Critical Approaches

Holly Victoria Hudson

Audience Profiles:Audience profile is data that demonstrates different types of detailed information which tells Business or Organisations more about their target audience, this is highly important for media producers to have audience profiles because means they can produce products or service to exactly how they're audience takes interest in.For example Magazine Companies use audience profiles to help benefit them to sell advertising space in their magazine, So if it was Vogue Magazine where their audience is of the higher class they might sell the advertising space to expensive brands such as Aston Martin because they would known from the audience profiles that their audience would be interested in this type of advert.

So What is an audience?A audience buys a product or service from a business or organisation. Audience are important to media producers

because they constantly generate sales and business. Why are they important? Audiences are so important to the media because simply without them, there wouldn't be any media. This is because

Advertises produce media products or communication this could be print or audiovisual to make a profit but if there is no audience there is no profit.

Why do publishers want to know about them?

What categories could publishers use to define them?

Vs

Age:Age is a very simple but highly effective and important for media organisations because it helps them to classify their audience into distinctive categories e.g. young and the old. This means they can target their products/service specifically to their chosen age of audience because everyone of different ages are interested in different things, such as younger people their 20’s are more likely to still be in higher education or living at home unlike people in their 60’s that have had children are even some grandchild are are looking into retirement.

Positives of age groups this that media organisations target their products or service specifically chosen to their audience this makes it more likely that the consumers will buy from the media making revenue increase.

A negatives of age groups is that the world is constantly changing making it hard for the media to keep up for example, around 15 to 20 years ago people in their early 20’s where looking to settle down and buying a property however know people in their early 20’s are going to university or living at home with a full time job. This makes it difficult at times for the media because 15 to 20 years isn't are long amount of time to up with new advertising ways or products/ service to target the new ages groups of the public.

Vogue

ChatChat and Vogue have the exactly the same demographic age categories, however even though the age categories are the same for both of Vogue and Chat. Vogues audience is mostly likely more mature age group as their top regions are london, north west and wales and avon and their professions are fashion design, media and publishing, architecture and interior design these job roles are high management and a mature outlook would be essential unlike chat magazine where their audience is located in the north east, north west and midlands and their professional are mainly community/ social care, law and entertainment.

Gender:Gender is an crucial part towards segregating the media's audiences, finding out if your audience is male or female can allow media producers to design products to be more appealing to their audience. This is because male and female audiences want have separate interest and hobbies so they desire different things in the media. For example women would buy make up whereas men would be tools.

Virtually all media products aim their products distinctively to one gender, they do this by categories of color. All male products will be dark colors like, black, grey, green and blue. Whereas female products will be brighter with pink, purple, white and yellow. These catorise of color in products occurs from infancy to adulthood and older. The colour categories make it easy to define which products for each gender however the media can be now at risk with producing products which are overly stereotypical.

Chat and Vogue have the same gender which is female this is because both magazine aims towards a female audience by featuring headlines like “inside the lives of washington's power women” and have articles of celebrity gossip this makes it appealing to the majority of female audiences however magazines are notorious for stereotyping female conventions; featuring ‘girly’ colors and always having a strong influential women on the front cover of the magazines not to mention the articles which feature and beauty, fashion, gossip and anything which would appeal to a female audience. However not all females are interest in girly fashion and beauty ect.

Chat

Vogue

Socio-economic status Socio-economic status usually known as SES is quota of a person’s or household economic/ social position compared to other people’s. This is based on the head of the household, occupation, income and education a person as received, which all intails the social grade people obtain.

The National Readers (NRS) displays six sectors to illustrate towards magazines and newspapers within the UK their chosen audiences/readers which would most likely be interested in the content the magazines/newspapers exhibit.

Using sites like NRS gives publishers the advantage of getting to know what content their readers desire to look at which promotes revenue.However by grading people into groups gives people a complex and some are look down upon for their social grade in society.

Definition Advantages and disadvantages

Compare vogue and chat• why is it used

The social grade for Chat readers in C2DE which is ; C2=skilled working class, D= working class and E low income earners which shows the Chat readers clearly have a low social grade in society. I have taken some example of this from yougov profiles to justify my point. Chat readers have inexpensive car with brands like; citroen, 99 and vauxhall these are all not very ‘fancy and relatively cheap cars, they shop at high street shops such as store 21, george and house of fraser these clothing brands aren't designer and are low in price.

The social grade of vogue readers is ABC1 which is; A= Upper class, B= Middle class and C1= Lower middle class which is much higher than Chat readers this could mean that Vogue readers would of had a higher education and better paid job and because of this Vogue readers can have the luxury of expensive cars like BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Mini and own designer brands like vivienne westwood and shop online at ASOS.

