By Luke Thomas

COMPLETE AUDIENCE RESEARCH

CATEGORIZING AUDIENCES

• To Produce effective Audience Research, you must first learn how to effectively categorize the audience. There are multiple theories on how to do this, and different ways in which they can officially be categorized.

RATINGS• A rating system is one of the ways to categorize the audience. This system has been in

use for a long time and is possibly the easiest way to tell how popular a product is with its target audience. It is useful in showing how popular a certain medium is on the market. However, this system does have many faults. For example, it does not take into account different audience markets and does not show whether the product was liked, it just shows that it was viewed or bought. This method doesn’t have any audience input.

INCOME/ BRACKET STATUS• This is a way of categorizing audiences is based on the audience status and class. This is

often based on the income of the highest earner in a specific household. The audience is categorized under Unemployed, Lower working class (minimum wage), Upper working class (semi skilled jobs, Lower middle class (skilled job), Upper middle class (managerial) and Upper Class (high managerial). It also takes into account pensioners and casual workers. The good thing about this system is it gives us an idea as to what type of people buy the product, but it is very stereotypical and generalized and it is not unknown for a lower working class individual to buy a product aimed at a middle class person.

YOUNG AND RUBICAMS FOUR CONSUMERS AND VALUES, ATTITUDES AND LIFESTYLES• The concept of the class system is slightly old fashioned though which is why this system

of categorizing audiences came about. Invented by the advertising agency ‘Young and Rubicam’, the ‘Four Consumers’ theory is made up of the mainstreamers in society that make up 40% of the population that enjoy the security of belonging to a group and aspire to achieve a higher status in society, the succeeders that want to maintain their status and control, and the reformers who want self esteem and self fulfillment rather than status. The product must be aimed at one of these three groups, but it is not unknown for a person to be a mixture of a mainstreamer, succeeder or reformer.

• The values, attitudes and lifestyles is similar to the Young and Rubicams theory, but it offers a much larger variety of how to classify the audience. The potential audience can be categorized under Actualisers, Achievers, Experiencers, Believers, Fulfilleds, Strivers, Strugglers and makers. There is a lot of choice in this theory, but this is also part of its downfall as the choices are far too broad and to find the exact audience is impossible. Whilst there must be choice, it can’t be too complex or the product will only have a limited audience.

LIFEMATRIX• One of the newest theories to categorize audiences is the ‘LifeMatrix’, that explores ten

audience categories that categorize the person themselves rather than just their class. It is the only consumer segmentation system based on values, lifestyles and life stage. The ten categories are Tribe Wired (free spirited, creative young singles), Fun Antics (aspirational, fun loving, active young people), Dynamic Duos (hard-driving, highly involved couple), Priority Parents (those who respect family values, activities and are media dominate) Home Soldiers (Home centered, family orientated and materially ambitious), ‘Renaissance Women’ (Caring, affluent and influential mothers), Rugged Traditionalists (Individuals that maintain traditional male values and a love of the outdoors) Struggling Singles (High inspirations and a low economic status) Settled Elders (People who live devout, older, sedentary lifestyles) and Free Birds (Vital, active, altruistic seniors). Whilst this theory gives a great, in depth look into an audiences personality, it doesn’t cover everything accurately and statistically (e.g. income) so is inaccurate.

COUNTING THE AUDIENCE• A very simple and one of the most commonly used ways of categorizing an audience is by

counting the amount sold of a certain media product in circulation, and whether the product is getting a good response from the audience, and thus making an effective profit. Whilst this is the simplest way to tell if a product is successful, it gives us no clues to who is buying it.

