Ideology

Since the photoshoot that I’ll be filming isn’t until this Saturday, I have planned to start working on the website for my documentary until then. The marketing for this project is going to be so exciting for me to plan and execute, because the pitch is one that would appeal directly to myself. This is because I fall directly into the target audience of my piece - something that I forgot to consider while originally putting together my ideas for the project. That was until I sat down with a group of my peers also putting together their own projects, and realized that a lot of their decisions were influenced by who their target audience is. That’s not to say this hasn’t applied to me as well; in my head, I’ve had a certain grouping of people with a particular mentality in mind when structuring the idea for the documentary. However, it wasn’t until my reintroduction to the idea of a target audience that I was reminded that I should probably concisely define who exactly I’m attempting to appeal to - particularly to help me with the marketing process.

The primary grouping of people that this film will appeal to, without second thought or an attempt to cater to them, is younger (Gen Z - Millenials) individuals who are more liberal/left leaning in their mentality and ideology. This is because liberal/leftist ideas are the antithesis of conservatism; based on traditionalism, the concept of trashing gender roles/conventions and breaking/changing “the norm” goes against what they believe in. It goes without saying that the liberal side of the conversations - the ones interested in breaking roles/norms and changing conventions - are the individuals who will seek out this piece and adhere to it and enjoy it. This is likely due to our innate addiction to confirmation bias; the idea that we seek out and consume/validate information based off of what we already believe. Humans are prideful beings, and we don’t like to be told that we’re incorrect; we don’t like challenging our ingrained belief systems (which is kind of paradoxical and contradictory that this applies to liberals as well, considering their entire belief system is based on change and adaptation of ideas).

Now, don’t get me wrong: my criticism of (part of) my target audience is entirely hypocritical. As I said, I fall directly into the target audience of the piece - I, too, fall into the confines of confirmation bias more often than I’d be happy to admit. However, there’s a point to my criticism: if you’re making a piece that’s constructed through education and a call to arms, what’s the point of making it if the people you’re attempting to appeal to already know the information you’re telling them and are already a part of the community/movement you’re insinuating they join? The answer: there is none - at least not from an activist standpoint. And, if we’re being completely frank here, the documentary I’m creating is almost solely a product of activism. So, for this reason, the real target audience of the piece isn’t so specific - I’m not primarily selling to liberals. I’m selling to all people, although mainly Gen Z and Millennials (the groups of people that tend to be either more liberal or moderate, that will be more open to viewing a documentary such as mine).

Succeeding in this endeavor is tricky. It would be much simpler to just appeal to the people that already agree with me, but trying to include everyone in the voice and in the movement can be tricky. On one hand, I can’t be too radical about it: if I am, I’ll alienate the moderates/conservatives that are much more skeptical of viewing the piece. However, if I’m too middle-ground, I can also risk alienating the liberals that want a strong conviction of ideas. Essentially, to sell this piece I need to sell an idea: the idea of individual expression. To express yourself not inside of the roles given to you; or even against the roles given to you; but in the way that makes you. The way that makes you the most comfortable and you the most empowered and you the most happy. To do this, I’ll need to walk a thin line between challenging norms, and doing it in a "normal" way; feeding people “radical” ideas in a socially acceptable, snackable way.

I may or may not be putting too much thought into this, but either way: wish me luck.