Difference Between Audience Analysis and Media Research

CAVENDISH UNIVERSITY UGANDA

Student Name: | ARINAITWE ELSA | | | Course: | BA PR | | | Student ID: | 02/00606/09259 | | | Lecturer: | MS VICORIA BBOSSA | | | Module: | AUDIENCE ANALYSIS AND MEDIA RESEARCH | | | Module Code: | PR 211 | | | Assignment Number: | 1 | | | Date Issued: | 20/02/2013 | | | Due Date: | 06/03/2013 | | | Assignment Brief: | Differentiate between Audience Analysis and Media Research with clear examples relating to the United Against Malaria campaign | | | | Guide to Students | | 1. Maximum 10 pages word processed 2. Use Times New Roman 3. Font Size should be 12 4. 1.5 Spacing 5. For referencing purposes use the Harvard Author-Date System | | Instructions to Students | | 1. This form must be attached to the front of your assignment 2. The assignment must be handed in without fail by the due date 3. Ensure that the submission form is date stamped at reception when you hand it in 4. Late submission will not be accepted unless with prior agreement with the course Lecturer/Tutor 5. All assessable assignments must be word processed | |

According to Lenny Laskowski A.U.D.I.E.N.C.E Analysis It’s your key to Success 96 LJL Seminars, Audience analysis involves gathering information about you’re your audience or receivers of your information.
Using the word A.U.D.I.E.N.C.E as an acronym we can define some general audience analysis categories that surveys could include;
Analysis- Who are they? How many will receive the message
Understand- what is their knowledge of the subject?
Demographics-What is their age, sex, educational background?
Interest- Why are they there to receive the message?
Environment- Where will you send the message and can they all receive it?
Needs- What are their needs and what are your needs?
Customised- What specific need do you need to address?
Expectations- What do they expect to learn or hear from you?

We need to develop questions which fit into each of these eight categories and ask the clientele or audience to tell us what they want. Essentially we ask them what they need and give it to them.

According to business.com; Media research refers to a survey conducted to investigate what segments of consumers read which periodicals and or listen to or watch which radio or television programmes and any other forms of mass communication.

The following are differences between Audience Analysis and Media Research;

Audience analysis involves investigating more about an audience for example identifying their characteristics, needs, objectives and planning for them while media research involves analysis of media content which includes information structure and social problem areas. This is to meet the social function of the media and to meet the information needs of the audience.
In the United Against Malaria campaign clearly researched their audience to find out which influential people to use in their campaign and discovered that soccer is really popular in Africa and therefore by combining forces of famous African soccer players like Didier Drogba and leaders like Yoweri Kaguta Museveni many Africans of all walks of life would be greatly influenced. Also they were able to research and find out that Malaria greatly affects Africa killing a child every minute hence the need for the campaign.
Also media research was carried out as for example after researching which sources of media would be most effective the united against malaria campaign delivered grass root public service announcements and advocacy through football.
After watching or hearing a United Against Malaria Public Service Announcement
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While in audience analysis we create an audience profile whereby we create a sketch of the typical audience, profile members of audience for example their names and contact details in order to plan content for typical members of the audience, in media research we examine the consumption of the audience whereby nationally representative samples are surveyed. This involves the micro aspect; social demographics, time budgets for work leisure and preferences as well as the macro aspect which entails change in media use, change in media, effects of organizational change in society and change in media and consumer repertory. For instance in the United Against Malaria campaign Africa, the audience was carefully profiled as they determined how many people were affected by the endemic majorly the poor, pregnant women and children in Africa are affected and it was established that every minute a child in Africa dies of malaria. Also in the same campaign it has established that soccer is the most popular sport in Africa and cuts across all people in walks of life and also well respected leaders have been used in the campaign also popular media forums like radio, television and adverts are used.

Audience analysis also involves selection of appropriate media to be used like booklets, public address announcements radio and television adverts as well as electronic media, while media research involves allocating resources for media research like archiving institutions like electronic media, print media television and radio to gather information about audiences, their consumption patterns and preferences.
In the United Against Malaria campaign, Football matches were used to create awareness as T shirts with the campaign slogan were handed out, the Barcelona team Jerseys were designed in a few matches to include the campaign logo.
Also the media research involved building a media strategy through leveraging events, executing a worldwide media campaign through radio television and radio.

Finally in audience analysis there is planning of document content as in collecting of information like product specification, selecting organizational method and preparing an outline, while in media research; we come up with recommendations for research infrastructure
It should in the first place archive current productions, but simultaneously it should also gather all materials already now available in private or semi-private archives.

It should be concerned with electronic media more urgently than with print media, given the current status of media content archiving.

It should archive video-typed broadcasts as well as content analytic data sets constructed for their analysis, that is, code plans, results of coder reliability tests with different category systems and other materials which are required for replications and
Longitudinal analyses.

It should prompt calls for content analytical longitudinal research projects, specifically
In the United Against Malaria Campaign; all the facts about malaria were carefully put together for example the cause, spread, effect on the world it’s symptoms death toll, prevention, cure and economic cost on most affected areas while also targeting most popular media programs like football and radio programs accessible to all

In conclusion though there are several differences between audience analysis and media research, many aspects of the two are similar an correlated.

References http://core.ecu.edu/engl/henzeb/5780/audanal.htm#content http://unitedagainstmalaria.org www.ratswd.de

References: http://core.ecu.edu/engl/henzeb/5780/audanal.htm#content http://unitedagainstmalaria.org www.ratswd.de