Unit 6.1 - Task 2

Unit 6 Assignment 1 – Task 2

Psychographics

“The study and classification of people according to their attitudes, aspirations, and other psychological criteria, especially in market research.” – Wikipedia on Pyschographics
 Media producers would target a product towards a specific Psychographic. They would employ the “VALS” (Values and lifestyles) method when researching into the different psychographics.

There are seven Psychographics that everyone fits into, each one of them having different values and characteristics. These are;

The ‘Belongers’. People in this group do not like to take risks. This is because they’re conformists who have mainstream values and want to ‘Belong’. They have traditional values and are typically of Middle class.

The ‘Achievers’. These groups of people are very prosperous, because of this they make their own decisions. A large proportion of advertising is targeted towards this group of people, leading them to believe that the product will help them reach their ambition

The ‘Socially Conscious’. This category of people are aware of social issues and how it can effect themselves and the others around them. They’re politically active and are very optimistic. They can also keep themselves motivated to do well.

The ‘Aspirers’. People within this group want to have a better life, however they’re not sure how to achieve it. They’re aiming to become prosperous and to be an ‘Achiever’. They want to be recognized and have a good status

The ‘Experientials’. These people are willing to take risks. This means they' Because of this they’re an ‘Upscale’ audience for media producers.

The ‘I-Am-Me’. These types of people want to make themselves stand out and be individuals. They’re often youthful and energetic however they’re also known to be demanding.

The ‘Explorers’. The people within this category are financially stable. They are creative people, which are willing to try new products. They’re often very open to new ideas. They’re also an ‘upscale’ audience for media producers.

 “Group C”. This the largest class out of the 6, people within this class work as Nurses, junior managers and office supervisors.Psychographics and marketing

Every product is aimed towards different a psychographic. This is done by targeting their values and incorporating them into the advertising for the product. For example;

The ‘Belongers’ typically have domestic products aimed towards them. This can range from family cars to kettles. As long as the product is marketed as new, ‘Hip’ and safe it will be aimed towards this group.

The Ford Flex ‘Family car’ advert - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNKqhUlqPq4
is aimed towards the ‘Belongers’. We can tell this car is aimed towards the Belongers by analysing the content of the advertisement, for example; the advert uses stereotypical mums to review the car, having them consistently state how great and safe the car is. They also mention how their children now think of them as a ‘cool mums’.
This advert also uses mainstream values to target its audience. It does this by showing a large group of mums talking about the car, agreeing on how good it is for the family, stating it’s the “best family car around”. 
To lead the audience into thinking it’s mainstream they constantly use words such as ‘Hip’ and ‘Cool’ both of which have connotations of Belonging and being accepted.

The ‘Explorers’ are an upscale audience for media producers; this is because they’re financially stable as well as willing to try new products, making them perfect for gadgets such as phones, computers and other new technologies.

For example the windows phone print advert is targeted at the ‘Explorers’ - https://m1.behance.net/rendition/modules/68548415/disp/a1a1c2541612c7749a776eb1791360ef.jpg
We can tell this product is aimed towards the Explorers because one of the first words we read within this advert is the word “New” this word attracts the explorers because they like to try new things.
The interface shown within the phone itself is also targeted at the Explorers. We can tell this because it has is different from the standard smart phone interface; this targets the Explorers specifically because they’re open to new ideas and are more willing to try out the new interface.

The “Aspirers” are targeted a by a lot of media producers, this is because they want to better themselves. Products, which supposedly make you a better person, such as clothing, cars and make up, are aimed towards these types of people.

For example this Taghuer watching advert is targeted towards the ‘Aspirers’ http://greenstilettosdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/ldc_suit2012_carrera_car2012fc6235_mag_sp_int.jpg
We can tell this is targeting the Aspirers because it shows a powerful and successful male man (Leonardo DiCaprio) holding the product. We can tell the man is powerful because he is wearing a stylish suit; this connotes power because, typically, most people who wear these types of suits are high-end businessmen and successful, wealthy people.  This targets the aspirers specifically because they aspire to be like this strong and powerful male.
He is also looking to the right, which according to Textual Metafunction has connotations of progress and the future. Implying that he is thinking and planning his future to make progress within his life.


