This modern world is filled with diversity, diversity in our background, lifestyle,
and interests. Incredibly, many people like to do many different things for
pleasure. Some businessmen noticed that fact not too long ago. Shortly there
after, magazines targeted towards peoples varying interests were being published
and cable channels dedicated to relatively narrow subjects were brought into
the home.
By doing some creative thinking, certain establishments can target these interest
niches. Billiards night at the boardwalk emporium, chess players convention
in the High Sierras, are just a few different examples of filling a niche. Aren’t
they kind of weird parings of activities, though?
A Sports & Amusement Park Mix
It’s the ultimate fanfest! Be a part of this first-ever, one-of-a-kind
ESPN event featuring unique entertainment and interactive experiences for sports
fans and sports families at the Disney-MGM Studios Saturday, July 31 and Sunday,
August 1, 2004. — Disneyworld.com
How can you get a sports fan out of his lazy-boy and away from the TV? Seems
impossible, right? Well the folks at Disney, the parent company of ESPN, want
sports fans to meet their ESPN personalities. They will be taping the shows
there as well. Maybe people that wouldn’t normally consider going to Disney-MGM
Studios would now do so.
I’m not a real big sports fan, but it seems that they would be targeting
the niche (not a small niche) quite effectively. The downfall of targeting a
niche is making a profit from those in the niche. There are plenty of sports
fans, and most of them wont hesitate to spend money on what they enjoy watching,
or participating in, so much.
What do you think about targeting an interest niche? What interests have yet
to be addressed by a magazine or cable channel?
I think targeting a specific niche is the smartest route, as opposed to trying to market a product or service for the wrong demographic, etc. For example, in the reseller industry (of which I’m currently employed) our biggest target — aside from the coporate user — is higher education (12 and up) and lower education, respectively.
We target Universities and more specifically their IT departments, as opposed to trying to sell the product to the maintenance staff.