Understanding Media Products and audiences - Oliver Clements
Mainstream Audience: A mass audience which is targeted by media products for the widest appeal possible (common in tentpoles). An example of a media product that appeals to a mainstream audience would be Kiss radio. This is due to the music commonly played on the station being what is currently popular/chart music and doesn't have a limited music selection, giving it mainstream appeal.
Mainstream Products
Film: Avengers Endgame - part of a popular mainstream series under a popular studio (Marvel Studios) within the Disney conglomerate, a blockbuster film.
TV Show: Coronation Street - Widely viewed and popular among UK audiences.
Video Game: Over watch - Played by millions worldwide and a tentpole product by a media conglomerate (Blizzard Studios). Used in competitive E-Sports giving wider appeal.
Niche Audience: a smaller audience for media products with less mass appeal(common among cult followings for media products) which is often targeted/more beneficial for advertising. Niche products are smaller budgeted and target a specific audience comparatively to mainstream products. An example of a niche media product would be Kerrang Radio; this is because the music played are commonly rock and metal genres which limit the appeal for the radio station, making it niche.
Niche Products:
Film: The Lighthouse - Older intended audience with dark and mature themes such as isolation and how it affects mental health, an artistic black and white style. These may prevent audiences from wishing to watch the independent film.
TV Show: Only Murders in the Building - within the Disney conglomerate which is iconic for family content however, Only Murders in the Building is intended for older audiences with graphic imagery (corpses), mature themes such as murder, social classes and debt, also featuring bad language. This imagery and themes may turn mainstream audiences away.
Video Game: Rain World - Mature themes such as existentialism and environmental issues, inaccessible to most people due to high difficulty and lack of direction for the player to follow, representing a harsh ecosystem in a decaying world which can put audiences off from playing.
Media Conglomerate: A large media company which owns smaller companies named subsidiaries. An example of a media conglomerate would be Disney which owns subsidiaries such as Marvel Studios.
Blockbusters Films: Films which have large budgets to make large profits and have mainstream appeal.
Independent Films: Appeal to a specific audience and focus on their and the creators interests.
Market Research
Companies which provide market research:
NRS - National Readership Survey - Print
RAJAR - Radio Joint Audience Research - AV/Radio
BARB - Broadcasters Audience Research Board - TV
Social Grades NRS:
The social grades provided by the NRS are categorized A-E (based on different job roles).
Although these social grades were developed 50 years ago, the classifications provide publishing and print industries within the UK a method of classifying audiences in a way that is understood by the majority of future advertisers. (ABC1 upper - C2DE lower). ABC1 is targeted by most large-scale companies.
A - Doctor, lawyer, highly managerial (CEO)
B - Engineer, Headteacher
C1 - Teacher
C2 - Retail/builder (trained manual workers)
D - Unskilled workers (e.g. part time waiters)
E - Pensioners and the elderly or those on benefits
Vogue is targeted to an ABC1 audience due to the initial buying price of £10 per monthly magazine (requiring disposable income) which audiences on the C2DE scale may not be able to afford. Within the magazine: models are depicted in expensive clothing with celebrities posing as the models to connote a degree of wealth within the magazine. Within the background: a pool with a shallow depth of field is present behind the model which connotes further wealth by way of the denotation of an outside pool. Inside the magazine, high income companies such as Selfridges which target only ABC1 audiences due to their products' exclusivity and high prices.
The Daily Express
The target audience of the Daily Express (based off the market data) are ABC1 audiences who are aged 35+. The overwhelming majority of readers being an older audience is due to the use of hard news stories within a traditional broadsheet format. The format appealing to an ABC1 audience due to it's higher class connotations (and incorporating the age range of 35+) with hard news stories featuring political debates rather than soft news celebrity gossip which appeals to a more mature, older, intelligent audience.
Demographics: When media producers study the breakdown of their target audience to categorize them into groups. This is based on variables such as interests, gender, age, ethnicity and social grading.
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is targeted for 15-30 year old's due to the age range of the presenters being the same as the target demographic; the shows present being party/chill anthems, conversations included being targeted towards the younger audiences with series such as 'did anything cringe happen to you this weekend'. The social grading being C2DE: segments that primarily discuss celebrity pop culture. The presenters and topics covered overall, being relatable to a younger audience. Gender representation in presenters is split evenly, reflecting the even split in audience gender.
