Audience research is very important in any media production. It is needed so the producer can have an idea of who will be interested in their production and what they like. By knowing what they like they can change their production to grab the attention of the consumer. This is the best way to get an audience because if you create something that very few people will like then very few people will be interested in it. After collecting audience research, producers will create their product around what their results show. For example if their target audience is teenage boys then their research might show that a lot of teenage boys are interested in action so the producer might change their product to involve more action. If the producer instead decided to add more romance then there would most likely be less boys going to see their product, in turn making less money.
Audiences are profiled in different categories. This is to help narrow down who your audience is and what you are aiming for. The usual categories to break down into are:
Gender
This is probably the most basic of categories to break down into however it is the most important one to consider. There are definitely different interests between the average female and the average male and a production is probably going to aim more towards one or the other. When finding your target audience you must assume stereo types. In terms of a media production the average male would be more interested in action and the average female would be more interested in romance. Other genres can be aimed at both genders. Males and females are a very broad category to research into so there will be a lot of results. The advantage of this is that you can get an easy answer as to what they like however more complex projects will require more complex research into other categories. You could not create an entire project based on males probably liking it because then there will likely not be a good end result.
Age
Age is another category of audience. Different ages are interested in and permitted to consume different products. It is important to pick a age range that you wish to aim your product at. A younger audience (children) would tend to be more interested in lighthearted productions. A lot of them also carry important lessons across to teach children. This is genuinely to get the approval of the parents as they want their kids to get something out of it. For an older audience there is a lot more you can include in your production as you do not have to censor certain things, for example you could not include strong language in a production aimed at children. If making a production based on real life events, producers tend to aim towards an older audience so they can get the full story across rather than having to cut a lot of it out for children. As far as films go, the age classifications are U, PG, 12, 12a, 15 and 18. Different content decides which age classification your film would go in to. If you know that your film would include very strong language then you should aim for ages 15 and over as it would definitely be classed as a 15 film meaning anyone younger couldn't see it anyway.
Socio-Economic Status
The socio-economic status of a person is important to consider when creating a project. Socio economic status is made up of a person's income, education and occupation. Different socio-ecomonic classes will be interested in products that they can relate to and understand. A good understanding of the different classes would help to develop the project a long as you could get a more accurate representation in your project. Another thing to consider is different classes might be more likely to consume your product. For example, people with a high socioeconomic status might visit the cinema more often which would be handy in terms of making money for a film project. On the other hand people with a low socioeconomic status might tend to listen to the radio more than the other classes which would make more money for a radio based project.
Sexual Orientation
Sexual orientation defines which gender someone is attracted to. The different categories are heterosexuality, being attracted to someone of the opposite gender, homosexuality, attracted to someone of the same gender, and bisexuality, attracted to both genders. Sexual orientation can be difficult to work in to. Many people have strict views and beliefs on what sexual orientation is acceptable. There are a lot of people who believe that everyone should be heterosexual. This can be due to religious reasons or simply personal preference. When making a project heavily based around a certain sexual orientation it is likely that you will offend someone or other however each orientation has large numbers so there will still be plenty of people interested if carried out well. Making a project obviously aimed towards (for example) bisexual people will most likely gather a large audience of bisexuals however may not attract other sexually orientated people so it is important to consider whether a larger audience and more potential money is key or you would rather stick with aiming at one orientation and getting the final project that you want.
Regional Identity
Regional identity is important to look at as it is really useful for developing your projects. Regional identity is the area in which someone lives or has lived and the effect it has had on their lifestyle. Things to take into account when looking at regional identity are: accents, outfits, dialogue socioeconomic class and others. In a media project, if you were creating a character that was from Newcastle, you would have to carry out your research on the people of Newcastle. People from that area have a particular accent and a certain slang about them which can be applied to your character. It is even worth taking into account that people from around that area are referred to as 'Geordies'. Without the research, the character would not at all be believable and the project could not be taken seriously.
Psychographics
Researching psychographics is researching into people's attitudes and personality. To carry out this form of research it is usually best to ask consumers questions that they can agree or disagree with to find out their views on things. By asking consumers questions that they can give an open response to you will then be getting a detailed answer that you can use to apply to a project. In terms of making a media project this is helpful as, like regional identity, it can help you develop characters and stories. An example is if you have a project based on British politics and you have multiple British teenage characters, it is important to know what their views would be on it all so you can apply it to your project. an alternative would be to simply assume the characters opinions however this is not as accurate and possibly not as believable. If someone was to create this project then some useful questions to ask some teens would be: "Where do you stand on today's government?" or "What changes would you make to the government?"
