Soap Opera Genre – Target Audience

Name: Claire OlneyCandidate Number: 1186 Center Name: St. Andrew’s Catholic SchoolCenter Number: 64135

OCR Media Studies – A2 Level

Unit G324: Advanced Portfolio

Trailer 1 - Eastenders

Socio-Economic Needs:Stereotypically, the audience of Eastenders would fall into the C1-E groups. This is ultimately because the characters within the soap opera would also be grouped in the same way, as most of them are of working class backgrounds and some are pensioners/students. Therefore, the fact that the typical working class audience watch this soap, which features characters of a similar lifestyle, the audience can therefore relate more to the situations presented.

Hartley’s 7 Subjectivities:• Age: The audience’s demographic for this soap opera would be quite a wide

group ranging between ages 16-80. This is because a lot of young people enjoy soap operas like Eastenders as well as the elderly, as all ages within this range could relate to aspects of the content covered in the storyline.

• Gender: Predominantly, females make up a larger part of the audience of soap operas as they are more likely to be able to relate and understand the issues and situations within the program. Rebecca Feasey (2007) supports this when she states that the soap opera genre fixates on: ‘The home, the family, domestic tribulations and the strong women and as such, it has long been said to appeal to the female viewer.’

• Class: Typically, people of a middle/lower class would watch Eastenders because the characters within the soap opera are of a similar class, so therefore they are more likely to cover issues and problems that people of a middle/lower class would potentially face.

• Ethnicity: An audience would be formed of all ethnicities as they are all present within Eastenders, and none of the characters are in any way racially stereotypical, and people of every ethnic background is able to relate to the problems the characters deal with.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs:I believe that the audience for Eastenders would be ‘Mainstreamers’ because these are people who live in the world of the domestic and the everyday. They are conformists of society, and a daily routine is a fundamental to the way they live their lives. Like the audience, Eastenders is a soap opera based around the lives of ordinary people living in the Eastend in London, however the amount of issues and problems they face within one area is exaggerated, but the issues covered are relatable to a wide audience of ‘Mainstreamers’, who may find a sense of security by watching Eastenders, as their issues being shared by others could serve as a comfort to them.

Psychographics:The consumers of this text would most likely be in some form of education or just leading a regular life as an adult/elderly citizen, Due to watching the program, they may feel a sense of pressure to live up to the standards of the character’s lives within the soap. For example, some of the bad events in the program such as acts of violence, could influence unstable audience members to act in the same way towards others.

Katz’ Uses & Gratifications Theory:• Diversion – In a way, the audience may potentially watch

Eastenders in order to relax and enjoy themselves. The members of the audience who can particularly relate to the lives of the characters on the program may not be able to find diversion within it as it is not an escape from their everyday lives. The audience members who can’t entirely relate to the lives of the characters would be more likely to find diversion within the soap, as it is less relatable to them, so it has no relation to their daily lives.

• Personal Identity – The people watching this program who are of a working class background may use Eastenders to understand more about themselves through relating to the feelings and issues that the characters face.

• Personal Relationships – I think that the audience will able to build a personal relationship with the characters in the program if they are able to relate to the issues/emotions they’re facing. I also think that the audience will be able to see how the characters deal with the issues raised that they also can relate to, and they will be able to factor it into their own lives.

Eastenders is on television 4 times a week, generally within the prime time hour slot at 8pm. This is important because it allows people in the E group of the socio-economics scale in particular to watch it as it is before the watershed at 9pm, so it therefore doesn’t contain any offensive language or inappropriate themes. http://www.radiotimes.com/eastenders

These images connote how Eastenders offer helplines to audience members who may be affected by issues covered within the soap, or are dealing with issues that are similar. For example, under the subheading ‘Abuse’, there are a large number of helplines that audience members who are affected by this issue can call and receive help. This is important as soap operas are created in order to outline and raise awareness to real life problems that a lot of people face in their daily lives, as well as offering entertainment to people.

Trailer 2 - Hollyoaks

Socio-Economic Needs:Stereotypically, the audience of Hollyoaks would fall into the E group. This is ultimately because the characters within the soap opera are young and some are still in education, and they are therefore more likely to be able to relate to the situations presented in the program if they are of a similar age.

Hartley’s 7 Subjectivities:• Age: The audience’s demographic for this soap opera would be quite a

small group ranging between ages 16-25. This is because a lot of young people would be able to relate to the situations in the program and they would lead similar lives to the characters.

• Gender: Predominantly, females make up a larger part of the audience of soap operas as they are more likely to be able to relate and understand the issues and situations within the program. Rebecca Feasey (2007) supports this when she states that the soap opera genre fixates on: ‘The home, the family, domestic tribulations and the strong women and as such, it has long been said to appeal to the female viewer.’

• Class: Typically, people of a middle/lower class would watch Hollyoaks, because the characters within the soap opera are of a similar class, so therefore they are more likely to cover issues and problems that people of a middle/lower class would potentially face.

• Ethnicity: An audience would be formed of all ethnicities as they are all present within Hollyoaks, and none of the characters are in any way racially stereotypical, and people of every ethnic background is able to relate to the problems the characters deal with.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs:I believe that the audience for Hollyoaks would be viewed as ‘Explorers’, as this particular category is suited to younger people and students, which contains energy and experience, which young people typically want to experience.

Psychographics:The consumers of this soap opera would stereotypically be in some form of education. When tuning into the soap, the young audience may feel influenced by the characters of a similar age, and they may feel that they want to be like these characters and want to change themselves as a person in either appearance or personality.

Katz’ Uses & Gratifications Theory:• Personal Identity – The people watching this program who are

of a young age may use Hollyoaks to understand more about themselves through relating to the feelings and issues that the characters face.

• Personal Relationships – I think that the audience will able to build a personal relationship with the characters in the program if they are able to relate to the issues/emotions they’re facing. I also think that the audience will be able to see how the characters deal with the issues raised that they also can relate to, and they will be able to factor it into their own lives.

• Inform and Educate – The audience may be able to learn something from the characters as the situations and storylines used in the program may be relevant to some audience members, so it could help them understand how to deal with certain elements.

Hollyoaks is on television 2 times a week, generally within the prime time hour slot at 8:30pm. The reason for this may be because they specifically tailor the subjects they cover in order for teenagers to understand and relate to, such as teenage pregnancy and sexuality. http://www.tv.com/shows/hollyoaks/

These images connote how Hollyoaks as a soap offer helplines to audience members who may be affected by issues covered within the soap, or are dealing with issues that are similar. For example, under the subheading ‘Bullying’, there are various helplines that are specified to types of bullying that audience members may be dealing with, or that know people that are struggling with bullying. This can also connote how the soap opera is covering these issues in order to raise awareness to them and that they are real problems that people face in their daily lives.