INFLUENCING THE AUDIENCE

• These are theories that media can influence the audience to act a certain way in society, often through desensitization

HYPODERMIC NEEDLE

• This is one of the most well known ways, though largely outdated, on how an audience is influenced by the “Hypodermic Needle” theory. This theory suggests that media products are injected into the mind like a syringe and the audience is influenced ideologies, for example a music magazine influencing the audience to listen to different bands or an advert influencing the audience to buy a product etc. This theory is often in the news to explain reasons violence happens is because of violent films and games. This was used a lot in the James Bulger 1993 murder case, where his young murderers apparently were influenced by the horror film “Childs Play”, however there is no direct evidence to suggest any mediums can influence the audience in such a way. This means in creating my print work, I will have to make sure that it remains child friendly but will still influence the audience to buy products featured in articles and advertisements.

CULTIVATION/CULMINATION• Because of the difficulty in proving the Hypodermic Needle theory works, a different, more

refined theory was developed, known as Cultivation and Culmination. This theory suggests that desensitization has happened towards specific things that were once considered taboo. For example, swearing in social situations is now considered normal, but a few years ago it was considered social taboo. In constantly hearing swearing, society has got used to it. Again, it is still very difficult to prove this theory, but this does not necessarily mean that it doesn’t happen. Like the hypodermic needle, this way of influencing the audience can’t be in my magazine, except in advertisements.

THE AUDIENCE AS PEOPLE

USES AND GRATIFICATIONS• This theory says that people don’t just want media for mindless entertainment, and

instead we expect some gratification from it. The theory suggests that the audience select different media on what our ideologies are, and what we expect from each. For example, a film buff may buy a film magazine to look up recent films and to read articles, so for information and escapism. We generally want to achieve four things from these medias; Information (curiosity, learning, security through knowledge), Personal Identity (reinforcement of personal values), Integration and Social Interaction (social empathy, finding a basis for conversation, enabling one to connect with family, friends and society) and Entertainment (escapism, relaxing, cultural or aesthetic enjoyment, filling time, emotional release, sexual arousal). This theory is often criticized, as we cannot always choose what we see, such as posters, so media doesn’t always reflect our ideologies and gratification we need as we don’t always choose what we see. In my music magazine there will be a mixture of gaining information from the article, reinforcement of personal values (bands the audience likes etc.) and pure escapism and entertainment. For the magazine, I will have to carefully consider what my target audience will want reflected whilst reading

AUDIENCE AS INDIVIDUALS• This theory states that as an audience we all have our own unique look on things and apply various

meanings to these mediums. This may be due to a number of things, like part of our upbringing such as political and social status, class and gender, or at that moment such as you’re mood, your age etc. For this theory there is apparently three ways the audience receive a text. Dominant Reading is where we may have a strong reaction to something, like seeing an advert and wanting to buy that product and perceiving the product as good, Oppositional Reading however is where the audience give a negative reaction to a text, such as a programme like Kill it, cook it, eat it which is designed to make the audience disgusted. Finally Negotiated reading is where the audience has a neutral view on a text, which could be anything from an unprovoking TV show to some adverts. Mainly it will just depend on the audience themselves and there own personal ideologies, what may be harmless to some could be very harmful to others. One of the most oppositional matters are taboo subjects such as nudity. This really only provokes two major opinions, that of arousal and distaste/ disgust Again this opinion will be based on various ideologies that the audience may have from there background. In essence, the possibilities for this theory are endless.Whats good about this theory is that it gives a useful insight into how to write a text for a specific audience and how to express our ideologies into a text, but knowing when to stop to not provoke a strong oppositional reading. I should also write for the target audience, as that will ensure there is a positive, dominant reading in the magazine

CONCLUSION• In conclusion, I have found out that to ensure this magazine is to be accepted by my

target group, and in essence to make a profit, I will have to take into account a lot of these theories. I must view the audience as just statistics to know the success and sales, yet I will firstly have to know how to influence them to buy it and to continue buying it, and I will have to know what uses and gratifications my audience will want to get from reading my magazine. I will need to know other things, like what will or will not offend them. My range of audience will have to be broad, but not so broad no one will want to buy it. if I take these various things into account during the production stage, it will further my chances of success later.