Geodemographics
Geodemographics is the study of groups of people in a certain geographical area. This is important if you are aiming your project at a certain area. By carrying out Geodemographic research you are finding out what people who live in that area are interested in and in turn finding out what they would like from your media project. Smaller areas tend not to vary much from what they enjoy however when it comes to an area as large as a country it can matter a lot. This is because different countries will have different things going on in their lives as well as different experiences, tastes and humour. A production using entirely English humour that is shown only to America is not likely to succeed as not many consumers will understand it as much and won't find it funny. Another reason geodemographics is important is because certain areas might be passionate or sensitive on a certain subject so by making a production on the subject you could easily offend them. Even if you are broadcasting to multiple areas, it is important that you don't upset anyone so you can avoid complaints and bad reviews.
Mainstream
Mainstream is the opinions and attitudes that are shared by most people. It is what is seemed to be normal. Working on a production and aiming it for it to be mainstream has both advantages and disadvantages. The main advantage is that it is aimed at a lot of people there for it will please most people. It would include what most people like and so there is a good chance that there will be a large consumption. On the downside, the production will most likely have been done before if not something very similar. This means you run the risk of copyright which can lead to legal action. Even if you don't copy anything, your production will probably not stand out from the others as there is nothing that makes it individual so whereas you may get a lot of consumers it will most likely get average reviews. An example of this is everyone knows Jason Statham, he is even the first 'Jason' to appear on google however every film of his is the same...
Alternative
Alternative research is looking in to things are not mainstream. Good research into alternative media productions would result in finding information on something that will turn out to be mainstream in the future. This is good because you are creating something that there is not much of which will mean it is original and it could become mainstream meaning people will begin to like it and future productions will just be copying your original ideas. However it is a also a risk because there is no guarantee that it will become mainstream resulting in less consumers. Also, a radical idea is usually necessary to start an alternative production but it may be too radical for people to understand or enjoy which would not do you any favours.
Niche
A production that is niche is aimed at a small minority of people. This would be a certain group that are interested in a certain thing for example Bollywood films. Research into this would be to first research what the Bollywood films include and then what the people are like who watch them. The advantage of this is that you can create something that you are interested in which could allow you to be more free with your work however a minority of people being interested in the same thing you are would mean not many people will pay to consume your production. It is not wise to create a niche production if you are only doing it for the money.
Quantitative Research
Quantitative research is a form of research that is all based on numbers and statistics. This is a useful way of carrying out research as it is simple to understand. You can get basic info on what you are researching in to and using numbers is a strong way of finding out how many people are interested in your project. Statistics are useful in research as you can find out what is mainstream and therefore use it in your own production to help increase your viewers. In the same manor, you can use the numbers and statistics to find out what your targeted group of people are interested in so then you can ensure that you are pleasing your target audience. Quantitative research is also useful for measuring your target audience. You can see how many people you will be creating your product for. This is important as if your research shows that there is not many people interested in your idea then it is worth changing the idea to suit something more people will enjoy.
BARB (Broadcasters Audience Research Board) is a non profit organisation that is used to measure views each TV programme is getting on each channel. It is a useful asset to anyone who wants to create a film or television product. This is because anyone can look at BARB and find out what is currently most popular which shows you what people are interested in and what is mainstream. By using BARB it is easy to find patterns which show what popular programmes have in common. You can look at all the most viewed shows on different channels and see if they are of a similar genre or similar story line. You could then apply this to your own production which would give it a better chance of success.
Qualitative Research
Qualitative research is another form of research carried out to gain info on a target audience. This form of research is based more on finding smaller details. This is useful research to carry out after quantitative research. This is because quantitative research gives very broad results and by using qualitative research you can then define these results to get exactly what you are looking for. For example, if you carried out quantitative research and found that most people wanted to see an action film, you could then use qualitative research to find out what it is about action films that they like. This is useful when deciding what content to add to your project.
One form of qualitative research that can be carried out is questionnaires. This is a useful method because you can ask questions that you need answers to. If there is something that you are unsure of and need to know for making your project then you could ask about it in your questionnaire and hand it to the audience that you have found from your quantitative research. A questionnaire is a simple method meaning there will be few complications when getting your answers back. The main disadvantage of a questionnaire is that there is no guarantee that everyone who takes one will fill it in. You might not get as many results back as you want.
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