TARGET MARKETHigh School Students

By: Dario Smagata

All fast food restaurants include high school students as a major part of their target market. This works because students usually cannot afford a fancy meal if they want something to eat – cheap but satisfying options are best for them.

Because of this, many restaurants, such as McDonald’s and Wendy’s, target students in their advertising and with the new menu items they introduce. Aside from the typical burgers and fries, cold drinks and similar items are also popular among students.

The free Wi-Fi offered at most fast food restaurants particularly appeals to students, who always want to remain connected. The layout and atmosphere of these restaurants also appeals to students who want a place to socialize.

Top fast-food restaurants in Welland: McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, Popeye’s, KFC, and Harvey’s.

Modern department stores, such as Target and Wal-Mart, often target students in their advertising; despite the fact that they may not be seen as the most fashionable places to shop.

These stores can succeed in marketing to students because they are able to offer the lowest prices and the best selection in town. When a store runs a sale on clothing, sporting goods, or electronics, even more students will be drawn in to shop there.

Large chain stores like Wal-Mart and Target have also attempted to appeal to teens by placing restaurants in their stores – Wal-Mart has McDonald’s, and Target had Starbucks. While our Target was open, it was said that more students went there for coffee than to shop in the store.

These stores appeal to students and other thrifty consumers because they offer recent items in fashion, electronics, and other areas at low prices.

All movie theatres target high school students as a significant portion of their target market. These students are at the age where they can see any movie they choose, thus, they make up a large percentage of the audience for new films.

In order to attract more students, both Cineplex and Landmark (formerly Empire) theatres occasionally offer student discounts or special combos.

Most theatres have very little advertising on TV, radio, or in print. Instead, they rely on movie studios to advertise their own films, and expect that viewers will simply go to the nearest theatre to see them.

One way theatres do promote themselves to a younger crowd is by releasing smartphone apps enabling the user to check show times and download coupons. These appeal to students and young adults who are connected with technology when they are on the go.

Driving schools almost exclusively target high school students, as they are all at the age where they can begin driver training. If a driving school cannot succeed in appealing to students, it is unlikely to succeed as a business.

The largest driving school in Niagara, Aapex, has 9 locations. They often send representatives to schools to offer information and discounts to interested students. They have been in business since 1988, and as such, have built a strong relationship with the schools in our area.

Other driving schools, such as Adventure Driving Training (in St. Catharines) also target students, but have less advertising. Though most of these schools are equally accredited by the government, many are viewed as less trustworthy – simply because they cannot afford the type of marketing that Aapex has. This shows the importance of advertising in the success of a business.

Post-secondary schools are businesses too! Both of our local schools, Niagara College and Brock University, spend time promoting themselves to high school students.

Brock University often holds conferences for various organizations of students. They run seminars and similar events which inform students of what they have to offer, encouraging those students to attend.

Both schools (along with many others) have placed information booklets in our guidance office, and also have advertising signs around the region. They also have pages on social media, enabling them to reach the audience they need.

Lastly, both schools often hold events which receive media coverage, further raising awareness of what they do and what they have to offer.

THE ENDSept. 15th 2015