1. AUDIENCE THEORIES

2.  In order for a product to be successful it must have an audience
that will consume it.
 All types of companies study their potential audiences to create
products that will appeal to their wants and needs.
 Audiences can be split into several categories:
 Age
 Ethnicity
 Sexuality
 Gender
 Occupation
 Earnings
 Expendable Income etc…..
WHY IS AUDIENCE IMPORTANT?

3. Defines the adult
population
Groups them into
categories defined
by their job
A Higher
management, bankers, lawyers,
doctors and other professionals
B Middle
management, teachers, creative
media (graphic designers etc…)
C1 Office supervisors, junior
managers, nurses, specialist
clerical staff (white collar)
C2 Skilled manual
workers, plumbers, bricklayers
(blue collar)
D Semi-skilled and unskilled
manual workers
E Unemployed, students,
pensioners, casual workers
DEMOGRAPHICS

4. PSYCHOGRAPHICS
Describes and audience by looking at their
behaviour and personality traits

5. Mainstreamers Seek security. Tend to be domestic, conformist, conventional and
sentimental. Favour value for money, family brands. Majority group
Aspirers Seek status. Materialistic, orientated to image, appearance and
fashion. Attractive packaging more important than contents.
Typically younger people. Clerical or sales jobs
Succeeders Seek control. Strong goals, confident. Strong work ethic. Supports
stability. Brand choice made of self reward and quality. Typically
higher management and professionals
Resigned Seeks survival. Rigid and authoritarian values. Interested in past
and tradition. Brand choice stresses safety and familiarity. Usually
older people.
Explorers Seek discovery. Energetic, individual. Values difference and
adventure. First to try new brands. Younger demographic -
students.
Strugglers Seek escape. Alienated and disorganised. Few resources beyond
physical skills. Buys alcohol and junk food. D and E demographic
Reformers Seek enlightenment. Freedom from restrictions. Personal growth.
Social awareness and independent judgement. Anti-materialistic
but aware of good taste. Attended higher education, selects
products for quality.
PSYCHOGRAPHICS CONT…

6.  States that all texts are polysemic (can have multiple
meanings)
 Texts can be “read” in different ways depending on the
audience’s identity, cultural knowledge and opinions
 He states that texts can be “read” in 3 different ways
 Preferred reading
 Negotiated reading
 Oppositional reading
STUART HALL – RECEPTION THEORY

7.  Preferred reading
 The audience responds to the product the way the media producers
expect them and want them to
 Negotiated reading
 The audience partly agrees with the message or product but may
disagree with other parts
 Oppositional reading
 The audience is in complete disagreement with the product or
message
STUART HALL – RECEPTION THEORY