1. Description of target audience
Age- Looking back on my AS thriller project, our target audience were mainly teenagers aged 15+.
This was due to the type of characters we used, the narrative we used and so on. When thinking
about the music video my group are doing and the narrative, the type of audience that we will be
aiming to attract and believe would be interested in our media product would be teenagers to young
adults aged 16-25. This is mainly because our music video will be about society in general;
individuals and how society has shaped them etc. at the age of 16 you’re most likely to have a better
understanding of how society works, the importance of money etc. therefore the video will appeal
to this age group on particular. Our music video will be mainly narrative based and at times would
appeal to particularly more advanced minds such as the age group we are targeting, as the concepts
of the storyline would allow one to interpret the song and visuals how the want. This links in with
Stuart Hall’s reception theory of preferred reading. However the themes within our video that are
expressed are suitable for any age group and do not discriminate against any social group.
Gender- our product will appeal mainly to male audience but also females since there will be male
actors. This is mainly due to the type of genre we are working with is alternative rock which many
people would associate mainly with males especially white males/females. However in this day and
age, the rock genre is becoming popular among all types of backgrounds due to bands like Coldplay
etc. Overall our product would appeal to a mixture of people, but those mainly with an interest in
the alternative rock genre who are both male and female, with genders identifying with the
characters on screen in a constant relation to their own lives.
Social Demographic –using the income bracket/status, I think our song is aimed at the D and E
category. The D category is the semi skilled and unskilled manual workers (blue collar) and our video
would appeal to them due to some of the scenes that will take place aswell as the people we will
portray in our music video. The E category is aimed at the people of lowest income preferably
students, unemployed, pensioners and causal workers. This is because this is when they have no
money and either live off benefits or have a part time jobs. Since our target audience is mainly
aimed at teenager, the majority of them either have a part time job or live off benefits. This is why I
thin it appeals to both categories.
Looking at our audience using the VALS framework, our target audience falls into two out of eight
categories for specific reasons. First is the ‘Thinkers’ who are mature, satisfied and reflective people
who value knowledge and responsibility. They tend to be well educated (like most young adults who
have gone to university or, 16+ who understand life better) and are well informed about the world
etc. This is useful to our music video as we need people who will be able to understand the lyrics of
the song and the video. Second is the ‘Strugglers’ who have little resources and are cautious
consumers. They represent a very modest market for most products and services and would only
buy brands if they can purchase it at a discount. Because our video will be uploaded to YouTube and

2. social networking sites like Facebook, twitter etc. our audience, no matter what financial
background they come from, can access the music video for free therefore it should be no hassle.
Occupation - This music video is aimed at teenagers and young adults who are most likely to be
students. Some will have part time jobs as mentioned before who want to earn enough money to
buy the material goods advertised on TV. This music video would probably give them an escape from
their everyday lives. This is because; some people would probably be stressed from school work and
their jobs and may want a moment to just enjoy their selves. We plan to fulfil those wants and needs
with our final project.
Hobbies & Style- The target audience is teenagers to young adults who like alternative rock
therefore they’ll probably like to socialise or not, depending on the type of person. There will be two
types of teenagers, the introverts and the extroverts. The introverts are the ones who don’t like
socialising much and like to be by themselves whereas the extroverts are the ones who are out-
going and loves socialising (going parties, clubs etc). For our music genre it’ll most likely be a mix of
the two since this genre is becoming more popular as mentioned before. Their style will be different
from each other in terms of clothing and colour of clothing. This will determine who will listen to our
choice of music which we have chosen for our final project.
Media Grouping- Our target audience will generally be like most teenagers to a degree with
interests in T.V shows like Skins, The Inbetweeners, and Misfits etc. In the film area, our target
audience will be interested in a range of horrors: Saw franchise, paranormal activity and will also b
interested in other film genres such as action, rom-coms and comedy. The music scene that they
refer to will rarely stray far from that of the rock genre e.g. Green day, Oasis, Kings of Leon
Uses and Gratifications Theory- Users of the media use media texts to satisfy certain needs, and
based on Maslows Hierarchy of needs, our media text can offer our target audience Social
(belonging) and Esteem. In terms of Social (belonging, the audience put themselves in the position of
the character(s) they can relate to most. The emotion they show allows the viewers to empathise
with the characters and relate to problems that they may have in their own lives. Information-the
audience learn about our genre of music (if not already familiar) and are informed on social issues
and their consequences. Our video reflects society and the current affairs that take place in our
community.
Dyer's Utopian Solution- In relation to our music video and our target audience, we are aiming to
give our audience something to think about and identify with the characters and the band, and
media texts helps them "escape" the harsher realities of life. Dyer speaks of exhaustion in people's
lives; we fill this in our video with a simple narrative. Another social tension he mentions is
dreariness which can come from doing the same routine everyday or predictable situations. We
solve this with our video because it’s not predictable. If you want entertainment or something to do
while taking a break from homework etc. then our video will help release the tension and get you
thinking about other things in life other than work or the other things people engage in.
Dyer comes close to the idea of Maslow's Hierarchy of needs the thought that we need media for
self-actualisation and self-esteem to feel like we belong in a social group. Our video brings up
important talking points that can be great for conversation. This in turn will be fulfilling their needs
for social interaction.