target groups

Meanings

1. 1nounplural

   The specific groups of people that a product, service, message, or program is aimed at.

   Grammar: Used in the plural; the singular 'target group' names one such group.

   Patterns

   • target groups for something
   • reach target groups
   • identify target groups

   The charity runs workshops for its main target groups: teenagers and older adults.

   Before writing the ad, the team listed the target groups they wanted to reach.

   Different target groups respond better to different kinds of messages.

2. 2nounpluraltechnical

   Groups chosen in advance to receive a particular treatment, interview, or survey in a study.

   Grammar: Common in research writing; often followed by 'in a study' or 'for the survey'.

   Patterns

   • target groups in a study
   • select target groups for something

   The researchers interviewed target groups in three different cities.

   Target groups for the survey were selected by age and income.

Word forms

Common combinations

reach target groups

Social media helped them reach target groups they had never contacted before.

identify target groups

The first step in planning the campaign is to identify target groups.

key target groups

Young families are one of the key target groups for the new housing plan.

target groups for a product

She studied target groups for the product before setting the price.

different target groups

The same slogan may not work for different target groups.

Synonyms and how they differ

audience

Use 'audience' for the people who actually receive a message or watch something; 'target groups' stresses that they were chosen in advance.

demographic

A 'demographic' is a group defined by shared features such as age or income; 'target groups' adds the idea of being deliberately aimed at.

market segment

More common in business for customers split by buying habits; 'target groups' is broader and fits charities and research too.

Word family

target verb

to aim something at a particular group or person

targeted adjective

aimed at a specific group, as in 'targeted advertising'

targeting noun

the act of choosing and aiming at particular groups

Commonly confused: target groups or focus groups?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “target groups”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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