Demographics and the Generation Market

There are five main Generation markets which the Media producers use to target specific ages when creating a product. These are;

The “World war 2 Generation”. People who are born between 1928 and 1945 fit into this category. They’re known to be confirmative and conservative. They have traditional family values. The key media platform they were exposed to is the Radio

The “Baby Boomer 1”. People who are born between 1946 and 1954 fit into this category. They’re often known to be experimental and are seen as free spirited individuals. Their key media platform was the original Television set

The “Baby boomer 2”. People within this category are born between 1955 and 1965. They’re less optimistic than the Baby Boomer 1’s and are seen as very cynical and pragmatic. The key media platform that they were exposed to is the Colour Television.

The “Generation X”. Born between 1965 and 1980, people within this category are very independent, they’re very informal and entrepreneurial. They are seen as wanting emotional security. Their key media platform was the Personal Computer

The “Millennial Generation”.  People in this category are born between 1981 and 2010. They want physical security and safety, however they’re willing to accept changes. They’re proficient with the latest technology. The key media platform for this group was the Mobile Phone

These demographics can be very varied, however they are seen to be quite accurate. To test the accuracy of these demographics I’ve researched into two of them. The two I’ve research are the Generation X and the Millennial Generation. I researched into these categories by interviewing two people, one male and one female, from these categories.

Generation X
These people are known to be independent, informal and entrepreneurial. They also are known to see emotional security.
Within this category I interviewed Mark Evans (Born in 1966) and Marie Evans (Born in 1967)

When conducting my research I found Mark Evans was able to proficiently use a Personal Computer and was still aware of when they were available and when his first one was obtained. However Marie Evans was unable to use a Personal Computer.
Bother interviewees said stated they worked with computers when they were younger, Mark Evans stated that he still works closely with computers and uses them daily from his household.
Both Mark and Marie Evans said they were both very independent, stating that they both work freelance and do things for themselves rather than relying on other people to do it for them.

Millennial Generation
People within this category are known to willingly accept changes. They’re seen as proficient with all pieces of technology and seek physical security and safety.
Within this category I interviewed Thomas Evans (Born in 1992) and Bethany Holland (Born in 1994)

When conducting my research I found both Bethany and Thomas were able to proficiently set up and use any mobile phone that was given to them. However when handed a Personal Computer Bethany was unable to set it up and use it proficiently, whilst Thomas was able to set it up quickly and use it efficiently.
When both interviewees were asked about upgrading/changing products designs they gave different responses. Thomas was very against products making drastic and significant changes to a product, however Beth was more welcoming to the changes and was willing to accept them and give them a chance.


In conclusion I found that these generation categories are quite accurate to an extent. But, as with most categories, not everyone within their group shows traits which others in their group stereotypically poses.

Socio-Economics

“Socioeconomics (also known as socio-economics or social economics) is the social science that studies how economic activity affects and is shaped by social processes. In general it analyzes how societies progress, stagnate, or regress because of their local or regional economy, or the global economy.” –Wikipedia

Media Producers have split people within 6 different categories using socio-economics. Each one of these categories would have products designed for them, for example people in Group E (The lowest group) would have newspapers such as the Sun targeted at them, whilst the lower middle class would have the Daily Mail.
Below is a pyramid showing the different groups.

“Group A”, the highest of the 6 groups, is for the ‘Upper Middle class’. People within this class work as bankers, lawyers and within the top management of companies. These people are very few and have the highest income

“Group B”. People within this group are regarded as the ‘Middle Class’ people within this class work as middle management, teaches and ‘creatives’ (Graphic designers, film makers and web designers)

“Group C”. This the largest class out of the 6, people within this class work as Nurses, junior managers and office supervisors.    

“Group C2”. People within this class are known as ‘Skilled workers’ or ‘Skilled working class’. These people are considered “White collar” which shows they may have further education within their field compared to a Blue collar worker.

“Group D”. This category is for the semi-skilled and unskilled workers. It often includes manual work such as decorating and gardening. These pople are considered to be “Blue collar workers”

“Group E” People within this class earn the lowest level of income. People within this group are either unemployed or are in full time education. Pensioners are also considered to be within this class.