Target audience

1. Soap Opera Genre –
Target Audience
Name: Phoebe Regnault
Candidate Number: 1212
Center Name: St. Andrew’s Catholic School
Center Number: 64135
OCR Media Studies – A2 Level
Unit G324: Advanced Portfolio

2. Hartley’s 7 Subjectivities
Age- The typical target age group for the soap opera genre is 16-70. This is
because the audience members need to be old enough to understand some
of the adult themed content and story lines, such as domestic abuse. The
people within this age group can all relate with some of the characters. This
makes them loyal to the soap as they want to find out what happens next and
how the character resolves similar problems to which they may also have. The
age group also connotes why the time frame from soaps is stereotypically
between 6:30-9 because the target audience would be home from work by
then and would be looking to relaxing around this time. Gender- Rebecca
Feasey (2007) says ‘the home, family, domestic tribulations and the strong
women and as such, it has long been said to appeal to the female viewer.’
For example Hollyoaks uses an attractive young man to capture the attention
of women. This connotes that the target audience is mainly female as they
can be seen to be able to relate to the soap more, as many characters possess
traits similar to them.

3. Hartley’s 7 Subjectivities
Ethnicity- Soaps tend to include a large variety of genders within
with characters to highlight their diversity. This also allow the
soaps to appeal to all different ethnicities and cultures. For
example in Hollyoaks there are families from both black and
white ethnic groups

4. Socio-Economic Needs
The denotation of the stereotypical target audience for the Soap Opera
genre is, in accordance with the Socio-economic needs scale is C1-E
because they have similar or relatable jobs. For example soaps often
include manual and labor intensive jobs such as builders or jobs which
involve working in a pub or shop, which would be classed within C1-C2.
Students are often typical viewers and they are in E within the socio-
Economic needs table. This is evident in Hollyoaks as the verbal code ‘lets
go to college’ is used when some students are talking about their
education. In soaps there are students involved, for instance in Hollyoaks
the school and sixth form college is a location frequently used and referred
to, which explains why students are typical viewers as there are characters
of similar age to them.

5. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Typically audience members of the soap opera genre would be ‘Caregivers’
(Maslow) because they normally sympathize with the characters situation.
For example if someone has died the viewer may feel sorry for them and feel
pity for them.
The denotation behind a audience member being a ‘survivor’ (Maslow) is
that they want a routine which a soap provides as it is on most week days. By
the soap being on continuously provides security and a routine for the
audiences members. This can be favorable as the viewer will know how long
they will have to wait to find out if a character is going to be okay or how a
problem might be resolved.

6. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
‘Caregivers’ (Maslow)

7. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
‘Survivor’ (Maslow)

8. Psychographics
Consumers of Hollyoaks and similar soaps would have a normal life
style or would be a student. Soaps appeal to many different types of
life styles as they involve characters who are rich, poor, extravagant or
characters who enjoy simple things.
An example of this is a couple within Hollyoaks, Dirk and Cindy who
live a life of poverty and constantly struggle. They live in a small flat
within the village, and run an emporium. In contrast Mac’s family who
runs the pub, and his ex wife, Marnie owns a restaurant near by live a
life of luxury and like to show it. This could appeal to ‘aspirers’ as they
see what ‘Macs’ family live like and they also want the material goods
that that family have. Having a lot of business shows their status which
‘aspirers’ would aspire to have. Furthermore, ‘succeeders’ will see
what ‘Macs’ family have and will be able to personally relate as they
also own similar property or also own their own business.

9. Katz’ Uses & Graticiations theory
According to Katz’ Uses & Gratifications theory, the Soap Opera genre is able to
offer the audience a sense of ‘personal identification’ because they can recognize
qualities of characters within themselves. For example if the narrative was based
around a women called Maxine, looing her baby in the October episodes 2016, a
viewer going through a similar situation could relate and see put themselves in
the characters shoes.
Katz’ Uses & Gratifications theory suggests that the audiences can create a
‘personal relationship’ between the characters and themselves. As soaps are
aired most week days, the viewer becomes very familiar with the character and
builds a relationship up with them as they know their personalities. For example if
a character who had been in the series for a long time died, the audience may feel
grief and may miss the character.
Further more Katz’ Uses & Gratifications theory states that soaps also ‘inform
and educate the audience’. Soaps cover a large variety of issues such as diseases,
violence and crime. The audiences may not have encountered some of these
which means they can learn how people can over come these issues and what
problems they bring to family life.

10. Secondary sources to establish who
the target audience are
Source;
http://aquila.usm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1404&context=dissertations
A set of views, ideas and beliefs, which are held by an individual or shared by a
group. Dominant ideology is the system of views, ideas and beliefs, which
appears to be most widely supported by influential institutions like the media.
The views of those who do not support the dominant ideological consensus are
likely to be marginalized. Because dominant ideology is so widely supported and
reinforced, it quite often appears to be invisible or simply ‘common-sense’. (p.
87).
“According to choice, these (always other) people were turned into zombies,
transfixed by bourgeois ideology or filled with consumerist desires” (p. 18).
Harrington and Brothers (2011) write, “As in many other media markets, the
target audience for daytime soap operas is viewers eighteen to forty-nine years
old, with those younger than eighteen considered desirable as future long-term
viewers, but those fifty and over considered (by implication) undesirable” (p.
300).