The document summarizes research conducted with the target audience for soap opera posters. Key findings include: - Posters are an effective way to promote soap operas, but some felt they were outdated. Bright colors and dramatic elements attract younger viewers. - Posters should follow conventions of the genre to meet audience expectations but also be distinctive. Only 57% expected a tagline so it needs to be catchy. - Cluttered posters with too many storyline elements are confusing; a single or multi-strand narrative is best if not crowded. Characters and implied narratives intrigue viewers. - Text needs to be large enough to read. Posters should reflect the realism of the shows and not

1. Target Audience Research
for Soap Opera Posters

2. The target audience felt that posters are an
effective way to promote a product which suggests
that they will be engaged with print media already.
The one person who answered ‘no’ explained that
posters are outdated. This means that I should
consider the amount of youth people who will also
feel this way, and attempt to create a poster that is
enticing for these individuals.
The audience expected to see the typical
conventions of a soap opera trailer. This tells me
that I should follow the conventions not only to
make it clear that the poster is what it is meant to
be, but also to meet the expectations of the
audience. Only 57% of the target audience
expected a tagline, which means that I should
create a tagline that is in itself snappy and relevant
to the soap opera.
The target audience also commented that the
aspects they expected to see would provide the
information that is relevant and so it is important
for me to add these elements to the poster.

3. The target audience commented that this poster
for Hollyoaks looks full of drama and is eye-
catching, namely due to the bright colour.
Although, the idea was not original for one
respondent and stated that they disliked the white
background for the text; another participant
commented that the text ‘ruined’ the poster.
This tells me that I should use bright or unrealistic
colours for my own poster. The response in relation
to the text used in the poster implies that I should
coordinate the text with the image more
seamlessly, keeping the house style consistent.
The target audience commented that this poster
for Neighbours was, although bright and colourful,
too cluttered. Respondents explained that there
was too much going on in the poster which made
the storyline unclear.
This tells me that when I make my own poster, I
should consider the storyline that I want to focus
on. From this research, it implies that single-strand
narrative would have been better to depict on a
poster. However, because my soap opera is a newly
broadcasted, it may be a better idea to show a
multi-strand narrative, but to not lay the poster out
in a way that has all the characters together in such
a disorganised manner.

4. The target audience explained that the poster,
which is for Coronation Street, clearly showed the
two characters, which evokes an interest for the
narrative, making them wonder what was going on
in the storyline. However, multiple respondents
stated how small the text was and how this would
be problematic for them to read and gather the
relevant information to watch the show.
This tells me that I should make sure that the text
that I use for my own poster should be both clear
and big enough to read in order to allow the
audience to get the information they need about
the soap opera in order to watch it.
The majority of participants preferred the
Hollyoaks poster, having found it more
appealing. However, some found it the least
appealing, describing it as ‘in your face’.
The majority of respondents felt that the
Coronation Street poster was boring and
therefore were appealed by it the least.

5. As Hollyoaks is the main competitor for my own soap opera, I wanted to know if
the way in which the Hollyoaks poster was designed would attract young
people and successfully.
The respondents answered that the Hollyoaks poster is good at aiming for the
younger generation because the characters on the poster are young and so
therefore are relevant to the youth. This implies that the young audience can
get the gratification of personal identity by viewing this poster as it suggests to
them that the content and themes of Hollyoaks will be appealing to them.
One respondent commented that the use of fire in the poster would attract the
audience as it connotes and reflects the rebellious and dramatic nature of the
youth and so this is a theme of interest for them.

6. The target audience thought that posters for soap
operas should remain realistic in order to reflect
the realism portrayed on the show itself. This is
because it would otherwise give an untrue view of
reality and the poster should not imply certain
themes in the poster that are not within the soap
opera itself. The respondents also stated that
making the poster unrealistic may confuse the
audience of the genre of the show.
This tells me that I should stick to the realistic
approach when making my poster in order to
reflect the themes of realism in the soap opera.
The target audience answered that characters were
the most important aspect to include in a poster for
a soap opera. They also felt that setting and
narrative were equally as important.
This tells me that I should most definitely include
characters in my soap opera poster and should
considered implying the narrative and including the
setting within the image.