HOW OFTEN DO YOU WATCH SOAPS?
From this question, I wanted to find out how many males and females within my target audience actually watch soaps regularly, so that I can then see how I can create a trailer persuading people that don’t necessarily watch soaps, to tune in.
From this, you can see that the traditional idea that soaps were created to target a more female based audience still holds true in contemporary society, with all females in my target audience age group that took part in my questionnaire watching some sort of soap at least once a week. This is also important because the traditional idea sees soaps aimed more at the older generation of females, whereas in this instance, my questionnaire has shown that teenagers and young adults also watch soaps much more nowadays, with many more soaps specifically targeting younger people and creating storylines that they can easily relate to, such as teenage pregnancy and underage drinking. This idea has been further proven through question 4 of the questionnaire which shows that the majority of people questioned said they watched either Hollyoaks or Eastenders-two soaps that have consistently produced high standard storylines based around young adults and the problems they have to overcome.
The male pie chart also shows interesting results, with the many males aged between 14 and 21 tuning into their favourite soap most of the times it is shown. This highlights just how much soaps and society have changed in recent years, with many more males actually watching and enjoying soaps on a weekly basis. The male results are particularly interesting because they highlight the traditional belief that soaps target a majority female audience, as although many more males do watch soaps, the majority of males that took part in the questionnaire admitted that they only watch soaps when there is nothing better to watch. This could be due to the way females are portrayed in most soaps, as the female characters seem to be much more dominant and powerful than you would expect to find in any other type of TV drama. This may be the reason why males do not watch soaps as much as females because their traditional role sees them as being the dominant and powerful role, and they may not feel comfortable with the role reversal we see in most soaps with regard to genders.
WHEN WATCHING A SOAP TRAILER, WHAT WOULD YOU EXPECT TO SEE AND IF A TRAILER FOR A NEW SOAP WAS SCREENED, WHAT WOULD PERSUADE YOU TO WATCH THE SOAP?
Although this was an answer written completely by the person taking part, there were many similarities between the male and female answers. For example, the majority of answers were based around drama and intense storylines- something to make them want to know more about the storyline such as a cliff-hanger. However, the answers also differed slightly when it came to gender, with many females asking to see romance and an introduction to the characters as well as dramatic scenes, whereas males wanted to see much more gritty drama such as violence and action. This highlights the fact that different genders have different needs and that I need to create a trailer that is going to fulfil the needs of both sides of my target audience and persuade as many people as possible to watch my soap.
DO YOU PREFER A TRAILER WITH A SOUNDTRACK/BACKING MUSIC?
100% of both males and females who took part in my questionnaire answered yes to this question, therefore I will include a backing track/soundtrack in the background of my trailer, as it is something my target audience would expect, and may persuade them to watch my soap, particularly if they know the song and it ties in well with my soap. I will think about the song I will use carefully because it needs to be something contemporary and perhaps quite popular in order to be suitable and attract a wider audience.
IN A TRAILER FOR A NEW SOAP, WOULD YOU PREFER THE FOCUS TO BE BASED AROUND ONE MAIN STORYLINE/CONFLICT, OR WOULD YOU PREFER THE CHARACTERS TO BE INTRODUCED SO THAT YOU KNOW ABIT MORE ABOUT THE SOAP? WHY?
From the chart above, it is clear that there is a vast difference in what the target audience expect from a new soap trailer with regard to gender. For example, most males voted that they would prefer to see a conflicting storyline, whilst most females wanted the characters to be introduced. Looking at the answers given for this particular question in more detail, I have found that the gender differences are particularly traditional and obvious in that all males who voted for a conflicting storyline specifically referenced to violence and action, while the females wanted to know the characters so they could understand them better and really feel like they know who they are. This is important when thinking about my own trailer because these are two very different views and I would like to please both male and female within my target audience. However, I have decided that because overall, females watch soaps more than males, and are more likely to tune in more often to my soap, it is therefore more important to make sure that their expectations are fulfilled, which is why I will focus more on the characters within my soap, although I will also add a little suspense and mystery to attempt to grab the males attention as well.
WOULD YOU RATHER WATCH A SOAP SPECIFICALLY TARGETED AT YOUR AGE GROUP AND WHY?
Evaluating these results in closer detail has shown me that slightly more of my target audience would prefer my soap to be based around people of a similar age to them. The most popular reason behind this is that they find it easier to relate to this age group because many of the situations they go through in life will be similar and they will be able to sympathise with and understand the characters a lot better. For this reason, I will make my soap trailer appealing for my target audience, making sure the characters are of a similar age to my audience so that they are more likely to watch it.
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