Knowing your target audience Biggest Loser style

My wife is a huge Biggest Loser fan. I have to say, whoever came up with that show is a genius! Who can't relate to wanting something so bad and not being able to achieve it... and well, lets be honest, much of America wants to lose weight so it really hits home! The producers make it so dramatic and how life changing it is for all of these people (which I'm sure it is). It's hilarious to think about it sometimes... I've never cried because I couldn't get that extra 5 lbs on a lift or couldn't finish a run of 1k... but these people do and it's great TV! I'm not a fan per se but I will admit, they've done a good job hitting their target market. The show airs during dinner time for many families around the country... and why not, we watch more TV eating now than we ever have and it's only getting worse!

I'm going to use one example of the brands used in this show and the brands used in another show. My wife also loves the Duel, Inferno, Fresh Meat... all pretty much the same thing on MTV. It's a show where pretty people live in a nice posh place, drink a lot, get dirty with each other, and participate in challenges that test mind and body. I think it's ironic because they are tanked the whole time and only get sobered up for the morning challenges just so they can drink at night again. They have to get the challenges done so the drama can begin and they can poison the rest of America's teenagers and college kids (and my wife). This being said lets delve into one of the key differences between the shows.

I thought it was interesting how the Biggest Loser chose to align themselves with the brand Starter which can be purchased at WalMart. Starter once was a glorious brand, they had the monopoly on jerseys for sports teams and apparel. That all went downhill when the players like Nike, Reebok, and later Adidas came into the picture. Ironically Nike now owns Starter and it has been delegated to the working class apparel. You see, the kind of people who watch the Biggest Loser and who associate with it are the same target market for the people who go to WalMart for their workout clothing. Tony Romo who is the face of Starter, was recently on the show inside a WalMart. He likes to be seen as a blue collar kind of guy and Starter thought that they would align themselves with a player like him. He plays for the Cowboys (who has the nickname America's team), he's a small school guy, he seems like an everyday guy. WalMart, Starter, Tony Romo, and The Biggest Loser, sounds like a match made in heaven! The brands align and make the show more approachable, sells more apparel and relates more to the target market.

Lets contrast that with the selfish, self consumed, beautiful people of MTV. The show was approached by Under Armour a couple of years ago to become the official supplier of apparel for the shows. I like UA, I think they make incredible stuff, but it makes sense... the target market for these shows is the same as much of the target market for UA. Spoiled rich kids in the suburbs, teens who want to be cool like the people on the show, and young professionals who drink too much and go to the gym wearing this extremely trendy apparel. Again, I like UA, I own UA, but it makes you think for a minute. Starter has their knockoff UA type apparel which probably does the exact same thing. It's just interesting to not which shows go after which people. Working class, blue collar, within reach Biggest Loser with Starter and MTV Challenge shows with Under Armour... I'm telling you, those marketers know their stuff.