1. ‘Most media texts target a range of different audiences’. How true is this for your chosen texts?
...this question has also been phrased...
How do your chosen texts attract their audiences?
This is a very broad question that takes in strands of Marketing/Promotion, Audience
Classification and obviously Audience Appeal
Things to write about...
• Who the target audience is and meeting their needs
• Meeting/Challenging Generic expectations
• Visual style
• Stars/Director
• Uses & Gratifications
Things to consider... • The website, social networking/technology
Be aware that you may be asked to show how the magazine targets a range of audiences – if
this is the case then make sure that you outline at least two different audiences.
The target audience is from the mainstreamer / aspirer groups and you should be able to
discuss the needs that these audiences have (e.g. Materialism, acquisitive, driven by others’
opinions etc) and then find specific examples from the magazine that fulfils these needs.
Your answers can also come from looking at the range of online materials available to the
audience and go through the uses and gratifications that the audience will get from these
things (see the previous slide about use of technology/internet).
Of course there is also the use of celebrities that are interviewed and discussed – don’t fall
into the trap of saying that the audience just ‘look up’ to these people – make sure that you
discuss what these people represent to an audience – look at Richard Dyer’s work on stars.
This magazine has some very generic qualities that an audience might find comforting!