For example: blogs, forums, Facebook, and Twitter have all allowed for people with similar interests to communicate and share ideas with one another.  It has allowed for people to come together and communicate on practically any interest or topic from anywhere in the world. 

It's amazing when a song says every word you're trying to say when you can't say it yourself

My stupid mouth
Has got me in trouble
I said too much again
To a date over dinner yesterday
And I could see
She was offended
She said "well anyway..."
Just dying for a subject change

Oh, another social casualty
Score one more for me
How could I forget?
Mama said "think before speaking"
No filter in my head
Oh, what's a boy to do
I guess he better find one soon

We bit our lips
She looked out the window
Rolling tiny balls of napkin paper
I played a quick game of chess with the salt and pepper shaker
And I could see clearly, An indelible line was drawn
Between what was good, what JUST slipped out and what went wrong

Oh, the way she feels about me has changed
Thanks for playing, try again.
How could I forget?
Mama said "think before speaking"
No filter in my head
Oh, what's a boy to do
I guess he better find one

I'm never speaking up again
It only hurts me
I'd rather be a mystery
Than she desert me

Oh I'm never speaking up again
Starting now... Starting now

One more thing
Why is it my fault?
So maybe I try too hard
But it's all because of this desire
I just wanna be liked
I just wanna be funny
Looks like the jokes on me
So call me captain backfire

I'm never speaking up again
it only hurts me
I'd rather be a mystery
than she desert me

oh i'm never speaking up again
i'm never speaking up again
i'm never speaking up again
Starting now, starting now...

-John Mayer
My Stupid Mouth

The Convergence of the Newspaper

One of my all time favorite things about high school was getting up in the mornings.  You see, my mom and I had this daily routine.  We would both get up around six and begin our day.  Part of the reason we got up so early was because high school begins at a ridiculously early time.  The other reason was because we liked to get up early enough so that we could have enough time to eat breakfast together and read the newspaper together.  We would swap articles, discuss a topic being written about, or just sit there quietly reading.  I never knew how much I appreciated reading the newspaper every morning until I went away to college.  I don't have the luxury anymore of walking out my front door and bringing inside the freshly printed newspaper that was delivered to my door step.  Instead, I have to look up my local newspaper's articles online.  Without the convergence of newspapers expanding online, myself and others like me wouldn't have the opportunity to read our local newspapers at our own convenience.

Magazines

I came across and Ladies' Home Journal the other day.  Did you ever notice the type of articles a magazine like that has in it?  Talk about a wide variety of "Mom topics."  You can find anything from an article about a carrot and sweet potato recipe a woman has experimented with to how a woman can freshen up her make-up just in time for spring to arrive.  I believe the demographic for this magazine is completely aimed for mothers.  Any magazine that has an article with the title "Snow Safety: Even sledding has it's risks. Wear a helmet!" can only be something a mom would read. 

When I was flipping through some of the ads of this magazine, it continued to prove that this magazine was directed towards moms. I put the most reoccurring advertisements into three simple categories: food, medicine, and necessities.  In the food category, mom's are told what the right cereal is to buy for their kids (according to Ladies' Home Journal its Cornflakes).  In the medicine category, mom's are directed buy certain brands (LHJ's brand's include Mucinex).  In the necessities category, mom's are influenced to buy Faith Hill's new perfume.

Commercials and Advertising

When I was younger, I remember watching Saturday morning cartoons and always anticipating the newest toy commercial or candy that was coming out.  Back then, advertisers knew that my age group would be watching those cartoons on TV stations such as Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, or even ABC.  Now a days, my age group's TV watching has become a much broader range of interest.  Nonetheless, advertisers still know how to hook us in the most unique way.

Back in those days, I remember eagerly waiting for that Street Flyers commercial to come on TV.  For those of you who don't remember what Street Flyers were, they were the sneaker that had retractable wheels in the sole of the shoe.  Today, my attention is caught by the latest iPhone commercials, particularly the "Two is better than one" commercial advertising Apple's addition to Verizon selling the phone.  Advertising doesn't always reach me through television, but in magazines too.

In today's world, you can look up basically anything you choose to on the internet.  Everyone knows that newspapers and magazines are not the main means of news today.  However, what girl doesn't like to pick up a gossip magazine every once in a while? Or what about a fashion magazine? Or even (if you're a sporty kind of girl like myself) a sports magazine?  Magazines have loads of advertising in them.  Just the other day I bought a Cosmo Magazine (which by the way...for future reference....do NOT open all of the cologne/perfume tabs at once...trust me).  With half of the pages being advertisements, no wonder the magazine is so large!  Makeup, clothes, shoes, colognes and perfumes seem to take up half of the magazine. I actually was curious as to why Cosmo would put multiple cologne advertisements into their magazine.  My roommate brought up a good point to me saying that although the magazine's main demographic is guided towards females, that doesn't necessarily mean that a male demographic isn't reading them. 