Geographics/PostcodeThis type of practice has demographic information from all over the nation. It identifies that people who live around the same postcode have almost the same characteristics such as style or spending habits and if the majority of a person's area is surrounded with young aspiring professionals, the elderly/ middle aged or families. From this type of information publishers and advertisers however it mostly direct mail who use these techniques, can mold their products or services towards a specific audience because from the geographics they know what people like and don't.

Advantages for this method of marketing is that the stats go on the nation, making the data more accurate because the more research goes out, means you’ll get a better picture of what the majority of the public are interested in from all over the country. Also not to mention is isn't it's less time consuming as there are websites which told this type of data like cameo or mosaic.

Disadvantages for geographic and postcode marketing is that; it can be expensive as you have to find out information which is specifically targeted to your brand and what consumers like to prefer and you have to pay companies to find this data for you.

Vogue

Readers of Vogue is will have different hobbies and interest to Chat readers has because they are from opposite sides of the country. Vogue readers are from mainly; London, North West, Wales and Avon. Chat reader's’ North East, North West and Midlands.

As you can clearly see from the data i have collected virtually all of the characteristic of each audiences are completely different. However similar interest include both magazines have an audience is the North West and they both will most likely have a pet cat.

Chat

PsychographicsPsychographics are an investigation which consists of a person’s; values, attitudes, interests, lifestyle and their personality type.

To find out psychographic data is often accumulated by primary research such as questionnaires and surveys. Publishers and media organisations use psychographics because it allows them to understand the characteristics of their readers so they can produce content which they know will appeal to their audiences. There are different versions of psychographics such as demographics. Demographics study the age, race, location and employment status of a person however psychographics use the temperament of a person.

Advantages; you can truly get to know everything about your readers so you can really understand what products they like/dislike.Disadvantage; if can be time consuming as you have find highly detail data just for a single person.

Definition

Advantages and disadvantages

Compare vogue and chat• why is it used

Vogue

Chat

From both of these examples you can clearly see how readers from vogue and readers from chat have very different opinions, values and attitudes.

Mainstream/NicheReaders can be categorised into different markets, such as mainstream or niche. When media producers aim their products at a mainstream market, this is so they can reach a larger audience. Mainstream is for mass market; examples for this would be, blockbuster films or chart music. Because the market is mainstream majority of the public if they are interested or not would known or heard about the newest mainstream phenomenon. However a niche markets are much smaller but they have very specific interest where media producers will know their products which personality fit what they audiences are looking for.

An advantages for mainstream and niche markets; Mainstream markets will have a bigger budget which includes a large advertising campaign to make the public aware and then this will produce a large amount of revenue as producers know most people will be interested. Niche market allows producers to tailor their products specifically to their chosen audience this means even though the market is smaller overall more people will be interested because they are sticking to a specific genre certain people will like.

Disadvantages for mainstream and niche markets; Mainstream markets conform to generic stereotypes for example in most action films to you the ‘goodies’ and ‘baddies’. Niche markets only tailor to one type of audience which limits their posibty of gaining a more ‘popular’ approach.

Vogue and chat...

Quantitative Research Quantitative Research is an investigation which usually is taken from statistical, mathematical or computational techniques. This analysis of data is extracted through the use of questionnaires, and surveys or most commonly by adjusting all ready existing data such as statistical by using computer programming techniques. You can receive quantitative data from organisations like NRS (National Readership Survey) and ABC (Audit Bureau of Circulations.)

NRS was established in 1956, and today they administer the minority of authoritative and valued audience research for advertising in Britain. This research covers over 250 of UK’s dominant newsbrands and magazines, it shows the everying about an audience media organisations needs such as there consumer's socio-economics, psychographics, geodemographics, age and gender. ABC was founded in 1931, it's governed by the industry, for the industry organisation. “ABC uses its expertise to deliver reassurance to our industry across print, digital and other channels. To our members ABC is crucial in providing confidence and trust when placing advertising.” Lynne Robinson, Research Director, IPA.

Advantages

Quantitative research is already done for the researcher so you don't need to spend hours and hours collecting data it's already done.

Disadvantages

Quantitative research requires a very large audience because the larger sample people the more accurate the data will be and this means that it will be costly as the more correspondent you have the more primary research you will need to print out e.g. questionnaires/surveys.

Qualitative Research Qualitative research helps media organisations to understand their audiences this is because it's collected through focus groups, questionnaires and face to face interviews which all are the public's opinions.

Advantages is that media organisations will receive an honest opinion of what the public feel/think it makes the customer and band relationship stronger.Disadvantage is that finding the right audience can be hard and it's a long process to rather all the data needed.