Preparation for audience research for the G324 Advanced Portfolio on OCR A2 Media

1. Planning Audience Research
We’ve been through it before,
but this lesson will recap the
basic theories about audience
and give you the idea of how
to design your surveys and
analyse the results.
Objective: Revise and understand how to apply models of audience to our A2 research and
analysis

2. Reception theory (Hall)
As a media producer, you will
encode a preferred or intended
meaning into a media text, using
media language and narrative, etc.
Preferred meaning
You need careful understanding of
your primary audience to make sure
they appreciate your intended
message.
What is the preferred meaning of
this advert here?
Objective: Revise and understand how to apply models of audience to our A2 research and
analysis

3. Objective: Revise and understand how to apply models of audience to our A2 research and
analysis

4. Reception theory (Hall)
Oppositional meaning
Remember, audiences can choose to
reject your meaning and adopt
something different. You need to ask
questions that make sure you know what
your audience will accept within the
genre and style of your video/ancillary
products.
What oppositional meaning might an
audience member – maybe one who
knows something about diet – get from
this advert?
Objective: Revise and understand how to apply models of audience to our A2 research and
analysis

5. Objective: Revise and understand how to apply models of audience to our A2 research and
analysis

6. Reception theory (Hall)
Negotiated meaning
Most likely, your audience will
negotiate a meaning for your video
based on things like their existing
knowledge and expectations of the
genre/form and intertextual factors.
It is important for you to establish
what they already know and expect.
Objective: Revise and understand how to apply models of audience to our A2 research and
analysis

7. Objective: Revise and understand how to apply models of audience to our A2 research and
analysis

8. Recap
To show you have included Hall’s Reception Theory in your survey
design you need to ask questions that uncover:
• Who the audience members are (are they in the group that would
accept your preferred meaning, e.g. this musical artist is great?)
• What they like in terms of music videos (in general) and the genre
you are promoting.
• What they (if they are fans) would expect to see in products related
to that genre and music products on the whole.
Objective: Revise and understand how to apply models of audience to our A2 research and
analysis

9. Uses and gratifications
Blumer and Katz (1974) state a media text might be used for the
following purposes (usually all):
• Diversion – escape from everyday problems and routines
• Personal Relationships – using the media for emotional and other
interaction, e.g. media texts are the social ‘grease’ for peer groups
• Personal Identity – finding yourself reflected in texts, learning your
behaviour, habits and values from them; imagining yourself in them
• Surveillance/information – information which could either be useful
for living or for one of the other gratifications, e.g. latest trends
Objective: Revise and understand how to apply models of audience to our A2 research and
analysis

10. Uses and gratifications
Your job is to ask questions that establish what your
audience members think they use media texts for.
E.g. if they use music videos to see what the latest trends
are then your video needs to reflect the latest trends.
Any other examples you can think of based on the four
gratifications?
Objective: Revise and understand how to apply models of audience to our A2 research and
analysis

11. Cross-Cultural Consumer Categories
(the 4Cs)
Young and Rubicam divide audiences by attitudes and beliefs:
• The resigned
• The struggler
• The mainstream
• The aspirer
• The reformer
• The explorer
• The succeeder
Objective: Revise and understand how to apply models of audience to our A2 research and
analysis

12. Cross-Cultural Consumer Categories
(the 4Cs)
Objective: Revise and understand how to apply models of audience to our A2 research and
analysis

13. Cross-Cultural Consumer Categories
(the 4Cs)
So again, obviously, you need to show you have thought about this
within the 10-12 questions you ask in your survey. This will elevate it
above last year’s in that you are making advertising, and using the
methods advertisers use.
What ideas can you come up with for responding to this?
Surveys sometimes ask abstract and unrelated questions for this, such
as asking audiences what supermarket they use, what car they drive or
what home electronics they own.
Objective: Revise and understand how to apply models of audience to our A2 research and
analysis

14. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Objective: Revise and understand how to apply models of audience to our A2 research and
analysis

15. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Objective: Revise and understand how to apply models of audience to our A2 research and
analysis
Advertisers design their texts to
make the audience think the
product will meet needs on this
hierarchy.
If selling something like toothpaste
or house insurance they will aim at
the ‘Safety’ level, whereas car and
perfume adverts promote ‘self-
actualization’.
Your video needs to suggest being
into your artist will meet needs in
the top three levels.

16. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Objective: Revise and understand how to apply models of audience to our A2 research and
analysis
Survey questions should
therefore investigate
which needs audience’s
get from existing music
video texts within the
target genre.
They should also prompt
the survey subjects to
identify how this works.

17. Recap
To show you have included U&G, the 4Cs and Maslow, your survey
needs to:
• Find out what needs existing music video texts fulfil (in the sense of
both U&G and Maslow) and how that works for the audience.
• Find out where the audience members mainly fit in the 4Cs
categories, by finding out what their preferences and attitudes are
and analysing the results.
NOTE – it is worth applying some audience theory to your textual
research to speculate on what audiences would make of other videos.
Objective: Revise and understand how to apply models of audience to our A2 research and
analysis

18. Deadline
Surveys should be designed and carried out this week/over the weekend
– preferably in some kind of public setting, rather than just in school.
Results analysis should include some kind of evaluation of your survey
methods.
Analysis should be written up by the end of next week – remember you
are expected to use free/home time to do some media work as well as
these lessons.
Objective: Revise and understand how to apply models of audience to our A2 research and
analysis