Overview of Institutional Terminology for AS Media Studies (AQA)

1. Institutions
AS Media Studies

2. What is an institution?
‘Organisation or company, public or privately
owned that produces and/or distributes
media products’

3. Ask yourself the following:
• What is the institutional source of the text?
• In what ways has the text been influenced or
shaped by the institution that produced it?
• Is the source a public service or commercial
institution? What difference does this make
to the text?
• How has the text been distributed?

4. Past Paper Questions
• What is communicated in the advertisement about the
Xbox 360 brand and the experience it offers?
• How effectively does Channel 4 promote itself as a
public service broadcaster in the trailer?
• What values and characteristics of Hollywood are
evident in the trailer?
• How does the programme try to create a positive
brand image for ITV2?
• How is the brand image of the MINI Clubman
promoted in the video?
• How does the advertisement communicate brand
values for John Lewis?

5. What do we see?
• What is communicated in the advertisement about the
Xbox 360 brand and the experience it offers?
• How effectively does Channel 4 promote itself as a
public service broadcaster in the trailer?
• What values and characteristics of Hollywood are
evident in the trailer?
• How does the programme try to create a positive
brand image for ITV2
• How is the brand image of the MINI Clubman
promoted in the video?
• How does the advertisement communicate brand
values for John Lewis?

6. Brand Image
• Establish a difference to other companies
• Subsidiaries with different brand images can
appeal to different audiences
• Brand image should be positive, unique and
instant
• Set of associations formed in the consumer’s
mind
• http://www.channel4.com/about_c4/stylegui
de/

7. Channel Four Television

8. Top 10 Brands

9. Media Influence
• Values and ideologies are transmitted through
the representations in media texts
• Powerful institutions can influence the
attitudes, interests, beliefs and desires of
people on a world scale
• Worldwide organisations like BBC and
Hollywood, could influence the
attitudes, interest, beliefs and desires of
people worldwide

10. Media Influence

11. Media Influence
Chief Executive of Google
Chief Executive of Twitter
Chairman of the BBC Trust
Director/General of the BBC
Senior VP of design at Apple
Managing Director of Facebook
Editor Daily Mail, Associated Newspapers
Group Chief Executive, WPP
Producer, Co-Founder Syco Entertainment
Head of the Leveson Inquiry

12. Institutional Terminology
Term Definition
Convergence Two or more types of media coming
together
Synergy Different elements of a company working
together to promote related products
Concentration of Media Ownership The process by which an increasingly
smaller number of companies own most
media outlets
Cross Media Ownership When a company produces two or more
different types of media
Conglomerate A large parent company which owns a
range of smaller companies

13. Institutional Terminology
Term Definition
Subsidiary Smaller Companies owned by a parent
company
Oligopoly When a market is dominated by a small
number of companies
Horizontal Integration When a media company owns several
businesses in the same sector of the
industry
Vertical Integration When a single company controls both the
production and supply of a product

14. Convergence
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdJlyh76d
Ec
• Example of convergent technology in relation
to the US show CBS Sunday Morning

15. Synergy

16. Media Ownership

17. Conglomerate - Viacom

18. Subsidiary
Nickelodeon is a subsidiary of Viacom.

19. Oligopoly

20. Horizontal Integration

21. Vertical Integration
Production
Distribution
Exhibition

22. Vertical Integration
• Television Industry
– TV Producer/Syndication/TV Station
• Print Industry
– Press Service/Newspapers/Circulation
• Film Industry
– Studios/Distributors/Theatres

23. Summary
• Identify the institution. Is it a conglomerate or
a subsidiary?
• Analyse the Brand Image
• Who created the product? What is the media
influence?
• Are they PSB or Commercial? How does this
influence the product?
• How has the media been distributed? Is it an
example of horizontal/vertical integration?

24. Past Paper Examples

25. Past Paper - XBox
Q) What is communicated in the advertisement about the Xbox 360 brand and the
experience it offers?

26. Past Paper - John Lewis
• John Lewis Advert
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsG-
6rayeK4

27. Past Paper – John Lewis
Q) How does the advertisement communicate brand values for John Lewis?

28. Past Paper - Mini
• Mini Clubman Advert
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9UlaKOId
Zg

29. Past Paper - Mini
Q) How is the brand image of the Mini Clubman promoted in the video?

30. Homework
• Institutions and Regulation
• What legislation covers the Internet?
• Post to your blog. Create a new page called
‘Homework’ and add post to this.