2. Methods of gaining target audience
feedback:
TARGET AUDIENCE RESEARCH – often consisted off focus groups and of detailed questionnaires.
The questionnaires were very beneficial as we were able to gain great detail, e.g. on how our
audience consume music videos and on their opinions and attitudes towards music video’s.
Focus groups were equally as informative, however one thing to bare in mind is that our focus
groups often consisted of our media class so they had much more advanced knowledge
therefore were able to give greater input into manipulating conventions etc.
Social media/ private message was also a useful way of gaining target audience research
feedback as people were able to elaborate on their thoughts and feelings towards our product.
3. FOCUS GROUPS
My partner and I conducted a focus group, in which we told our target audience our initial ideas whilst playing the
track, e.g. locations we had imagined, certain shots we felt matched the lyrics, and emotions we wanted the
audience to feel. These were the questions we asked.
1. What did you imagine for each verse? - bubbles,
piano, close ups
2. What ideas do you have for the second verse? -
parks, SRS, handheld camera
3. Do you like the use of handheld camera?
4. We're not sure on the next part, what do you guys
think? - shrek intertextuality, nostalgia VCR, links to
visual tea.
5. What do you think the song means?
6. How do you imagine their relationship?
7. Do you like the use of computer games- social
comment- capitalism- chucking money away?
8. Do you like the use of flashbacks?
9. Do you all prefer narrative music video for this music video?
10. Are you all hearing it negatively?
11. Do you like being an active audience and spotting social
comment?
12. What representations would you like to see of female and
male in music video?
13. Do you imagine black and white, colour or both?
14. Equal shots of the female and the male or more of a certain
one?
15. What outfits do you imagine them wearing?
4. FEEDBACK
Our focus group was very informative as they had oppositional readings and some stated “he is
clearly more into her than she is into him” which came to a shock to my partner and I and we
therefore had to incorporate a change of narrative in order for our music video to be appealing to
the target market.
Due to being face to face with our audience we were able to ask open question in order to gin
more information form their previous response, which aloud us to get further knowledge on their
preferences.
If we had not done this and has used a questionnaire instead we would never had gained the
knowledge we had, for example we would never have asked the question ”how do you imagine
their relationship” however we did due to their previous responses.
This feedback worked extremely well as it gave us the right guidance in order to appeal to the right
target market.
5. Evaluating Focus Group
It is one of my biggest regrets that upon reflection we did not conduct another focus group, after
we had begin to construct our music video. However, we did have regular informal visits from our
peers to watch the music video in order to observe our progress. However, no real feedback was
given as it was too informal. But I do feel if one had been conducted it would have been very
beneficial.
In hindsight when reflecting on some of the questions we asked, several were very leading as we
were letting our current creative ideas at the time shine through in the questions, in which I feel
some of the focus group may have simply agreed with it just because they didn’t want to put our
ideas down.
6. Questionnaires
These are some of the pie charts my partner
and I constructed after we gained our target
audience research.
In hindsight it would have been more
beneficial for my partner and I to use more
online digital questionnaires e.g. “poll
daddy” as the hand written paper format
was time consuming in collecting all the
answers
7. Evaluating Questionnaires
As it was easier for us to print a large amount of the questionnaires off and hand it to our
media class as well as other peers around and in the common room, we was able to get a
large amount of responses.
However, when It came to the actual feedback gained, some were not as useful due to some
peers who do not take media A level not having the basic media knowledge we require in
order to have an effective input. Therefore elements of questionnaires were not as useful,
despite me and my partner trying to put the questions into a simple format for non media
students to understand.
8. Why use target audience feedback?
We used target audience feedback so that our music video and ancillaries would successfully
target the correct audience and wanted to ensure our music video would appeal to both
genders, therefore our music video has many oppositional readings and there is no clear “villain”
therefore is not bias to any particular gender.
Also with our genre being pop acoustic our color scheme and house style is already neutral
however with the audience feedback made sure to incorporate bold neutral colours such as dark
blue so it is eye catching yet appealing to all.
Stereoptypically the colours and mood associated with pop acoustic are more dull and appeal
older people so we wanted this to be a change and appeal to a modern younger audience and
out TA research helped to do this.
