Demographic factors
This way of classifying audiences takes into account their social and economic background. For example, it includes their;
-Age: This indicates what content is appropriate for them as well as what would appeal to their interests and understanding of the world.
-Gender: Boys and girls generally have different interests, characteristics and way of thinking. Romantic movies for example would appeal to girls and action movies are more likely to be watched by boys.
-Sexual orientation: People with different sexual orientations (e.g. gay or lesbian) may face issues in modern society, or they may be attracted to certain role models. Therefore, they might be targeted for a product that contains these themes.
-Stage of life cycle: This refers to a person's age and personal circumstances. For example, a 'dependant' would be a person who lives at home and depends on their parents to satisfy their needs. Whereas a 'bachelor' lives on their own and is responsible for satisfying their own wants and needs. Someone who is a bachelor would have more time to watch movies, than a 'full nester' (couples with families) because they have more time and disposable income.
-Job: This affects how much free time the audience has. A cashier would probably have more leisure time than a doctor.
-Level of income: This usually determines whether a family is upper, middle or lower class. Their class affects their upbringing and social background, which influence their attitudes.
-Education: An audience with a higher education would be more likely to understand an intellectual and culturally rich product. Whereas people who had lower education would go for simplistic television which holds no intellectual value.
-Race and religion: A person's religion may affect their beliefs and values.
Psychographic factors
This category relates to a person's attitudes, beliefs and interests. It is more about their personality than their background.
Geographic - This is the nationality of the audience (determined by where they're from). For example, their City, Country etc...
It is important to consider the target audience for a media product, because appealing to those people is the key to making lots of sales. It also important to not just assume that certain people will like and buy the product; but to understand the needs and wants of the market. By connecting on a personal level, the campaign can build long terms relations with the consumer.
There are many advantages to creating a marketing strategy that ensures the business will succeed.
- Firstly, it reduces risk. The last thing the producers want is for the movie to be a box office flop. But by effectively appealing to groups of people and building up a fan base before the film's release guarantees viewers, discussions (which generates publicity) and sales.
- Secondly, it makes advertising more efficient. The advertising campaign is a big proportion of the movie's budget. Trying to spread the world on the vast number of media platforms (such as television, radio, the internet etc...) will be very costly. But narrowing down the focus to specific distribution channels will still be effective, but it will save time, money and energy.
- After identifying the target audience, the production company can tailor the branding of the product to attract the audience. This includes; product design, editing style, dialogue and slogans.
Researching audiences
Using this website: https://yougov.co.uk/profileslite#/ I will be researching demographic information about audiences who liked movies that are in my chosen genre. My aim is to find out; what gender my target audience is, what hobbies they're into, where most of them live and what ages they are.
To do this, I decided to type in some well known horror movies that are similar to my movie idea. By looking at audiences for these films, I can assume that my target audience will be very similar. Here are 3 examples of some of the numerous movies audiences that I analysed.
To do this, I decided to type in some well known horror movies that are similar to my movie idea. By looking at audiences for these films, I can assume that my target audience will be very similar. Here are 3 examples of some of the numerous movies audiences that I analysed.
As I thought, the majority of fans who liked 'The ring' were male. Their general interests included movies, videogames, the cinema and going to nightclubs. These characteristics are similar to the sample group that I interviewed for my primary research; as well as the character that I created to represent a typical viewer of my film.
It seems that a typical fan of The ring is a mature adult, aged 25-39. They are of social grades C2, meaning they are skilled, manual occupants (middle class). He likes other horror movies (like the ring) and intelligent, thrilling TV series (like Twin Peaks). He also likes exciting videogames, such as 'Grand Theft Auto' 'Guitar Hero' and other car-based action games. He is active on social media sites (like Facebook and Twitter) and listens to the Radio a lot. The music artists he listens to include; Usher and Taio Cruz. I was surprised that the audience mainly listened to mainstream rap songs and not rock or alternative music. Nonetheless, this type of music aims to get the listener 'hyped,' which makes sense for a horror movie fan.
Next, I researched what the average fan of 'Silent Hill' was like. Again, the typical viewer was a man (which backs up the fact that the majority of horror fans are male). He is a mature adult, aged 39-50 who is also middle class and lives in the North West Region of the UK.
His favourite dish includes rice and he would most likely have a cat; which are both similar to the person above. His interests also include; video games, websites, movies and the internet. However, since he's slightly older, he doesn't attend nightclubs, but instead he likes to be settled with his partner. The personality section says that he is more of a 'night owl,' while the brands section says that he uses average brands, like; Lidl (supermarket), Netflix, George (clothing store) and Yorkshire Bank. From this, I can conclude that he is an average person who doesn't have a great deal of disposable income.