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is targeted towards an older (35+ ABC1) audience. The topics covered in the segments such as 'news briefing' for those wishing to catch up on what's happening in the world (politically). Other segments including a 'prayer for the day' for those who follow a certain religion. An example which displays hard news presented on Radio 4, which appeals to a mature ABC1, older audience is 'analysis' which has the description 'who's really in charge? The new progressive elite, or the rich privileged, born to rule?' Female audiences may prefer to listen to BBC Radio 4 during times such as the 'women's hour'.
BBC 2 Remit
A broad adult audience which contains series of depth and substance which requires the greatest range of knowledge-building of any BBC TV channel; featuring distinctive arts programming, comedy and drama.
BBC 3
Age range of 16-34 year old's covering all genres including: animation, comedy, current affairs and drama series. However, in 2016 BBC 3 was taken off TV and replaced with an online-only version of BBC 3 to appeal to the younger audience as a method of streaming their content.
BARB: Broadcasters Audience Research Board for TV which allows TV based conglomerates to view (for audience research) what people are watching and when. The purpose of BARB is to support decisions which need to be made within the production of a TV series, to support the planning and buying of ad campaigns in distribution and to inform how broadcasters and other media producers 'operate in public interest' (to allow their products to reach as wide an audience as possible for max profit).
An example of a company that has used BARB would be the BBC who use BARB to gain audience research which assists in dictating their programming schedules based off what audiences watch and when. Coronation Street uses BARB to collect their viewer data. Another example would be YouTube which used BARB to find out who used YouTube to watch football games.
BARB's research has a research focus on:
- who is watching and who with
- What are they watching
- When are they watching
- Which screen are they watching on
- how did the content get to the screen
- Programmes are viewed on PC's, TV sets, tablets and smartphones
- 'I'm a celebrity... get me out of here' was viewed most on smartphones: this is because the primary audience is 13-25 year old's who commonly use their phones on a frequent basis therefore, they will use it to watch TV on as well. This is furthered by the fact that ITV has a mobile streaming app to allow this to happen. Additionally, the series is interactive as in between ad breaks you can vote online and enter competitions (all which can be done on a black box device/phone)
- BBC1 showed programmes which are classes as political such as 'Prime Ministerial Statement'
- ITV, BBC1 and Channel 4 all showed programmes which are entertainment based such as 'I'm a celebrity... get me out of here' on ITV and 'Strictly Come Dancing' on BBC; Channel 4 airing 'The Great British Bake Off'
RAJAR: Radio Joint Audience Research; a company which allows for radio producers to research statistics for who is listening to what radio station and when (only within the UK). RAJAR being set up by the BBC in 1992 alongside Radio Centre to extend and act upon their audiences based off the research.
RAJAR has a research focus on:
- Quarterly listening
- Survey updates
- Marketing information
- PSA postcode data (where people listen from geographically)
- Weekday listenings per quarter hour
An example of a company which has used RAJAR's data to support the planning of a marketing campaign would be BBC Radio as part of their joint ownership (alongside Radio Centre) however, this can be used in a biased way to support primarily the BBC rather than any other radio companies. Only Ofcom-licensed stations can request to be measured by RAJAR.
2/3 of the UK population now listen to radio via digital platforms each week. The no. digital listeners has been steadily increasing (by 24.3% between 2013-2020). This information would encourage radio stations to move or branch out to an online platform to cater to this growing audience. This being furthered by the steady (but slow) decrease in all radio listening demonstrating the transition in audience as younger generations access media online more now. Radio Stations which do not have an online platform or app should be encouraged to create one.
In an average week, digital listeners accumulate 578 million hours, 69% of these being from DAB Radio. This meaning advertising and effort should be put towards DAB to act upon the high percentage of listeners.
How Media Products Appeal to Audiences - John Hartley (1985) Audience Representation
The theory that institutes produce 'invisible fictions' (similar to an ideal self) that allows the audience to get a sense of who they must enter relations with; therefore, the institute must know their target audience to create this invisible fiction correctly to target the audience effectively.
Kerrang invisible fiction - a person created by Kerrang which is supposed to represent the target audience who consume Kerrang products. This is done via describing interests, age, gender and background e.g. hobbies like fashion and music (specifically Kerrang to listen to the music), going to gigs or going out with friends; this being similar/representative to the target audience.
