Zoella - Audience Flashcards
Gender
- Emotive content: appeals to its female audience through narratives that engage with subject matter emotionally.
- Zoella continuously tells us how she ‘feels’ about the problems she faces.
- Stereotypical female based activities in Zoella’s presentation: Fashion, make-up, relationships.
- Costume: Stereotypically female, female colour palette deployed in mise-en-scene.
- Use of pets and pet orienated references.
- Construction of a version of ideal beauty: highly stylised, lots of make-up attention paid to costume.
- Intimate confessional tone: creates a relatable female character.
- Quiet/passive presentation style that fits with target audience expectations and female presenter stereotypes.
Age Range
- 13-24 year-olds
- Heavy use of Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube, sites that are prominently used by this age group.
- Youthful co-presenters
- Deliberate amateur aesthetic suggests authenticity to this media saturated audience segment
- Everyday activities of this demographic are incorparated into narratives to create connections with the target audience, e.g. shopping, stopping at drive-throughs, eating at fast food restuarants.
- Fan connections showcased in uploads - fans represent the real target audience.
- Light comedic tone effected.
- Youth orientated slang deployed.
- Use of YouTube commentary to create intimate connections with the target audience.
Secondary target audience: Parents and advertisers, engaged by content that is safe in terms of sexual content and other taboo areas.
Socio-economic group
- BC1C2
- Partnerships built with companies who target similar demographic groups, e.g. ASOS/H&M - companies who represent high street fashion at value prices.
- Language moderately formal - some extended language deployed with Standard English used to mirror lower middle class values and educational background.
- Zoella’s house represents an ideal youthful environment - a place of fun and socialising.
- BC1C2 targetting allows uploads to be associated with more lucrative advertising tie-ins.
Psychographics
- Lifecycle: Bachelor - Foregrounding of hetreosexual relationship with Alfie.
- Activities and interests: Fashion, Make-up, beauty - Zoella foregrounds stereotypical female-based activities in her presentation: fashion, make-up, beauty.
- Psychometric grouping: Mainstreamer/aspirer - Narratives are apolitical,they rarely deal with serious social commentary. Choice of cars and home residence represent an aspirational life-style based upon material possessions and their acquisition.
- Youth tribe: Aspirant tribe - Zoella is concerned to be ‘on-trend’, she is constantly chasing latest fashions. Zoella’s vlogging lifestyle also represents an ideal job choice. Her wardrobe choices and hairstyles reflect a brand driven outlook. Her partnerships and activities foregrounf a concern to be a ‘social butterfly.’
Why do Audiences like Online Media?
- Easy Acessibility
- Content is not hidden behind a paywall
- Wide Variety of content, appeals to the tastes of everyone.
- Instantanous uploads which are consistently updated with little to no schedule.
- Interactive elements which allow audiences to speak back to products/media content.
Advantages and Disadvantages of being a fan of online stars like Zoella?
- Disadvantages: Parasocial relationships -> Audiences don’t truly know Zoella, only the mediated version she has constructed of herself online.
- Advantages: Audiences are able to connect and learn from content creators, e.g. How to do a messy bun, with a simple search online.
Example Videos which target Zoella’s GENDER demographic
Old Zoella
- ‘My Everyday Winter Make-Up’
- ‘My Travel Anxiety Tips’
- ‘HUGE Summer Primark Haul’
- ‘Full face of Glossier Make-Up I Honest Review And First Impression’
Example Videos which target Zoella’s GENDER demographic
New Zoella
- ‘Preparing For The New Baby & Christmas’ –> Female self-love, Pregnancy updates.
- Emotive content: ‘My First Trimester I Fear of Sickness/Emetophobia I First Signs & Symptoms.
Secondary audience for Zoella
Old Zoella
- Parents, Santised content which is safe for their children to watch.
- Fans of Alfie Deyes and/or Joe Sugg (likely male)
Secondary audience for Zoella
New Zoella
- Older, loyal fans of Zoella’s old content who have followed her journey from a young adult to motherhood.
- Traditional older generation due to the positive depiction of the modern family.
Relevant Theory: Katz and Blumer
- Surveillance: Top/Best brands of Autumn 2014 or Summer 2017. Daily vlogs, tutorial on trends, how to videos.
- Escapism: Idealised setting, aspirations, appearance -> Seeking perfection. Content that allows audiences to escape to Zoella’s ‘perfect life,’
- Personal Identity: Discussion on her anxiety, absorb her stories.
- Personal Relationships: Community and family, Para-social relationships.
Example videos which target Zoella’s SOCIOECONOMIC demographic
- ‘ASOS haul’
- ‘Huge Drugstore/High-Street Haul & First Impressions’
- ‘My Top Drugstore & Highstreet Makeup Picks’
- ‘Best Friend Does My ASOS Shop’
- ‘HUGE Summer Primark Haul’
- ‘Huge Holiday ASOS Haul & Try On’
- ‘Topshop Haul & £500 Giveaway’
Example videos which target Zoella’s SOCIOECONOMIC demographic
New Zoella
- 1.4 Million pound house -> Mis-en-scene: Mansion, grown up, mature and rich now.
Para-social interactions
The illusion of ‘face-to-face’ conversation constructed through techniques such as:
- MCU (medium close up) which aids social interaction.
- Direct mode of address
- Casual language codes
How do online stars like Zoella use audience targeting & marketing?
- Targeting through content
- Targeting through marketing and distribution
- Collaboration videos to broaden appeal
- Conventions (meet and greets)
- Move towards traditional media (for marketing) such as mags
- Interaction and participation (subscribe, likes, comments, User Generated Content): audiences actively involved in media production.