Gemma Gilbert: audience research

Audience research - (on going)

This will focus on how universal and Columbia film studios appeal to, engage and position audiences, the different and complex ways in which the audiences interact with media products and how audiences may respond to media products.

30-49 year olds

Universal Studios	Columbia in regards to film
Trailers	Trailers
Posters	Posters
Various social media platforms	Various media platforms
forums	forums
interviews	Interviews
radio	radio

In order to target the best demographic and create awareness of the media product text producers often categorise audiences either into the Demographic audience profile - where an audience is categorised A-E according to their class, income, occupation; categories A–B are the wealthiest and potentially have the highest disposable income. Or the Psychographic profiling refers to the study into personality, attitudes, values, lifestyles and interests. By researching into an individual's psychographic we are able to make a generalisation of what the individual will like and then group them with like-minded people.

Media producers use audience research and analysis to find out as much as possible about their target audience and use that research to ensure their production will appeal to them. One way in which media language and representation choices target audiences is through the selection of signfers encoded into the media text and the choice of : gesture codes, iconography, images.