Target audience analysis

1. Soap Opera Genre –
Target Audience
Name: Giacomo Pisa
Candidate Number: 3111
Center Name: St. Andrew’s Catholic School
Center Number: 64135
OCR Media Studies – A2 Level
Unit G324: Advanced Portfolio

2. According to Hartley’s Seven Subjectivities the primary target audience for a Soap Opera would be females of a wide age range. Namely
between those as young as 15 with Soap Operas such as Waterloo Road all the way up to females in their sixties who can personally relate
(Katz’s Uses and Gratifications Theory) to characters such as Dot Cotton from East Enders as she is of a similar age. Furthermore the main
target audience for the Soap Opera genre would be females because stereotypically in society, females are seen as being the more dramatic
of the genders and enjoy watching Soap Operas every night as a routine. This is particularly evident as Soap Operas are all guaranteed to be
dramatic and are on at a time that it is suitable. For example, East Enders is shown on BBC 1, the most watched channel in the country, every
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at either 7:30 or 8. This is a prime time slot and is perfect for people who have come home form
work, eaten and are then able to sit and relax watching the programme, and are afforded half an hour to forget about work and their own
lives, and become fully engrossed in the series. Additionally, Coronation Street as from next year will air six times a week, proving the
popularity of Soap Operas in the country as the channels can afford to film enough content for six shows per week due to viewing figures of
over 8 million, a staggering number.
The Socio-Economic Needs ladder suggests that the main target audience for a Soap Opera are those in the categories ranging from C1 to E
so a wide variety of audiences are included in the target audience for a Soap Opera. For example, those from the C1 category include junior
managers and supervisors who still watch the show because they have been doing for years and also at the end of the days work they look
forward to being at home and being able to watch the soap, and these professions are not too high up in society that they “look down” on
Soap Operas, they embrace the drama. The Soaps then attract those in the C2 and D categories who are more working class and can
Personally identify (Katz’s Uses and Gratifications Theory) with the characters, especially East Enders who’s cast is those of a working class
background from the East End of London, stereotypically the most working part area of the country. Then lastly Soap Operas attract those in
the E category such as pensioners who have retired and are not busy with a large workload and can afford to watch Soap Operas up to six
times a week such as Coronation Street.
In accordance with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, the stereotypical target audience for a Soap Opera would be a range of different people.
Namely ‘Survivors’ because these people crave the security of a steady programme airing up to six times a week and being in a routine of
watching the show. Additionally, these viewers also depend on the security and safety of the protagonists in the Soap Operas so also watch
the programme to see that cases are resolved and their favourite characters aren’t harmed. Furthermore, Soap Operas also target those in
the ‘Caregivers’ category in particular. This is because people from this category sympathise with the situations that the protagonists find
themselves in and are therefore a perfect target audience because the protagonists in Soap Operas experience so much drama that
‘Caregivers’ will sympathise with the protagonists and tune in every night to ensure their safety.

3. The psychographics of those watching Soap Operas would stereotypically have dramatic personalities like those seen
in the soap Operas, for example Danny Dyer’s character in East Ender, ‘Mick Carter’ is an aggressive, over the top
dramatic character that would match the personality of many people watching the programme. Furthermore the
lifestyle choices of the audience are stereotypically to enjoy going to the pub like the stereotypical ‘British’ person
much like the protagonists in the Soap Operas, who are meant to represent stereotypical lives of the population, not
far fetched and out of reach characters that audiences cannot relate to.
Lastly, according to Katz’s Uses and Gratifications Theory the main target audience for Soap Operas would be those who can ‘Personally
Relate’ as well as ‘Personally Identify’ with the protagonists from the Soap Operas. For example, if the audience can ‘Personally Identify’
with Mick Carter, a business owner like many others, experiencing the same troubles that a business goes through in day to day life, they can
then form an attachment and bond to the protagonists which means now they have a ‘Personal Relationship’ with the protagonists and this
in turn will ensure that the audience continue to watch the Soap Operas due to their bond with the Protagonist and they are concerned for
their well-being. Furthermore, in accordance with Katz’s Uses and Gratifications Theory, people who stereotypically watch Soap Opera
programmes such as ‘Emmerdale’, ‘Coronation Street’ and ‘East Enders’ would like a ‘Diversion’ from their lives. This is because they are
likely to be under a large amount of stress, or, as a lot of the target audience are of working class background, they may be experiencing
financial difficulties so every night, watching a Soap Opera gives them a chance to fully divert their attention from these problems, and they
can fully immerse themselves in the drama of the Soap Opera.

4. Soap Opera Scheduling
• Soap operas are typically aired between 7 and 10 pm and are on most
nights of the week. The reason for the wide time range is because some
soaps are family friendly that are watched by the entire family while other
soaps cover darker topics such as murder and therefore incorporate more
violence. As a result, these soaps are typically aired later from 9pm
onwards as it is at this time when most young children are in bed no
longer watching TV and it is therefore appropriate to air more distressing
images, which are more dramatic and make better TV.