Basics of audience theory and prompts on how to apply to the G324 music video brief research.

1. Key Concepts - Audience
L.O learn concepts and
terminology connected with
Media Audiences
Starter: How can applying the theories of
audience to our surveys benefit our results
on this A2 course?
Synthesize the theories into a survey to find
out more about how to categorize your
audience.
Learn about different
audience reception
models
Hypodermic
needle

2. Hypodermic Needle Model Uses & Gratifications Model
Audiences are passive
Easily led, influenced & manipulated
Gullible, sheep-like fashion-followers
Media consumption influences
the attitudes and behaviour of
audiences
Sometimes called ‘magic bullet’ theory
Linked to propaganda & advertising
Behaviourist models of human behaviour
Audiences are active in
choosing media for their own
‘gratifications’ (pleasure)
Links to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Developed by Blumler & Katz
Main reasons for using media:
Personal Identity – to define who we are
(sometimes called self-surveillance)
Information
Entertainment – includes escape, distraction
Social Interaction – to help us socialise with
like-minded people

3. Uses and Gratifications
Read the document, which provides a full walk-
through of the theory applied to television.
Using the different aspects, as applied to
different forms of television, write a list of all the
uses and gratifications associated with:
• Watching music television
• Seeking and watching music videos on You
Tube.

4. MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS
Information
Social
Integration
Personal
Identity
Entertainment

5. (Young & Rubicam’s 4Cs model) cross cultural consumer characterization model

6. 6

7. The traditional segmentation model

8. Market research
companies often
come up with other
ways of segmenting
audience/
consumers

9. Designing a survey
When sitting down to design an advert,
advertisers will think carefully about who their
target audience is using a range of different
theories and frameworks. They will design
surveys to capture information which relates to
them, for example posing questions to deduce
which of the 4Cs their potential audience relates
to. YOU need to design your surveys along these
lines. How?

10. Example Questions
• What is your occupation?
What information does this instantly give you about your audience
member? In which framework(s) would you be able to position them?
• Show the audience member the cover for a major
publisher’s music magazine (e.g. Q) and something more
edgy (e.g. NME) and get them to pick their favourite.
Now think: is the audience member ‘mainstream’ or ‘explorer’?
• Rank the following in the order in which they would make
you happiest: friendship, food, health, being creative, the
respect of others.
Now, plot the audience member against Maslow’s Hierarchy
of needs – how do they fit?

11. NME
Consumer
Profile
Here is a reader profile for
NME. This document is
updated every quarter
following market audience
research, and is produced for
advertisers in order for them
to appropriately place their
brand in a magazine that is
going to align itself with their
target audience.
Look at this profile – what
statistics/info would be of
interest to a music video
producer, already
knowing their artist’s
audience read NME?