Remind yourself of the basics...

THE KEY QUESTIONS!

Audience profiles - who are the audience?

Audience uses and gratifications - why do the audience watch adverts?

Audience targeting - how do adverts create audience appeal?

Audience Effects - what effect does advertising have on the audience?

You might have gathered by now that audience is very, very important in Media Studies and in the Media itself. Media is all about communication and, without an audience, there is no communication; thus, no point. Advertising, of course, is essentially the art of finding (or creating - see the De Beers page) and targeting an audience.

By now, you should have a vocabulary to use when discussing audience profiles, gratifications and targeting. Let's try it out. With a partner, discuss the following advert in terms of its audience; use the key questions above as a framework for your discussion and be prepared to feed back to the class.

Audience Gratifications

Audience theory is particularly important when studying advertising, since the whole practice depends on creating audience effect. Some simple ads might rely on the Hypodermic Needle Theory (charity ads with their imperative verbs, for example). Others might appeal only to a small, focused group in the hope that they will then influence others, as with the Two Step Flow theory (indeed, the theory is based on a study of political advertising).

Perhaps the most useful of these theories, however, is the Uses and Gratifications model (it usually is the most useful, regardless of the medium being studied.) Some adverts are entertaining and offer DIVERSION; others are informative and offer a form of SURVEILLANCE; yet others might generate enough attention to become topics of converation and thus offer a degree of SOCIAL IDENTITY (the Superbowl ads in the USA might achieve this level.)

Commonly, however, adverts will strive to construct a desireable PERSONAL IDENTITY for their audience - 'buy this or do this, and BE like this'.

TASK

What gratifications does this advert offer to the audience? How is audience appeal constructed?

AUDIENCE EFFECTS

The nature and extent of the media's effects on the audience are possibly the most discussed topics surrounding the media. You can find out about some ideas on the possible effects of various media HERE. What do YOU think? Does the media affect you or others? Could it have a detrimental or dangerous effect? Are you allowed to watch anything you want? (Clue: no, you aren't, even if you think you are. Neither is anyone else!) Why is it deemed necessary to 'protect' the audience'?

Given that advertising actively strives to affect the audience (there isn't much point in paying for all that advertising if it has no effect!), it is important to consider the various ideas about effects. The most controversial ads in this regard tend to be those aimed at children or young people.

TASK

Your teacher will assign your group one of these adverts to study. What effect is it supposed to have? Could there be other effects? Could they be harmful? Why were these ads controversial? (Hint: they were all banned, or would be banned if they were made now!) Use your key questions above.

TASK

Read about and view the recent Barnardo's ad here; then add your thoughts to the forum here.

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