DYSTOPIA: PHASE ONE

In your own words, describe Hypodermic Needle theory…

It is where the audience believes the direct message given to them by a media product. The
media injects the ideas into the minds of the assumed passive audience.

What are the four categories of Uses and Gratifications Theory?

Entertainment & Diversion Personal Identity

Surveillance Social Interaction

List a media product you consume for each category…

Only Fools and Horses, Football, Basketball

Snapchat, YouTube

In your own words, describe Recption theory…

Always relies on an active audience. Places the viewer in context while taking into account
all the various factors that might influence how he or she will read and create meaning from
the text.
 What are Young & Rubicam’s seven Psychographic categories?

 The Explorer- These people are driven by need for discovery, challenge and new
frontiers. They respond to brands hat offer new sensations, indulgence and
instant effects.
 The Aspirer- Materialistic, acquisitive people, who are driven by other
perceptions of them rather than their own values. Their core need in life is for
status.
 The Reformer- Their core need in life is for enlightenment. “don’t tell me what to
do or what to think” says the reformer, valuing their own independent
judgement. They are the most anti-materialistic of the 7 groups and are often
perceived as intellectual.
 The succeeder- Their core need for life is for control. Succeeders possess self-
confidence, have a strong goal orientation and tend to be very organised.
 The Mainstreamer- their need in life is for security. These are people who live in
the world of the domestics and the everyday. They respond to big established
brands, to “family”
 The Struggler- Strugglers live for today and make few plans for tomorrow. They
seek to escape. Heavy consumers of alcohol and junk food.
 The Resigned- In life their aim is basic; it is to survive. These are predominately
older people with constant, unchanging values built up over time. Their brand
choices are driven by the need for safety and for economy.

MARKET SEGMENTATION

The Four Stages of market segmentation

 Fragmentation (pre-1880s): The economy was characterised by small regional suppliers who sold
goods on a local or regional basis
 Unification or Mass Marketing (1880s–1920s): As transportation systems improved, the economy
became unified. Standardised, branded goods were distributed at a national level. Manufacturers
tended to insist on strict standardisation in order to achieve scale economies with a view to
penetrating markets in the early stages of a product's lifecycle. e.g. the Model T Ford
 Segmentation (1920s–1980s): As market size increased, manufacturers were able to produce
different models pitched at different quality points to meet the needs of various demographic
and psychographic market segments. This is the era of market differentiation based on demographic,
socio-economic and lifestyle factors.
 Hyper-segmentation (post-1980s): a shift towards the definition of ever more narrow market
segments. Technological advancements, especially in the area of digital communications, allow
marketers to communicate with individual consumers or very small groups. This is sometimes known
as one-to-one marketing.

Tedlow, R.A. and Jones, G., The Rise and Fall of Mass Marketing, Routledge, N.Y., 1993, Chapter 2
 TASKS

1. Go through your Facebook and or Instagram feed and list the first three adverts you see.
2. Discuss which areas of uses and gratification theory the advert targets.
3. Identify which psychographic and demographic groups each advert targets.
4. Analyse how these adverts do or don’t target you as an individual.

Top tip: Focus on themes and micro-feature analysis (mise en scene, audio etc)

Asos- In the Asos advert it is clear that it is aimed for younger people from the ages of about
16-21 as it tries to push the student discount of 10% and they probably want to attract the
eyes of people that care about how they look and the brands they where as it’s all high
brands that are quite expensive that they show (The Aspirer).

Xbox-

Above The Sole- personal identity, getting brand logos in to attract people who are into
having the branding on their clothes to show it off. Young adult and the aspirer as it people
may be attracted to it due to the expensive branding to be able to show it off to others. They
target me as they probably can gather the information that I’m in Facebook groups to do
with fashion along with my friends. Also, there is one friend on my Facebook that has liked
their page that I’m in a lot of groups in to do with fashion so they could take that and say we
have similar fashion sense.

Top Eleven 2018- Be a Soccer Manager- Social interaction as it shows 2 people playing the
game together and having good fun while using the app. Also, the game is based on football
and therefore would be for football players or people that have an interest in the sport.
Furthermore, the two using the app in the video are pro footballers that play/played for
Stoke F.C. which will draw the attention of Stoke fans that come across the video and
probably any football fans in general that know of the two. The two are more commonly
known in England so is probably made to grab the attention of English football fans. This
could be aimed towards the strugglers as it wants you to live in the moment and download
the app the moment you see the advert.