He is into classic horror movies (like Halloween) and comedy shows with dark humour (e.g. 'come fly with me' and family guy). The audience listens to rock bands such as Green day and The Foo fighters. He is also active on social media.
The 3rd example shows a typical fan of 'The shining,' because this film has similar themes to my own idea. Unsurprisingly, the majority of fans for this film are males. The average ages are between 39-50 and they are mostly in social classes A and B. As with the Silent Hill fans, the bulk of these live in the North West region of the UK. His main interests are music, cinema's, nightclubs and science (which are all recurring themes).
The personality section says that he is open to trying to genres, which backs up one of the my questionnaire results, that most boys will 'watch anything that looks good'. I can't help but notice that his favourite dish is rice based and that he also most likely to have a pet cat.
His movies and TV show section has many original, dark, mystery videos such as; psycho, Twin Peaks, The Twilight Zone and Misery.
So I used this website: http://business.pearlanddean.com/films_guide to look up some demographics facts about the target audiences of upcoming horror films.
Film title 1: Don't breathe
This thriller horror will be released on the 9th of September 2016. It is a certified 15.
According to its reader profile, the majority of the people it targets are; females aged between 15-24 who are mainly in the middle and lower social classes.
Latest horror movies
For the second half of my secondary research, I decided to research some new release horror movies, to get a more up to date collection of results. So I used this website: http://business.pearlanddean.com/films_guide to look up some demographics facts about the target audiences of upcoming horror films.
Film title 1: Don't breathe
This thriller horror will be released on the 9th of September 2016. It is a certified 15.
The fact that the majority of this audience are females, contradicts my previous research. It could be that the reason for this is that the main character is a troubled female, so the female audiences would find her more relatable. From what I can see in the trailer, most of the males in this film are portrayed as bad. The movie's characters are also lower class people, so audiences may also find that aspect relatable. This is an extremely tense and thrilling film, so it's no wonder that it's mostly thrill seeking teenagers and young adults who want to watch it. It is not suitable for anyone under the age of 15, since it has violence, disturbing scenes and sexual content.
This is the reader profile for 'House at the end of the street,' (an older film) which supposedly has a similar audience. This film has an audience with an equal number of males and females; most of them being in the middle and lower middle class in society. The most popular age group is also teens and young adults, aged between 15 and 24. This is not surprising since the main characters are in this age range and the events in the movie stem from some typical teenage themes; like parties, boyfriends/girlfriends, fitting in and not getting on with parents. Even when mixed in with the disturbing storyline, most people over 30 would not be interested in this type of drama. Jennifer Lawrence plays the main character. She is an icon to female fans and perhaps a sex icon for many male viewers. This could explain the unbiased gender split in the audience.
Film title 2: Rings
This brand new horror drama is being released on the 4th of November 2016. The franchise is familiar to every horror fan and is well known in many countries. This new, modern addition to 'The ring' collection is a certified 15.
Unlike the original movie: The Ring (which I researched above), the majority of people interested in this film, are female. The largest proportion of them (59%) are again, aged 15-24. 64% of this audience falls into the C1 and C2 class category, indicating that they middle and lower middle class citizens.
The ring was a box office hit back when it was released in 2002. So it's fair to say that it's a 'mainstream' horror. Since most of the population is lower and middle class, it makes sense that the majority of its vast audience is in these categories.
This film is shot in full colour, unlike the older version which has a dark blue filter throughout. The increase in bright colours may be (although there is no evidence to suggest) why it attracts a larger female audience. However, it's more likely that it's because the main character is a relatable teenage girl, coping with her boyfriend and other struggles in her life. As with before, it is mostly 15-24 year olds that want to watch this movie. I re-watched the trailer to help me understand the content of the movie. From what I can gather, the movie follows more than one woman; it seems to also focus on a handful of teenagers, as well as including some modern, technological themes. It's no wonder that young people would find this appealing. In addition, the trailer seems packed with adrenaline, as there is action scenes (including a plane crash) and plenty of jump scares.
Here is the reader profile for 'The conjuring' - another mainstream horror movie. It is indeed similar to 'Rings' as most of the audience is female and in middle class. However, for this film, I notice that there is some more interest in the 35-44 age group. I assume that the reason for this is because the events affect a family; mainly the mother and her children. Most people in that age range have families, so the curse that targets those characters would effectively induce fear for this audience. This is a more popular and high budget film, with a better cast and gothic themes, including upper class characters in a big, haunted house. Therefore it is more sophisticated and would attract a higher class (C1) audience.