Reader Profile - Images which represent the target audience for a print product.
Viewer Profile - Images which represent the target audience for a moving (interactive and AV) product.
Sony are creating a new comedy film starring Dwayne Johnson, where he plays an international spy that gets sacked. Therefore, he must find a 'normal job' whilst mysterious things are happening to his former work colleagues. The target audience for this new film is 15+.
Denis McQuail (1987) - Uses and Gratifications
- Escapism - Media products help people escape their everyday
- Surveillance - people use media to be informed
- Personal Relationships - Using media as a talking point
- Personal Identity - Media used as a means of shaping your own 'subcultural identity'
Personal Identity - Baldur's Gate 3 (Video Game) allows the audience to create their own character that either looks like them or someone they want to be within the fictional universe of 'Dungeons and Dragons' meeting characters that they can have personal relationships with depending on the audience's choices within dialogue and gameplay settings, allowing for a high level of immersion and self insertion.
Escapism - Guilty Gear Strive (Video Game) allows for escapism via it's fast and engaging fighting genre gameplay which demands the audiences full attention therefore, escaping from the world around to be entirely focused on the game. A level of personal choice given by the characters they decide to play as and may see an ideal self in.
Surveillance - BBC News allows for the audience to be informed about what is happening in the UK (e.g. politics which might affect them) and the world around them (such as the war in Ukraine). This is furthered by the ease of access, available on cable networks, online websites accessible via blackbox device and the radio (BBC World Service).
Personal Relationships - Once Upon a Time in Hollywood allows for personal relationships/social interaction by talking about the ensemble cast, the in depth narrative or (most likely) the twist on the infamous story of the Charles Manson murders, having real world relation.
Interpreting Data
Top 3 Classes in Data:
e.g. ITV 2 has a younger demographic as their most watched show is a reality show (Love Island); ITV 1 has an older ABC1 audience due to it's most watched show being a soap opera (Coronation Street, a long running series).
Listening/Viewing Patterns
- What times audiences access products
- Where audiences access products (geographical location)
- How audiences access products (e.g. phones, radio, TV)
Younger generations are digital natives due to being brought up alongside technology.
Older generations are digital immigrants due to technology being introduced later in their life.
Technological convergence is where traditional types of media products are converted to modern types of media e.g. print newspaper uses technological convergence to become an online newspaper.
Interpreting Data
1. In the data we can see that C2DE audiences are more likely to use digital media brands than ABC1 audiences; this is evident with more of them accessing digital brands on the data. Likewise, C2DE audiences are more likely to access print products than C2DE audiences, evident on the data. This tells us that these audiences have different interests in what media they access due to print products requiring disposable income therefore, appealing more to a wealthier ABC1. C2DE audiences prefer digital products due to the costs usually being a subscription which is often cheaper than multiple purchases of one brand's print products such as the Guardian which is £2.50 per purchase physically but a monthly subscription to The Guardian is £10 being more cost effective. More ABC1 audiences purchase magazines than C2DE audiences which indicates more interest in magazines for those higher in the grading. Daily reach of magazines for C2DE is only 300,000 less than for ABC1. Reach of weekly brands combined has the largest gap between ABC1 and C2DE. ABC1 readers have a higher daily, weekly and monthly reach than C2DE audiences.
2. More women purchase more magazines in both digital and print; this is because women are usually more interested in fashion magazines (which take up most magazines) such as Vogue therefore, reaching their target audiences of women, evident in the data. This means women overall purchase more magazines than men. More women also purchase digital print products than men, this is likely because of the ease of access and ability to purchase a monthly subscription to print outlets which appeals more to women due to being able to access real-time news and new magazines (which mostly target women) on their phones which women use more than men; evident in the data. This includes newspapers which have targeted women more with soft news such as celebrity culture.
Men read less than women due to typically having manual jobs meaning they have less time to read therefore, appearing less on the data.
Newspapers and Magazines
Daily Mail
First published in 1986 by 'DMG Media', The Daily Mail has a target audience of 20-40 year old's of ABC1 background; featuring hard news stories with a mix of the royal family. Despite the featuring of politics, they are often sensationalized to reach a C2DE audience (for a wider demographic). The Daily Mail have an online version to appeal to a younger audience of digital natives as well as social media pages on sites like X (Twitter). The primary gender being women with them mostly being featured on the covers however, the target gender is still mixed. This is a broadsheet paper; sans serif font is also used to further an ABC1 audience. Furthermore, the price of this paper is 65p which appeals to a C2DE audience, being an outlet for hard news within the demographic.