I was catching up on TV shows I missed the other day on Hulu.com.  I realized that's another way advertisers reach me.  They have about five advertisements in between the shows you watch on their website. Sometimes it can get annoying, especially if the show you're watching is really suspenseful, but it is better than watching on TV with 15 commercials opposed to five.

Advertising will always be around bugging us about the high rates you could be saving on your car insurance, showing us how easy it is to buy stock and access it, and what new sneakers will improve your athletic ability. 

Book or eBook? Mom Knows Best

When asked if she was interested in a any of the new eBooks, my Mother simply replied, "No, thanks. I'd rather hold the actual book in my hand." It seems like many of our family and friends keep asking my Mom, the seventh grade English teacher and total book worm , how she feels about these new eBooks that keep popping up everywhere.  My mom claims that she loves the feel of holding a book, and the idea of sitting on a beach reading a good novel or even reading in front of the fireplace on a cold winter's night. I couldn't agree more with my Mom. But don't tell her I said that because I will deny it. Just like Mom, I do love holding a book in my hands and reading it. My eyes are killing me reading the small font on Facebook everyday. It's nice to sit down every once in a while and pick up a good book.

So what is the world's new obsession with these eBooks? Are we too lazy to go around carrying multiple books if we like to read? Or are we yet again wasting away our money on the newest technological devices on the market? I happen to be very curious about this... and I do not have the slightest clue as to why I am curious about this.

My Mom always has her nose in a book. Sometimes even more than one. When I was first learning how to read chapter books, I remember sitting in my room, picking up a Nancy Drew book and trying to read it all by myself. For some reason I felt older and more grown up trying to get through books like that. I wasn't the fastest reader.... nor am I to this day... but reading those chapter books made me feel just like Mom. I felt smarter trying to sound out large words and also felt more confident with my abilities to read different things.

There's just something about reading a book that makes you feel more knowledgeable and intelligent. My personal favorite is reading a hardback covered book. Sometimes, (and I will deny it if this leaves this blog), I like to take the book cover off so the book looks bare and important on the outside....now I know that sounds incredibly childish, but it gives my self esteem a boost when I'm still trying to finish Harry Potter!

I feel like these eBooks are just another device for people to buy and waste their money on. I mean in certain occasions, yes, I do understand the concept. For example,You're a business man or woman. You travel often. Planes, trains, and any other transportation methods you can think of. You can't always purchase books on the go, but your new eBook doohickey can. But how many people, other than business men and women, travel that much that they would need to purchase one of these? The answer? Not that many people!

So the next time you're gallivanting through Barnes & Noble or Borders, (or any other book stores you can come up with,) take a look at that one small eBook display table... and then take a look at the dozens and dozens of shelves that hold those thousands and thousands of books. It's so much nicer to read a book then a screen.

Baseball

Growing up, the very first sport that my family introduced me to was baseball. But not just any baseball, I'm talking about Philadelphia Phillies baseball. My dad says that when I was two weeks old, he sat me on his lap and I watched my first Phillies game. Then came the learning of how to catch and throw a ball. And shortly after that, learning how to swing and hit the ball. When my brother was born, my family taught him just like they had taught me. It seems like most American families tend to do the same as my family did with my brother and I.

Many people say that baseball is the traditional American sport. And I would have to agree. There is no experience in the world quite like seeing your very first ball game in a major league stadium. The feeling of excitement as you walk through a crowd of people, all dressed to support the home team, can be very overwhelming. Walking up those big stadium steps, heading towards your seats...hot dog in hand of course... and finally viewing the field for the very first time is pretty surreal.

I don't exactly remember my very first Phillies game. My parents took my brother and I to so many games that I can't really remember my first. We have created so many memories for ourselves going to the ballpark over the years, especially going to Veterans Stadium, when it was still around. Like the time when my mom and brother were on the jumbo tron. Or the fourth of July where we got to watch fireworks on the field. Or even the time where a Chicago Cubs outfielder threw my brother a ball during batting practice. I'd have to say that my all time favorite memory from Veterans Stadium was getting to meet John Kruk.

When I was really little (and yes I'm talking about when I was younger and not referencing my small size), the one Phillies player who's name always stood out to me was first baseman John Kruk. My family still teases me to this day about me going around the house chanting "John KRUK, John KRUK" whenever being asked who my favorite baseball player was. The last game I ever saw at Veterans Stadium happened to be a fan appreciation game, and we had heard that a couple of former Phillies players were walking around the stadium. As soon as we walked up the stairs into the stadium, we saw a crowd of people circled around someone. It was the "Kruker" signing autographs. Meeting my favorite childhood baseball player is something that I will never forget.

Whether it's watching your favorite baseball team on TV, being at the game, or even having a catch in the back yard with your dad, baseball is something special and I do believe that baseball is the traditional American sport. So throw out the first pitch and play ball!