Audience Theories

Apply theories of audience to one of your coursework productions.

1. Intro to which coursework production you will analyse
2. Describe your target audience (demographics and psychographics)
3. Apply Uses and Gratifications
4. State an opinion on The Effects Model (Hypodermic Needle)
5. Discuss Stuart Hall and reception theory. (look it up if you don't have notes)
6. Finish by saying how useful (or not) any of these ideas are to understanding how your production appeals to your target audience.

Describing your audience:

The socio-economic scale

1. 

	Social grade		Description of occupation		Example
	A		higher managerial, administrative or professional		Company director
	B		intermediate managerial, administrative or professional		Middle manager
	C1		supervisory, clerical, junior administrative or professional		Bank clerk
	C2		skilled manual workers		Plumber
	D		semi- and unskilled manual workers		Labourer
	E		state pensioners with no other income, widows, casual and lowest grade earners		Unemployed

 

Cross cultural consumer classification - or 'psychographic profiling'

Resigned	Rigid, strict, authoritarian and chauvinist values, oriented to the past and to Resigned roles. Brand choice stresses safety, familiarity and economy. (Older)
Struggler	Alienated, Struggler, disorganised - with few resources apart from physical/mechanical skills (eg car repair). Heavy consumers of alcohol, junk food and lotteries, also trainers. Brand choice involves impact and sensation.
Mainstreamer	Domestic, conformist, conventional, sentimental, passive, habitual. Part of the mass, favouring big and well-known value for money 'family' brands. Almost invariably the largest 4Cs group.
Aspirer	Materialistic, acquisitive, affiliative, oriented to extrinsics ... image, appearance, charisma, persona and fashion. Attractive packaging more important than quality of contents. (Younger, clerical/sales type occupation)
Succeeder	Strong goal orientation, confidence, work ethic, organisation ... support status quo, stability. Brand choice based on reward, prestige - the very best . Also attracted to 'caring' and protective brands ... stress relief. (Top management)
Explorer	Energy - autonomy, experience, challenge, new frontiers. Brand choice highlights difference, sensation, adventure, indulgence and instant effect - the first to try new brands. (Younger - student)
Reformer	Freedom from restriction, personal growth, social awareness, value for time, independent judgement, tolerance of complexity, anti-materialistic but intolerant of bad taste. Curious and enquiring, support growth of new product categories. Select brands for intrinsic quality, favouring natural simplicity, small is beautiful.(Highier education)