Audience Profiling

Audience demographics are ways different audiences can be grouped by class, race, gender, age, tastes or preferences.

Audience theories are how different audience behave and why they read or understand texts differently. Mostly concerned with whether media controls or influences us, the affects the media have on groups such as young people and children.

Media audiences are the audience of music, film, Tv and consumers of newspapers magazines and the web. It could be the 14 million watching an episode of Eastenders, the many radio listeners of the same station, or the 200 watching the same film in the cinema.

Socio-demographic groupings can be harsh and out dated as they group large numbers of people from the same class regardless of whether they have the same interests and preferences. However newspaper, magazine and radio stations often use them, when selling space to advertisers.

Psychographics or audience profiling is the study of the lifestyles, habits, opinions, values and attitudes of consumers. Manufactures use this process to understand which adverts people will respond to and which media products will be successful.  For example the Four C’s category, put under varied category names and are based on Abraham Manslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.

Cultural Consumer Characteristics (the Four C’s)

Mainstreamers	The largest group and are concerned witch security, will choose comfortable brands such as Kellogg’s and will consume mainstream media texts such as My Family.
Aspirers	These are groups of consumers trying to improve themselves, consuming high end brands names such as, Gucci Channel and Prada.  They believe that their status is secured by this conspicuous consumption.
Succeeders	Believe they are powerful in control and secure, though they may not be.  Buying brands such as Audi to reinforce this feeling.
Reformers	You will find buying brands such as Innocent, Fair Trade, Ecover all associated with ‘caring and responsible’. They will consume the eco-friendly brands and live sustainable healthy lives.
The individual	An addition to the four basic groups, highly media literate, buys the product image, not the product and expects high-end advertising.

As our film is aimed at teenagers aged fifteen and above, I have devised a short questionnaire, using demographic profiling to give out to a group of candidates from my target audience.  As I am conducting this survey in a school, i have specified that it is optional to give all information, but no information will be distributed.

Audience profiling

For your own comfort is optional to give any personal information away, however any information that you do give will be confidential and will not be distributed.

Name?

Age?

Gender?

Place of residence?

Previous place of evidence (if applicable)?

Occupation

Are you in GCSE, A level, Vocational or Higher Education?

If so what subjects are you studying?

Are you employed? Part-time or full- time?

What is your job?

How much do you earn?

Interests

Do you have any Hobbies or interests?

What are your likes and dislikes, within these categories, music, fashion, magazines, food?

Films

Name your worst and favourite film?

What, where and when was the last film you watched?