Audience (last assessment 2023) Notes

What is audience profiling?

Audience profiling is when producers create a detailed breakdown of different audience groups. They then form categories that reveal which groups are most likely to be interested in a particular media text. 

Demographics and Psychographics

These are the two ways in which audiences can generally be categorised. A demographic is a group of people distinguished by their identity, culture or socio-economic status. Producers use demographic profiling to find out ‘who’ their audience is. A psychographic is a group of people distinguished by internal factors such as lifestyle, habits and interests. Producers use psychographic profiling to find out ‘why’ audiences engage with their products

Demographics: Breaking it down further... Social Grades

When looking at a demographics in terms of social class/occupation, we can use the social grading system. This is a list of categories to break down the social class system. It was put forward by the National Readership Society (NRS) and is used by many media industries to further classify audiences. The categories are shown below:

• A: Upper middle Class, e.g. Higher Managerial, Doctors or Lawyers
• B: Middle Class, e.g. Teachers or Middle Management
• C1: Lower middle Class, e.g. Admin 
• C2: Skilled Manual Workers, e.g. Electricians 
• D: Working Class, e.g. Waiters
• E: Lower/Non-working Class, e.g. Unemployed
  
  

Why is audience profiling important?

• It allows producers to create media products that fulfil the wants and needs of the target audience
• Minimises the risk of the target audience rejecting the product – this saves time and money in the long term
• Psychographic profiling enables producers to find out how consumers act and to discover what their core interests are
• If producers can demonstrate an understanding of their target audience they can form partnerships with sponsors who share a similar target audience – this will lead to greater advertising revenue
• If producers find that their product appeals to an unexpected demographic, they can adapt the product in order to appeal to this group more directly

Primary and Secondary Audiences

The vast majority of media products will appeal to more than one audience grouping. So while it is important for producers to understand their core target audience, they must also be on the lookout for groups that are, perhaps unexpectedly, also highly engaged with a particular media product. In doing this, producers are considering the primary audience for a product and the secondary audience 

• Primary Audience – The largest, most dominant audience group for a particular media product. Producers will consider this group to be the target audience.
• Secondary Audience – A group that consumes a media product even though that group is not considered the main target audience. This group can affect consumption statistics if not accounted for.

There are many different ways in which media companies can find out information about the audiences of their products. Methods of research can generally be separated into two categories:

• Primary Research – Research conducted first-hand by the person/company in search of specific information, e.g. Questionnaires, Surveys, Focus Groups, Interviews
• Secondary Research – When the person/company in search of specific information gathers it from the existing and publicly available research of others, e.g. Internet Research, Books, Documentaries, Existing Media Products

Audience statistics refers to any form of audience research conducted through the collection of numerical data. Media producers use this form of research to get an accurate sense of how people are engaging with their products. Producers will often present these statistics to potential advertising partners, who can then determine whether the core audience of the media text aligns with the demographics they are targeting through their advertising strategy. If they align, a partnership is formed.

Statistical data is often collected by independent companies that have no stake in the success of the media products they are studying:

• RAJAR – Radio Joint Audience Research – Collects statistical data which records listening figures for 300 radio stations across Britain
• BARB – Broadcasters' Audience Research Board – Collects statistical data which records viewing figures for the major British television broadcasting stations, e.g. BBC, ITV, Channel 4

Different types of audience statistical data

• Circulation – The number of people who exchange money for the consumption of a media text
• Box Office Figures – The commercial success of any film represented through its takings throughout theatrical release
• Website Hits – Unlike visits, this refers to the number of files downloaded on a particular site
• Sales Figures – Simply refers to how many units of a particular product have been sold
• Ratings – The estimated audience size of a particular television or radio broadcast

When media producers create media products, they will create them with particular meanings they want the audience to take away with them. Audiences can be described as either active or passive.

• Active Audiences – This type of audience will use their own knowledge and experiences to actively make sense of meaning within a media product. They may choose to accept or reject the information based on existing knowledge and experience, but ultimately they have an element of control over how they interact with the media product. Active audiences will often generate content on the media product to show their interpretation of it, such as writing reviews or social media posts.
• Passive Audiences – Describes audiences that observe and do not question the media product in any way – they are accepting of the meaning being presented and do not generate content on the product.

• Media Consumer – A person who purchases or engages with a media text
• Mass Market – The largest segment of media consumers. They tend to have mixed interests and are likely to embrace products with mainstream appeal
• Niche Market – A much smaller segment of media consumers with very specific interests. Producers often create smaller-scale products for these audiences as the financial return is not very high
• Geodemographics – A form of audience profiling that categorises people based on the area they live in and, by extension, their incomes and lifestyle habits