Core User vs. Target Market
Confusion often arises around the definition of and distinction between the core/aspirational user of a brand and the target market (the person that buys the product).
There will always be exceptions to this but the reasoning below is a rule of thumb that brings some clarity to a topic which arises often in our industry.
1. Which One Should Be Used in Communication?
When brands portray the target market in their communication they, almost without fail, miss what the consumer is actually seeking from the brand, i.e. who they could become if they use the brand.
See examples below:
Nike Core User: Serious Athlete (target market – anyone who buys athletic apparel, including the ‘weekend athlete’)
Harley Davidson Core user: Hells Angel, ‘eat off the desert floor’, Biker (target market - dentists, lawyers & bored middle aged men generally)
Gatorade Core User: Serious athlete (target market– anyone who consumes performance drinks)
L’Oreal Core User: Celebrity actresses, models etc (target market – anyone who buys make-up)
2. So Why Define the Broader Consumption Target Market?
The value of defining the broader audience is to understand their habits and attitudes towards the category and brand in order to produce insightful campaigns. The confusion comes in when we start to put them in the ads, instead of appealing to their motivations and desires.
the user experience leaders
If you are intensely aware of the user experience at the level of CEO.
If you personally had a major hand in building the user experience.
If leadership emerges out of your great systems and not your personality.
If you have a multi-billion dollar global brand.
If you have seismically changed your category.
You are like these guys.