Daily Telegraph
First published in 1855 by 'Telegraph Media Group Limited': The Daily Telegraph is a broadsheet newspaper which has a ABC1 audience due to the coverage of hard news stories which feature politics to inform the audience which is typically older (35+) due to the hard news stories and lack of gossip commonly featured on tabloid. The target gender is mixed just like the people featured on the covers. Sometimes only men or women will appear and sometimes both. This paper is also online to appeal to digital natives and broaden their audience to allow access via blackbox device. Sans serif font is also used to further an ABC1 audience.
The Sun
The Sun was first published in 1969 (comparatively younger to other newspapers) by 'Oldham Press' and 'News Group Newspapers Limited' for a younger 20-30 C2DE audience which is evident in the soft news celebrity gossip and tabloid layout; the covers being very busy (lacking the column layout of broadsheet) with a lot of colours and segments. The target gender being mixed due to equal representation however, primarily women read this newspaper due to the celebrity culture featured. The Sun is also online to allow it's younger audience to pay for a subscription which is cheaper than using disposable income (which C2DE audiences are less likely to have compared to ABC1 papers like the Guardian) to buy individual papers as well as to allow easier access to the paper online. Serif font is used to appeal more to a C2DE audience due to its ease of readability for a lower level of reading which links into comparatively less text than broadsheet. The Sun also aims at males however, this is due to a sports section and 'page 3' which featured nude female models; evident of Laura Mulvey's (1975) male gaze theory.
The Guardian
The Guardian was first published in 1821 by 'The Guardian Media Group' and has a target audience of ABC1 35+ men and women. They also have a sister paper called 'The Observer' which is published every Sunday for the same target audience. The older and ABC1 audience is signified by the use of hard news political stories and column broadsheet layout with equal representations of gender. They have an online version which can be paid for via monthly subscription however, due to the ABC1 audience, they are likely to have disposable income to purchase a physical issue every day; this is to target a younger audience of digital natives. Sans serif font is also used to further an ABC1 audience.
The Times
The Times was first published in 1785 by 'News UK' and 'Thomson Corporation' with a target audience of ABC1 men and women, this signified by hard news coverage in a broadsheet, column layout (similar to other newspapers with the same target audience like The Observer). An example of this being 'Spies guard nuclear sites from China cyberattack' as a hard news story due to its relation to politics and war therefore, evident of an older audience. The cost of a £26 monthly cost demonstrating disposable income to signify an ABC1 audience with equal representations of men and women in the magazine (primarily the royal family which is a typical interest of the older generations). Similarly to other newspapers, there is an online version of The Times to appeal to a younger audience. Sans serif font is also used to further an ABC1 audience.
The Daily Star
The Daily Star was first published in 1978 by 'Reach PLC' as a tabloid newspaper with a target audience of C2DE older men. The class range is typical of tabloid newspapers, featuring many short news articles with little examples of lengthy text. This furthered by soft news that features celebrity culture and controversies such as the BFG article and 'TV Dan miracle escape' with male figures represented all over the cover with only one female. The older audience connoted by the inclusion of bet sponsors to encourage gambling (a hobby stereotypically enjoyed by older men), the C2DE range furthered by the betting on football matches (also stereotypically enjoyed by men). The price of the paper is £1.65 therefore, requiring little disposable income. An online version (like most other papers) is available which gives real time news of celebrity culture and gossip such as stories covering what has happened on 'I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here'. Serif font is used to appeal more to a C2DE audience due to its ease of readability for a lower level of reading which links into comparatively less text than broadsheet.
Mass Audience Magazine - MOJO
- Features widely popular bands and artists
- Equal representations of gender to appeal to both
- Artists represented vary in age and time of relevance to appeal to varying age demographics
Niche Audience Magazine - Classic Cars
- Only appeals to those interested in classic cars (niche in cars in themselves)
- Features primarily older men (doesn't appeal to a wider audience)
- Only appeals to ABC1 audiences due to the cost of classic cars as a hobby and magazine price of £4.30 requiring a good disposable income