Most of the audience is female, which is probably because the horror is more effective on them. For example, a cursed doll (Annabelle) is one of the elements in this film. Women are more likely to find this scary because a) they owned dolls when they were younger and b) a man is less likely to be intimidated of a pretty little doll. As I said previously, the curse affects the mother of the house, so mothers in real life would find this a scarier concept.
Film title 3: Blair Witch
Unlike the previous films, Blair Witch has a male focused audience. Going back to my 'Gov.uk' research (at the start of the blog), I remember that most male horror fans enjoy the outdoors and nature based hobbies. This survival film is set in the woods, which could be why it appeals to men. It also has a bit of a 'heroic' plot, since the characters have to rescue a girl (who would take the role of 'damsel in distress').
It is mostly likely to be watched by people aged 15-24, followed by mature adults up to the age of 34. The main characters are a group of college students (which seems to be common in modern horror films). The producers have probably done this to appeal to people of the same age and they have been successful in doing so. Some of the more older people in this target audience could be fans of the original movie, which was released in 1999. It is more of a slow paced and disturbing film, rather than a fast, action based gory horror. This would be why it has gained interest from some of the older age groups, who prefer original and more effective entertainment.
It is less likely to appeal to many people above the middle class category, because there isn't any upper class content (that I can see). So it might not really be relatable to anyone other than ordinary, working class citizens.
There was no information on 'The Blair Witch project' - which was the comparable profile for 'Blair Witch'. So, I have decided to use the reader profile for 'Morgan', which is another new release horror/thriller.
As the table shows, it mainly appeals to men. This is a disturbing Sci-fi thriller and according to my previous research, science and technology are some popular interests for many men who like horror.
Because it is experiment - based and some of the main characters are scientists, I can assume that it is a more intellectual and sophisticated horror. People in the upper class boundaries tend to have a higher education and are more interested in intelligent themes. This could explain why most of the audience are in upper class and upper middle class sections.
The percentages of people are more dispersed when it comes to the age ranges. I think that more mature people are interested in this film, for the reasons above.
This is the reader profile for 'House at the end of the street,' (an older film) which supposedly has a similar audience. This film has an audience with an equal number of males and females; most of them being in the middle and lower middle class in society. The most popular age group is also teens and young adults, aged between 15 and 24. This is not surprising since the main characters are in this age range and the events in the movie stem from some typical teenage themes; like parties, boyfriends/girlfriends, fitting in and not getting on with parents. Even when mixed in with the disturbing storyline, most people over 30 would not be interested in this type of drama. Jennifer Lawrence plays the main character. She is an icon to female fans and perhaps a sex icon for many male viewers. This could explain the unbiased gender split in the audience.
Film title 2: Rings
This brand new horror drama is being released on the 4th of November 2016. The franchise is familiar to every horror fan and is well known in many countries. This new, modern addition to 'The ring' collection is a certified 15.
The ring was a box office hit back when it was released in 2002. So it's fair to say that it's a 'mainstream' horror. Since most of the population is lower and middle class, it makes sense that the majority of its vast audience is in these categories.
This film is shot in full colour, unlike the older version which has a dark blue filter throughout. The increase in bright colours may be (although there is no evidence to suggest) why it attracts a larger female audience. However, it's more likely that it's because the main character is a relatable teenage girl, coping with her boyfriend and other struggles in her life. As with before, it is mostly 15-24 year olds that want to watch this movie. I re-watched the trailer to help me understand the content of the movie. From what I can gather, the movie follows more than one woman; it seems to also focus on a handful of teenagers, as well as including some modern, technological themes. It's no wonder that young people would find this appealing. In addition, the trailer seems packed with adrenaline, as there is action scenes (including a plane crash) and plenty of jump scares.
Here is the reader profile for 'The conjuring' - another mainstream horror movie. It is indeed similar to 'Rings' as most of the audience is female and in middle class. However, for this film, I notice that there is some more interest in the 35-44 age group. I assume that the reason for this is because the events affect a family; mainly the mother and her children. Most people in that age range have families, so the curse that targets those characters would effectively induce fear for this audience. This is a more popular and high budget film, with a better cast and gothic themes, including upper class characters in a big, haunted house. Therefore it is more sophisticated and would attract a higher class (C1) audience.
