Who is the audience?

Demographic and Psychographic Profiling

Defining Target Audiences• Many media theorists and critics suggest that in any text there

is a ‘typical’ audience member in mind when media producers start to create the text.

• Ien Ang said that media producers see the audience as a mass not an individual

• However - in the 1980’s local radio presenters were encouraged to have an imaginary person ‘Doreen’ who was their typical listener.

• Presenters were told her age, likes and dislikes her habits, home and husband. That she was educated but didn’t necessarily understand long words.

• They were encouraged to address Doreen and her husband personally as if they knew them!

Demographic Profiling(Demographics)

• GRASS

See pack.

Demographic Profiling

• The National Readership Survey (2005) divided the British audience into different categories:

Socio- economic status:

A: Higher managerial (3.8%)B: Intermediate managerial (22.1%)C1: Supervisory, junior management (28.9%)C2: Skilled manual workers (28.9%)D: Semi skilled and unskilled manual workers (16.2%)E: Casual labourers, unemployed, pensioners (8.4%)

Demographic Profiling

• They also stated that age is usually divided into the following categories…

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Music Videos Task

• In small groups outline the target audience for each video using demographic profiling (demographics)

Music Video Examples

• Taylor Swift – Love Story

• Bruno Mars- Lazy Song

• Justin Bieber- Baby

• Snoop Dogg – Drop it like its Hot

Psychographic Profiling(psychographics)

• Demographic profiling is problematic as people are not all the same just because they have the same job, income or class. All white female doctors are not the same or Muslim male managers!

• Psychographic profiling focuses on the individual – it assumes audience members are complex.

• It focuses particularly on defining audiences by their emotions, personality and needs.

Socio-economic Values• The advertising industry carries out a lot of market research ( often

through BARB and RAJAR).

• They claim they can segment audiences on the basis of socio-economic values:

• SURVIVORS: Those who want security and like routine.

• SOCIAL CLIMBERS: Those who have a strong materialistic drive and like status symbols.

• CARE GIVERS: Those who believe in ‘caring and sharing.’

• EXPLORERS: Those for whom personal growth and influencing social change is important.

Defining audiences by their needs• American psychologist Abraham Maslow created the ‘Hierarchy of Needs’

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

• All psychographic profiling can be linked to Maslow’s ideas.

• Maslow claimed that we all have different layers of needs.

• and we need to satisfy one before we can move onto the next

• Advertisers are increasingly using ideas such as Maslow’s with demographics in an attempt to be more effective and efficient in the way they target particular groups of people.

Advertising Task

• In groups analyse and discuss the needs that the media producers are using to sell their products.

• Fill out the grids in your packs.

Advertising Examples

• Hovis Advert

• Chanel advert

• Next advert

• Burger King advert

Young and Rubicam’s Cross- Cultural Characteristics

• Young and Rubicam are a New York advertising agency and they did something new …

• they defined their audience by their personal aims/ goals .

• What motivates them.

Young and Rubicam’s Cross- Cultural Characteristics

• They claimed there are 4 categories of people in society ( the 4 Cs) :

1) Mainstreamers: This is the largest section of society / the market (40%) – This group seek conformity and tend to buy well known brand names.

2) Aspirers: These people are motivated by status- they buy high fashion and high tech goods.

3) Succeeders: These people have climbed the ladder and want to keep control of what they have. Car adverts that emphasise power and control are aimed at them.

4) Reformers: This group want the world to be a better place. Educated people such as teachers, doctors who are more likely to buy eco friendly and health products

Advertising Task:

• Task: in small groups analyse the following magazine adverts and decide which audience category ( from the 4 C’s idea) that they are aimed at.

Niche Consumer Markets/ Lifestyle groupings

• Consumers/audiences were categorised further still in the 1990’s:

• See pack – which are your favourites?