Quantitative research measures audience sizes using statistics from organizations like NRS and ABC. It provides demographic data like age, gender, and socioeconomic class in numbers. Qualitative research provides more detailed information about audiences through focus groups, surveys, and interviews to understand preferences. Both methods have advantages and disadvantages for media publishers in understanding their audiences and tailoring products. Key factors studied include age, gender, socioeconomic class, psychographics, and geodemographics.

1. Audience research

2. Quantitative Research
Quantitative research measures the amount of people who have viewed a
particular subject. For example box office figures, websites, television ratings
and sales. Quantitative research presents the demographics of sales as
numbers, percentages and fractions. This is done so that publishers are able
to see demographics. From this they will be able to change what they publish
to suit the audience that is purchasing their magazines, newspapers and
more. Publishers are able to collect this information from the NRS (National
Readership Survey). Other companies such as ABC (Audit Bureau of
Circulations) are used as the industry body for the media. The main focus of
ABC is to produce figures on audience numbers surrounding print and digital
formats.

3. Advantages and disadvantages
There are many different advantages and disadvantages to quantitative research.
Advantages:
• Quantitative research allows for the publishers to measure and analyze in a very
simple and effective method. The publisher will be more objective about the
findings of the research. Quantitative research can be used to find hypotheses and
precise information because of its ability to measure data using statistics.
Disadvantages:
• Quantitative research does not gain its information and describe the meanings for
it as qualitative research does. Another disadvantage would be that a larger
population of people must be studied to gain the information needed.

4. Qualitative Research
Qualitative research allows the media publisher to find out the exact category
of people who are purchasing their product. It presents the information of
the person and everything about them including details upon what they like
and where they live. This is done through companies such as YouGov (
https://yougov.co.uk/profileslite#/ ). There are many different ways of
collecting qualitative audience information such as viewing a certain focus
group. A focus group is a group of people who are asked about their opinions
and attitudes towards any type of media, advertisement or product. Another
useful method of collecting this data would be through questionnaire surveys.
This could be done both online and within print giving a wider range of
information. The final method would be to collect information through ace to
face interviews with people. This would give a more accurate reading.

5. Advantages and disadvantages
Qualitative research has many advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages:
• Qualitative research is useful in helping the publisher during the early stages of
research. It will help the publisher to exactly identify what the products audience
is/will be. This will allow for the publisher to more freedom when creating the
product. Another advantage is that the data gathered is very detailed in presenting
every thing the publisher would need to know about the audience of the product.
They would be able to find out the social class, gender, age and even
hobbies/interests.
Disadvantages:
• This method of research is heavily dependent on the people interviewed. The
quantity of data makes analysis very time consuming. The publisher cannot find
out if the people interviewed have ever used a similar product to the one they are
creating.

6. Audience
An audience is essentially the people that will be viewing/purchasing your
product.
An audience is important in allowing your product to gain profit. Without an
audience there would essentially be no media. Media publishers would want
to find out about the audience purchasing their product so that they can
match the criteria for the audience. For example they would use companies
such as ABC and NRS to find statistics upon the criteria of audience. There is a
wide variety of categories the audience is placed into. These are age, gender
and social economic status (social class). They would look deeply into each of
these categories and ensure that their product is adapted to the audience
viewing their product. This would be done to allow for more sales and a larger
profit margin.

7. Age
Age is very important when classifying audiences. Finding out your audiences
age range is a very simple yet effective technique that helps media publishers
to adjust their product to the estimated age ranges suitability. The different
age groups can be identified and separated into different categories, for
example, people in their 20’s are more likely to live at home or pay rent than
people in their 30’s. It is important for media publishers classify their
audiences ages. This will allow for more profit to be made. Certain company's
(like Cameo UK) can be used to identify your audiences age, social class and
much more. Using this method of research you will be able to identify the
hobbies, interests and social class. This will allow for the publishers to ensure
that the product matches the target age range.

8. Gender
Finding out your audiences gender will help media publishers to ensure that
their product appeals to them. From a young age children's products are
categorized into different genders, for example, kids toys for boys will be
stereotypically coloured blue and include images of racing cars. Whereas girls
toys will be coloured pink and have images of fairy's and flowers on the
product. Products that are aimed towards one gender will often to avoid the
other gender entirely. This may lead to a loss in sales as the product will only
be gaining sales from one gender. Ensuring that your product is gender
neutral will avoid this. Finding out your audiences gender can be done
through methods such as qualitative research (using a focus group and or
using companies such as YouGov to gain a rough estimate of the general age,
gender and more).

9. Socio-economic

10. Socio-economic
Socio-economics show the economic and social position of an individual
depending on their income, education and occupation. The NRS (national
readership survey) use different categories to show the readers of magazines
and newspapers around the UK. This can be used in consideration of your
product, usually, the higher the economic status the higher the price can be.
This will also mean that your product will need to be published at a higher
standard of English and will need a different style and tone compared to
other other product aimed at lower class audiences (working class). This will
make your product appeal more to people of a higher socio-economic status
and will allow for you to place a higher price upon your product.

11. psychographics
Psychographics studies different categories such as personality, values,
attitudes, interests, and lifestyles. Unlike other methods of gathering
information, psychographics usually gain results through the method of
questionnaires. Using this method of research the publisher is able to find out
what the audience likes about your product, this can then be used to alter the
product to keep the audience happy. Psychographics differ to demographics
as psychographics provide a more specific type of data, providing you with in
detail information about the type of person purchasing your product.

12. Geodemographics
• This method bases information upon people
living within the same area (people living in
the same postcode will have similar lifestyles).
This will also provide information upon the
class of the people in the area, i.e. young
professionals, retired or young families. This
helps media advertisers/publishers to base
their product to the people living within the
areas where the product has been sold the
most. This method is mainly based for
advertisers instead of media producers as
geodemographics provide more use in sending
direct mail and similar advertising methods.