Most of the audience is female, which is probably because the horror is more effective on them. For example, a cursed doll (Annabelle) is one of the elements in this film. Women are more likely to find this scary because a) they owned dolls when they were younger and b) a man is less likely to be intimidated of a pretty little doll. As I said previously, the curse affects the mother of the house, so mothers in real life would find this a scarier concept.
Film title 3: Blair Witch
It is mostly likely to be watched by people aged 15-24, followed by mature adults up to the age of 34. The main characters are a group of college students (which seems to be common in modern horror films). The producers have probably done this to appeal to people of the same age and they have been successful in doing so. Some of the more older people in this target audience could be fans of the original movie, which was released in 1999. It is more of a slow paced and disturbing film, rather than a fast, action based gory horror. This would be why it has gained interest from some of the older age groups, who prefer original and more effective entertainment.
It is less likely to appeal to many people above the middle class category, because there isn't any upper class content (that I can see). So it might not really be relatable to anyone other than ordinary, working class citizens.
There was no information on 'The Blair Witch project' - which was the comparable profile for 'Blair Witch'. So, I have decided to use the reader profile for 'Morgan', which is another new release horror/thriller.
As the table shows, it mainly appeals to men. This is a disturbing Sci-fi thriller and according to my previous research, science and technology are some popular interests for many men who like horror.
Because it is experiment - based and some of the main characters are scientists, I can assume that it is a more intellectual and sophisticated horror. People in the upper class boundaries tend to have a higher education and are more interested in intelligent themes. This could explain why most of the audience are in upper class and upper middle class sections.
The percentages of people are more dispersed when it comes to the age ranges. I think that more mature people are interested in this film, for the reasons above.
How this will affect my ideas
This research has helped me understand where my target audience is located, how old they are, what interests they have and what social class they are in.
I have established that the most similar movies in my genre have mostly male audiences.
I think I should have lots of scenes outside, because male audiences enjoy nature and are drawn to the imagery of the locations in these films (e.g. Blair Witch). I also know that the creatures in my trailer need to be large and intimidating because things like haunted dolls (e.g. in 'The conjuring') don't evoke fear from men effectively. I also know that science is very appealing to male audiences and that by adding some scientific elements to my movie, it could be more successful.
The fonts in my trailer will be sharp and masculine, because I want it to look gritty and cool for the male viewers. I have decided on a black and silver colour scheme for the credits, since this looks professional and is unbiased when it comes to genders. I notice that the movie that feature lots of female characters tend to have a larger female following. But since my genre is mainly male orientated, I need to focus on appealing to them, with less female characters.
My audience profile
Using my questionnaire results and all of my audience research, I am confident that I now have a total grasp on my demographic audience.
Here is a representation of someone in the majority of my target audience. The demographic factors and interests of this person are mainstream characteristics. I am targeting this group because by satisfying the needs of the majority of people, I will gain lots of publicity, which is likely to get lots of sales and therefore make my video as successful as possible. This profile was assembled according to my research of audiences in my genre.
For example, most people who were fans of 'Silent Hill' and 'The shining' lived in the North West region of the UK.
According to my sources (e.g. http://theday.co.uk/images/stories/2013/2013-04/2013-04-30_caste.png) it seem that people in this area are mostly middle class citizens. This links with my audience profile research, which shows that most fans of horror films are middle class. Therefore my audience profile characters is a middle class person who lives in the North West of England.
Similarly, since 'sport, nightclubs and the cinema' were among the top interests for male horror fans, I also included these on the profile. It was difficult to pick an age for the character, since my audience profile research indicated that most fans were between 15-24, but my Gov.uk research came up much older age ranges. So I decided that men aged 25-35 were most likely to be interested in my movie. If I had to pick a specific age, I would pick 25 years old because it is halfway between 15 and 35.
Here is a representation of someone in the majority of my target audience. The demographic factors and interests of this person are mainstream characteristics. I am targeting this group because by satisfying the needs of the majority of people, I will gain lots of publicity, which is likely to get lots of sales and therefore make my video as successful as possible. This profile was assembled according to my research of audiences in my genre.
For example, most people who were fans of 'Silent Hill' and 'The shining' lived in the North West region of the UK.
Similarly, since 'sport, nightclubs and the cinema' were among the top interests for male horror fans, I also included these on the profile. It was difficult to pick an age for the character, since my audience profile research indicated that most fans were between 15-24, but my Gov.uk research came up much older age ranges. So I decided that men aged 25-35 were most likely to be interested in my movie. If I had to pick a specific age, I would pick 25 years old because it is halfway between 15 and 35.
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