Audience Theories

Reception Theory/Audience Reception

"Reception theory is a version of reader response literary theory that emphasizes the reader's reception of a literary text. It is more generally called audience reception. Cultural theorist Stuart Hall is one of the main proponents of reception theory. This approach to textual analysis focuses on the scope for "negotiation" and "opposition" on the part of the audience. This means that a "text"- be it a book, movie, or other creative work - is not simply passively accepted by the audience, but that the reader / viewer interprets the meanings of the text based on their individual cultural background and life experiences. In other words, the meaning of the text is created within the relationship between the text and the viewer/reader."

Applying this theory to our advertisement would involve us relating the campaign to the viewer, so it is easily understood. The sports drinks that I have previously analysed, all clearly state the effects of the product, once the consumer has taken it. This is a common occurrence in many sports drink advertisements, so this will have to be considered upon producing ours.  

The Hypodermic Needle Model

"Dating from the 1920s, this theory was the first attempt to explain how mass audiences might react to mass media. As the picture suggests that audiences passively receive the information transmitted via a media text, without any attempt on their part to process or challenge the data. This theory was developed in an age where mass media was a fairly new phenomenon - radio and cinema were less than two decades old. The Hypodermic Needle Model suggests that the information from a text passes into the mass consciouness of the audience, i.e the intelligence and opinion of an individual are not relevant to the reception of the text. This theory suggests that, as an audience, we are manipulated by the creators of media texts, and that our behaviour and thinking might be easily changed by media-makers."

As our product falls in the mass market category, it is likely to be consumed by a large proportion of people, regardless of their opinion and intelligence. This would also suggest that this theory relates to our product, as we don't have to be too informative, or complicated.