Week 3

(I would do this in a PowerPoint presentation, but it seems pointless when I can just type it in here. If it definitely needs to be in a presentation then I can put this information into one)

Uses and Gratifications theory
Two theorists, Blumler and Katz, in 1974 devised a theory to encompass all of the needs of an audience when they use a certain media product. Any media product can satisfy any combination of these "uses". The uses are:

Entertainment - for enjoyment
Diversion - to escape from everyday life
Personal identity - to find something/someone to idolise
Personal relationships - to connect with others
Surveillance (information) - to gain knowledge

This theory is relevant to advertising as an advert is also a media product, so must satisfy certain uses. The most obvious one would be surveillance since most advertisements are designed to give the audience information about the product/service so that they have more knowledge in order to make a purchase/decision. However, some adverts do not give a lot of information, an example may be the "Compare the Meerkat" series of adverts. For this, the use may be entertainment since the adverts are designed to be humorous, which may appeal to the audience more so that they are immediately onside with the company, promoting a positive brand image. Alternatively, the adverts may be used for diversion since the meerkat idea is quite fantastical and not at all realistic. Some adverts may promote personal identity, for example, women may idolise the young models featured in fashion adverts.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
The hierarchy of needs theory states that humans have 5 different tiers of desires and to move onto the next tier, we must first fill the previous. A person is said to be content and happy when all 5 tiers are met. The tiers are:

Physiological - food, water
Safety - shelter, good health
Love/Belonging - family, friends
Esteem - achievement, confidence
Self-actualization - morals, creativity

Certain advertisements may appeal to different tiers of the needs pyramid. An advert for a supermarket may appeal to the physiological tier, as food and drink are needed for survival. An advert for health insurance may appeal to the safety tier since insurance gives people a sense of something to rely on. Adverts that portray a very social lifestyle, such as ones that depict a group of friends doing an activity together, may appeal to the love/belonging tier and may make the audience believe that with the advertised product/service, they too can have this social life. Adverts featuring bold statements of personality such as models posing may appeal to the esteem tier as it shows confidence. Finally, charity adverts may appeal to the self-actualization tier as it appeals to a person's sense of morality and justice.