A U D I E N C E C A T E G O R I E S

L O : T O D E V E L O P O U R U N D E R S TA N D I N G O F A U D I E N C E C AT E G O R I E S

QUANTITATIVE DATA: Demographics: Age, Gender, Ethnicity, Social Class

QUALITATIVE DATA: Psychographics: Mainstreamer, Aspirer, Succeeder, Reformer, Explorer Lifestyle: YAKS, EWES, BATS, CLAMS, OWLS, MICE,

Regional Identity

Mainstream/Niche Sexual Orientation

Audience categories are used to profile an audience and for media producers to target their products at audiences more efficiently

M A I N S T R E A M / N I C H E

L O : T O D E V E L O P O U R U N D E R S TA N D I N G O F A U D I E N C E C AT E G O R I E S

W H AT I S A M A I N S T R E A M G A M E / A U D I E N C E ?

W H AT I S A N I C H E G A M E / A U D I E N C E ?

How might a mainstream audience be targeted?

How might a niche audience be targeted?

What are the advantages of catering a product to a mainstream audience?

M A I N S T R E A M / N I C H E

L O : T O D E V E L O P O U R U N D E R S TA N D I N G O F A U D I E N C E C AT E G O R I E S

W H AT I S A M A I N S T R E A M A U D I E N C E ?

W H AT I S A N I C H E A U D I E N C E ?How might a mainstream audience be targeted?

How might a niche audience be targeted?

What are the advantages of catering a product to a mainstream audience?

S E X U A L O R I E N TA T I O N

L O : T O D E V E L O P O U R U N D E R S TA N D I N G O F A U D I E N C E C AT E G O R I E S

Although not a primary target audience for a lot of media producers, the ‘pink pound’ has increased in value in recent years and media

producers continue to market their products to suit all sexual orientations

C A N Y O U T H I N K O F I N S TA N C E S O F M E D I A P R O D U C E R S A P P E A L I N G T O N O N - H E T E R O S E X U A L A U D I E N C E S ?

A D VA N TA G E S / D I S A D VA N TA G E S O F TA R G E T I N G A U D I E N C E S B Y S E X U A L O R I E N TAT I O N ?

A D VA N TA G E S / D I S A D VA N TA G E S O F A U D I E N C E S C A T E G O R I E S

L O : T O D E V E L O P O U R U N D E R S TA N D I N G O F A U D I E N C E C AT E G O R I E S

M E T H O D O F C AT E G O R I S AT I O N A D VA N TA G E S D I S A D VA N TA G E S

A G ES T E R E O T Y P I C A L I N T E R E S T S B Y

A G E R A N G E A R E E A S Y T O I D E N T I F Y

G E N D E RTA R G E T I N G O N E G E N D E R M AY

A L I E N AT E T H E O T H E R

S O C I A L C L A S SS U I TA B L E P R I C E S C A N B E S E L E C T E D

B A S E D O N F I N A N C I A L W E A LT H O F E A C H S O C I A L C L A S S

E T H N I C I T Y

P S Y C H O G R A P H I C S

L I F E S T Y L E

R E G I O N A L I D E N T I T Y

M A I N S T R E A M / N I C H EM A I N S T R E A M I S A V E R Y L A R G E

A U D I E N C E B A S E

S E X U A L O R I E N TAT I O N

L O : T O D E V E L O P O U R U N D E R S TA N D I N G O F A U D I E N C E C AT E G O R I E S

Media companies fund audience research agencies to classify and profile audiences in order to help the industry stay in touch

with changing tastes and trends. This means they can target their products accordingly

BARB (BROADCASTERS AUDIENCE RESEARCH BOARD)

Defining Audiences Research agencies

RAJAR (RADIO JOINT AUDIENCE RESEARCH LIMITED)

PEARL AND DEAN (Audience Profiling)

L O : T O D E V E L O P O U R U N D E R S TA N D I N G O F A U D I E N C E C AT E G O R I E S

Create a new page under the tab Unit 6 - Critical Approaches and call it “Audience Research Agencies”

BARB (BROADCASTERS AUDIENCE RESEARCH BOARD)

RAJAR (RADIO JOINT AUDIENCE RESEARCH LIMITED)

Research the above agencies and answer the following questions:

1) How does each agency describe itself and what it does? Write a brief outline of each

2) Which audience categories do they use to classify audiences? 3) What reasons do they give for collecting audience figures? 4) How relevant do you think their work is to media producers? 5) Do you think they are also beneficial to the consumer?

PEARL AND DEAN (Audience Profiling)

• What is an audience category and what is its purpose?

• What is each audience category and how would a media producer use each audience category? For example by categorising audiences by regional identity they can adapting their marketing based on how people live and what they like in a specific location (For higher marks give a specific example of a media producer doing this)

• What would the advantages/disadvantages be of using each category as a producer? For example catering your product to a specific age range / sexual orientation / social class?

• What are research agencies and how might media producers use the information gathered by them? (Give examples: BARB, RAJAR)

U N I T 6 - A S S I G N M E N T 1 T H E R E L AT I O N S H I P B E T W E E N M E D I A P R O D U C E R S A N D T H E I R A U D I E N C E

In your 500+ word essay you need to cover:

F O R H I G H E R M A R K S : - E X P L A I N / G I V E S P E C I F I C E X A M P L E S O F M E D I A P R O D U C T S /

P R O D U C E R S T H AT H AV E U S E D E A C H C AT E G O R Y - C O M PA R E / C O N T R A S T T H E A D VA N TA G E S / D I S A D VA N TA G E S

D E A D L I N E : 1 3 / 1 1 / 1 4

Intro:

What audiences categories are.

Audience Categories:

AGE

- What the category of age is…

- How a media producer would use age to target their audience

(Give SPECIFIC example)

- Advantages/Disadvantages of using age to target audiences

Repeat for all other categories: Gender, Social Class, Ethnicity, Social Class, Psychographics, Life Style, Regional identity, Mainstream/Niche, Sexual

Orientation

Essay Structure