Target Audience

My original target audience that I chose was 16-25. However after research into different music groups I found that usually after the age of 21 people tend to loose interest in discovering new music. Therefore I have decided to make my target audience ages 16-21.

Audiences
Media texts are usually produced to make money/generate revenue for the institution that has produced them. All products need an audience for the institution to target and so they can construct the product to appeal to them. An example of this would be the cast of Hollyoaks, a soap showed on Channel 4 which is a mainly teenage dominated viewing channel and this is there target audience, therefore most of the cast are young and will appeal to them and also teenagers can relate to the story lines.

How do we define target audience?
Genger
Race
Age
Socio-economic status

This chart shows the socio-economic status that exists in Britain today;

GROUP            DESCRIPTION                

A                       Upper Class - Business Professionals
B                       Middle Class - Middle Management
C1                     Lower Middle Class - Trades and Supervisory Jobs
C2                     Skilled Working Class - Blue Collar Workers
D                       Lower Working Class - Manual Workers
E                       Subsidence - Pensioners, Unemployed and Students

Advertising and Marketing Audience Profiling


Audience profiling can be split up into two broad categories;
1. Demographic Profiling
2. Psychographic Profiling

DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILING
- a need to identify and target different segments of the audience came about as the media industries grew following WW2. This was so that industries could market their product to the 'types' of people who would buy it.
- demographic profiling developed and involved grouping the audience into smaller groups based on variables such as age gender, geographical area, class, economics, religion and sexuality.
- This method groups people according to the lives they lead or their social or economic status.

Age is a particularly important grouping because;
- members of the same age group tend to be at the same stage of their family life cycle and therefore have similar wants.
- consumers of a similar age also have similar financial circumstances

PROBLEMS OF DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILING
- people are not all the same just because they have the same job, income or class
- people don't always share the same interests
- as a result of these flaws research has moved away from demographic profiling to psychographic profiling which categorises consumers in terms of needs rather that characteristics.

PSYCHOGRAPHIC PROFILING
- assumes the audience to be complex and to have certain needs which must be gratified.
- adverts aim to appeal to the audience's emotions and psychological needs

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

 This chart shows the needs of the audience when consuming a media text.









Young and Rubicam's Cross-cultural Consumer Characteristics
This approach characterises people in terms of their personal aspirations. Young and Rubicam said there were four categories of audience based upon these aspirations;

1. Mainstreams - 40% of the market, this is the largest section. This group seeks security in conformity and this tend to buy well-known brand names.
2. Aspirers - these people are motivated by status. They buy smart, high tech and high fashion goods.
3. Succeeders - These people have already climbed the ladder and want to keep control of what they have.
4. Reformers - this group want the world to be a better place. Educated people such as teachers and doctors who apparently are more likely to buy eco-friendly and health products.

More recently, in 1998, a new group has emerged, the 'individual'. This group responds to advertising and marketing that emphasises quirkiness or individualism.




Project Phoenix - The consumption of music in the digital age
In 2003 Emap set out to research and map the fan economy. They did a first research study under the name of Project Phoenix, looking specifically at the attitudes towards music of people between the ages of 15 and 39.
Looking at different groups within it and attitudes and behaviours in relation to the way the audience consumes music.

They identified four main degrees of interest in music;

- SAVANTS; for how everything in life revolves around music. They represented 9% of the 15-39 age group 2003. 

- ENTHUSIASTS - music is a key part of life but is balanced by other interests. Representing 16% of the 15-39 age group in 2003. 

- CASUALS; music plays a welcome role,  but other things are far more important. Representing 26% of the 15-39 age group in 2003.  

- INDIFFERENTS; would not lose much sleep if music ceased to exist. Representing 48%of the 15-39 age group in 2003.