Research Guides: DGME 100: Ad Plan Assignment: Advertising & Demographics

Researching Your Target Audience

Once you've decided on your target audience you might want to do some research on the research that's already been done. Makes sense, right? Search the library databases for articles that target both the demographic aspects of your audience, and maybe how your product has been marketed to these and other groups in the past. Here are some ideas:

When searching for information about advertising to your target audience try combining the word "advertising" or "marketing" with different aspects of your demo group such as:

advertising AND young adults
advertising AND boomers
advertising AND millennials
advertising AND "single men"
advertising AND "black women"
advertising AND mothers

If you want to find information about how your product has been marketed to groups in the past try describing your product and combine it with terms that could describe demographics and advertising. For example if I was creating an ad campaign for potato chips I might try:

advertising demographics "snack foods"
"snack foods" marketing
"junk food" marketing
"target audience" "junk food"

Library Articles: Look for info about your target audience

Use the searches above to find articles in these library databases. You can also create more targeted searches by including your company's name in your search if they've marketed to your target audience in the past.

Academic Search Complete (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
This database offers an enormous collection of full-text journals, magazines, and news sources in many subject areas. Scholarly content covers a broad range of important areas of academic study, including anthropology, engineering, law, sciences and much more.
ProQuest Research Library This link opens in a new window
ProQuest Research Library's 3500 full text periodicals - scholarly, trade and popular – cover subjects from business and political science to literature and psychology.
New York Times (nytimes.com) This link opens in a new window
The New York Times online features news and information from around the world. Premium online account and mobile app access is available for CSM students, faculty, and staff. For full access to the New York Times CSM students must register for an account through one of the CSM Library websites:
- Create an account from ON-CAMPUS and follow the directions to complete your registration.
- Create an account from OFF-CAMPUS and follow the directions to complete your registration.
Watch this short video to see how to set-up and access your account. More details about NY Times personal accounts.
Academic OneFile (Gale) This link opens in a new window
Academic OneFile provides access to millions of articles from over 17,000 scholarly journals and other authoritative sources in key subject areas such as biology, chemistry, criminal justice, economics, environmental science, history, marketing, political science, and psychology.
Ethnic NewsWatch (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
Articles from the ethnic, minority and native press.

The Psychology Behind the Advertising

If you're interested in exploring the psychology behind advertising then these library databases would be a good place to look. You may not find an article specifically on your company or product, but it might give you insight to how certain products are marketed to your demographic group by using the searches above.

Psychology and Behavioral Sciences This link opens in a new window
Covers topics such as emotional and behavioral characteristics, psychiatry & psychology, mental processes, anthropology, and observational & experimental methods. The database contains more than 560 full-text journals.
PsycARTICLES This link opens in a new window
Access to the full text of nearly 80 APA journals in psychology, behavioral science and related fields ranging from education, to nursing, to business, to neuroscience.

Research Target Audiences

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