Audience theory

Audience Theory

The four ways of categorising audiences to specific films are by 1. income bracket/ status 2. Young & Rubicam 3. Values. Attitudes & Lifestyle (VAL) and 4. Life Matrix. The traditional way of categorising audiences is by class, gender, location and age.

Traditional audience categorising:

• Class: C-E
• Gender: Male or female 
• Location: Global, Europe, London
• Age: Tweens, young adults, older adults, 

Income bracket/ status: one way to classify audiences is by class, which is normally judged on the kind of job the main wage-earner of the householder has.

A Upper middle class: Top management, bankers, lawyers, doctors and other professionals

B Middle class: Middle management, teachers, many 'creatives' e.g. graphic designers etc..

C1 Lower middle class: Office supervisors, junior managers, nurses, specialist clerical staff etc..

C2 Skilled working class: Skilled workers, tradespersons (white collar)

D Working class: Semi- skilled and unskilled manual workers (blue collar)

E People at lowest level of income: Unemployed, students, pensioners, casual workers

Young and Rubicam's Four Consumers: as the concept of class became less fashionable, advertisers started thinking about audiences in different ways. one of the best-known was devised by the advertising agency Young & Rubicam:

Mainstreamers: Make up 40% of population. they like security, and belonging to a group

Aspirers: Want status and the esteem of others. Like status symbols, designer labels etc.. Live off credit and cash

Succeeders: People who have already got status and control

Reformers: Define themselves by their self-esteem and self- fulfilment

Values Attitudes and Lifestyles: this approach is similar to Young and Rubicam's but offers a more sophisticated range of descriptors for audiences.

Actualisers: successful, sophisticated, take charge people with high self-esteem

Fulfilleds: Thinkers are motivated by ideals. mature, satisfied, comfortable, and reflective people who value order, knowledge and responsibility

Achievers: Motivated by the desire for achievement. achievers have goal-oriented lifestyles and a deep commitment to career and family.

Experiencers: motivated by self-expression.

Believers: Like thinkers motivated by ideals.

Strivers: trendy and fun loving. motivated by achievement and are concerned about the opinions and approval of others.

Makers: motivated by self-expression. 

Survivors: Live narrowly focused lives.

Life Matrix: one of the latest approaches to audience targeting has grown out of the field market research. Life Matrix tool launched by MRI and RoperASW, defines 10 categories, centred around both Values, attitudes and beliefs and more fundamental demographic audience categories.

1. Tribe wired: Digital, free-spirited, creative young singles
2. Fun/ Atcis: Aspirational, fun seeking, active young people
3. Dynamic Duos: Hard-driving, high-involvement couples
4. Priority Parents: Family values activities, media strongly dominate
5. Home soldiers: Home-centric, family oriented, materially ambitious
6. Renaissance women: Active, caring, affluent, influential mums
7. Rugged Traditionalists: Traditional male values, love of  outdoors
8. Struggling Singles: High aspirations, low economic status
9. Settled elders: Devout, older, sedentary lifestyles
10. Free birds: Vital, active, altruistic seniors