Media Studies: Identifying and Analysing Audiences NRS – Social Demographic Scale There are two main ways of identifying and grouping audiences: Social Social Status Occupation Demographics: These are factual and measurable pieces of information about Grade the audience. For example, age, height, gender, income, marital status, A Upper middle class Higher managerial, administrative or nationality, ethnicity, home ownership, job, education professional Psychographics: These are more about a person’s thoughts, values, beliefs, B Middle class Intermediate managerial, administrative or attitudes and lifestyles. For example- religion, social life, taste in media, political professional ideology, membership of groups/organisations etc. C1 Lower middle class Supervisory or clerical, junior managerial, A good understanding of both forms of audience is important for media administrative or professional companies- for they want to know who their target audience is and can cater to C2 Skilled working class Skilled manual workers them through the media language choices they make. No media product is D Working class Semi and unskilled manual workers aimed at everyone- every product has a target audience. Once they know who E Those at lowest level of State pensioners or widows (no other earner), they’re aiming the product at, they can create an audience profile of an ideal subsistence casual or lowest grade workers consumer.

These are two ways of There are 3 main types of audience for any media product: grouping audiences using scales and definitions Main audience/Target audience- These are the people most likely to consume the media product- to watch the show, see the advert and buy the product, read Above, the NRS Social the magazine, play the game etc. There will be a clear Demographic scale groups demographic/psychographic profile for these consumers audiences by job, income Secondary audience: Not the intended audience, but someone who might and (by association) consume the text anyway (EG someone in a waiting room might read a education and disposable magazine, someone flicking through channels might watch some of a show if income. they’re intrigued). Will be wider than the target audience and will include some demographic/psychographic groups not in the target/main audience To the right, the Cross- Tertiary audience: Not at all the main audience but may consume the text e.g. Cultural Consumer watching a TV show with a friend, being linked to an article online, watching Characteristics (CCCC adverts in a commercial break or seeing an advert on a bus. These audiences are Model) groups audiences mostly passive and don’t really engage with the media, whereas main and by their Values, attitudes secondary audiences do. and lifestyles, particularly Active/Passive audiences in the choices they make Audiences are sometimes referred to as passive- this is to do with how they in choosing products they engage with the media text, and the messages/representations within it. buy. The same choices Active audiences are aware of the messages and engaging with the text, aware apply to media texts they of how it is constructing a version of reality and can agree and disagree with consume. what is presented in the text Passive audiences will accept what they consume in the media, assuming it is true or related to real-life. They do not question what they consume.