critical approaches - topic 2 - week 4 - demographic & anchorage

Critical Approaches to Critical Approaches to Media ProductsMedia ProductsBTEC National Diploma in Media (Games)

Develop our responses to media products/texts.

How the industry defines an audiences for their products/texts

How the industry create products for specific audiences/texts

How different audiences respond to media products/texts

How the industry defines an audiences for their

products/texts

Socio-EconomicSocio-Economic

• Made up of two terms• Sociology• Economics

• In Pairs take a word each, research and define it simply to partner.

• WHAT DO THESE TWO WORDS MEAN TOGETHER?

Socio-EconomicSocio-Economic

WHAT CATEGORIES

COULD WE USE IDENTIFY THESE?

Socio-Economic StatusSocio-Economic Status

• Income• Education• Occupation• Marital Status• Property Type/Value• Media Consumption• Leisure Interests• Worldview

• Why is this important to us as developers?

• What's it known as?TARGET DEMOGRAPHICTARGET DEMOGRAPHIC

Target AudienceTarget Audience

WE NEED TO KNOW OUR

TARGET DEMOGRAPHIC….

Why?

Target DemographicTarget Demographic

Ted Price, Insomniac Games

“Ask most ambitious young game designers who their games are

targeted at and they'll give you the same, poisonous answer: everyone!

Today, more than ever, that is a very dangerous answer. Today's audience is incredibly diverse, and you have a much better chance

of reaching your audience if you segment it into demographics. “

Target Demographic - Target Demographic - GlobalGlobal

Exclude audiences and cultures at your peril. January 11th

2012

June 2012

“ Within 48 hours of launch, the Chinese version of Hero Academy

made the Top 10 list in free games. The new Chinese version of the

game was downloaded more in its first 3 weeks on the market than the

original, non-localized version attracted in its first 8 months in

China.”

Target Demographic – Target Demographic – Platform Platform ProblemProblem

Each platform defines it audience based on socio-economic status, to the exclusion of others. This can

conflict with game releases. ‘ The jacket and the trousers don’t fit’

What strategy did these employ?

Is it working?

Target Demographic – Target Demographic – Platform Platform ProblemProblem

Each platform defines it audience based on socio-economic status, to the exclusion of others. This can

conflict with game releases. ‘ The jacket and the trousers don’t fit’

What strategy did these employ?

Is it working?Andrew J. Smith – (iOs Developer)

"Your target audience is the platform holder. The fact is, without the permission of the

platform holder, you simply cannot effectively market to potential customers. The platform

holder (Microsoft, Nintendo, Apple, Sony, Amazon, Google, Steam, whoever) guards the keys to your success. Match their tone, stance and content and it becomes sensible for them

to bring you into the fold."

Demographics Galore!Demographics Galore!

•Which demographic are you?• Can you define a game designed for each demographic?

• How could this information be useful?

http://bit.ly/QF63tKhttp://bit.ly/QF63tK

http://ex.pn/1hh4F5qhttp://ex.pn/1hh4F5q

AssessmentAssessment

Write a formal report analysing the choices made by the developers in the marketing campaign of any completed or recently released Game of your choice, consider the following areas:

 •Marketing formats (Billboard, Newspaper/Magazine, Publicity Stunt, Viral Marketing, TV/Cinema trailers, Radio, New Media)

•Anchorage (Hook and anchor)•Selection of content (Semiotic analysis)•Use of imagery (Metaphor, Representation, Juxtaposition)

Define the target demographic of the Marketing campaign according to: •Demographic/ Socio-Economic Status/ Audience Type/ Psychographics

How the industry create products for

specific audiences/texts

AnchorageAnchorage

One image can have many meanings

Add detail to create more specific meaning.

AnchorageAnchorage

Two images placed together create a new meaning.

AnchorageAnchorage

• One Image alone is polysemic. • (Has many meanings, many

interpretations) • Poly = Multiple• Semic (semiotics) =

Signs/meanings

The image acts as the ‘Hook’

• Text is added to focus meaning, to give a specific purpose to the images.

• The text anchors the meaning to the viewer.

• Without it no clear interpretation can be concluded.

The text acts as the ‘Anchor’

AnchorageAnchorage

• ‘Hook’

• ‘Anchor’

AnchorageAnchorage

• ‘Hook’

• ‘Anchor’ Other Images can

be used to anchor

AnchorageAnchorage

• ‘Hook’

• ‘Anchor’

AnchorageAnchorage

• ‘Hook’

• ‘Anchor’

AnchorageAnchorage

• ‘Hook’

• ‘Anchor’

TASKTASK

How many mediums use How many mediums use anchorage?anchorage?

How is anchorage used How is anchorage used in each?in each?