Further Target Audience Research

According to a survey carried out by the BFI, 32% of the British public aged 16 and over enjoy watching horror. This puts horror at 10th place for the most enjoyed genre. Out of this percentage, I it was found that generally males and females are quite equal in terms of their preference for horror. It is evident that more of both males and females below the age of 35 enjoy this genre, suggesting we were correct in deciding to target an audience between the ages of  15 and 25 of both genders. Although we carried out our own surveys in Sixth form to gather information about target audiences, our finding were accurate to those of the BFI.

The red dotted box highlights results for horror

When surveyed on which genre is their favourite, 15% chose horror. These people were of both gender and also of all social classes. This means that by creating a horror trailer we are able to reach out to a much larger audience. The BFI also found that 28% of the sample would like to see more dark horrors, the majority of which were females under the age of 35. This again is significant as it emphasises the fact we should target people in this age range.

A way of categorising audiences in terms of personality, likes and consuming activity, is psychographics. This involved the idea that all people can be classified into groups based on their values, attitudes and lifestyles (VALs). New categories are always being created by market research and advertising agencies, as this helps to target possible consumers of their clients products.

For example, the Cross Cultural Consumer Characterisation model (4Cs) is one method of classification which was developed by Young and Rubicam. This includes categories such as Struggler which includes people who are seen as disorganised with few resources apart from physical/mechanical skills (e.g. car repair). They can be heavy consumers of alcohol, junk food and lotteries and their media choices involves impact and sensation. Another category in this model is the Mainstreamer who is domestic, conventional, passive and a conformist. This group favour big and well-known 'family' brands'. This is the largest group of the 4Cs. Other's include the Resigned, the Aspirer, the Succeeser and the Reformer. Our production however will target the Explorer. These people are seen as having high energy. They are experienced and like to challenge and explore new frontiers. Their choice highlights sensation, adventure and indulgence and they are the first to try new brands (mainly younger people i.e students). This category are more open to trying new things and should therefore be interested in the horror genre and our film in particular. This is because it will present new things and experiences which the audience can indulge in.