Definition

Target: The main recipients of the media text are the "Target Audience". These are the people intended to consume the text, and are catered specifically around them. This doesn't make them the only audience, and other audiences may still consume the text.

Appeal/Attract: Adverts and other media texts try to appeal to an audience through insecurities or personal vices to persuade the audience to consume the product. Some products use pressure to make people buy a product and make them feel 'left behind', while others could try and persuade the viewer that they have a problem the product fixes.

Position: The position is where the audience is placed within a text, and almost told how to feel. From this position, it could be sympathetic to a character, it could demonise them, etc. The position is made through a combined use of audio and visual codes.

Respond:

Encode and Decode:

Pick and Mix Theory: David Gauntlett's pick and mix theory dismisses a few other theories before it, like the cultivation theory, and states that audiences are more sophisticated, and just take what they need from a text and ignore the rest of it. Someone might take gossip from a magazine, but not the fashion, or vice-versa. This theory challenges the fact that people are affected by what they read, that violent themes don't make someone violent, or beautiful images make people feel inadequate.

Values, Attitudes and Lifestyles(VALs): Audiences are defined by their values, attitudes and lifestyles to categorise them the main groups of these are:

Mainstreamers - The average person is a mainstreamer, and they make up 40% of the population, they like security, known brands, value for money, and aren't likely to take risks.

Aspirers - People who want status and success, who want designer brands to show their status. They can be persuaded by celebrity endorsement.

Explorers -

Succeeders - People who are successful, have status and money, are Succeeders. They need big brands that are serious and reliable for them.

Reformers - Social activists, people who are concerned with animals, the environment and other social issues are usually reformers, they aren't materialistic and prefer brands that are good for the environment or healthy.