Investigation and Analysis

the words that you cannot see are on slide 7 are "to take under consideration", I tried to fix this several times however the title still covers the words. 

This is the reference for my statistical information:

oxford city council. (2022). Oxford.gov.uk. [Online]. Oxford city council. Last Updated: unknown. Available at: https://www.oxford.gov.uk/info/20131/population/460/age_and_gender_statistics [Accessed 21 November 2022].

Focus Group

Do you find eating healthy difficult and why?

Overall, every response that I gathered was that eating healthy was quite a challenge and the reasons ranged from "most unhealthy foods are tasty" to "I like takeaways too much" to "I like sweets and chocolate" to "I'm a picky eater and I only eat certain things". This informs me of the outstanding issues with eating healthy therefore for my pitch this should be one of my primary focus'. Using this for my better health campaign this will inform me of what I should include in order to meet the needs of my target audience and educate them more effectively about healthy eating. I will make sure to encourage people to think about the alternatives to junk food and healthier ways to make the food that they love. I won't fully discourage to have takeaways as it is perfectly reasonable to have junk food every now and then. I will also make sure to discuss this in further detail on the podcast so then it is clear how people can be healthier. My main goal will be to educate people so that they can make informed choices for themselves with as much information as possible hoping they will make healthier life decisions. 

Do you find exercising difficult and why?

Overall, once again, all the responses that I gathered was that exercising can be quite difficult and people have a range of mental or physical barriers deterring them from being more active. These answers ranged from "I'm lazy" to "a lack of motivation" to "long covid, heart problems and hypermobility" to another "I'm lazy". This informs me of the major issues with exercising being due to motivation and laziness, this therefore influences my pitch as I now know that exercising should also be another one of my primary focus'. 

This has informed me of the difficulty some people can have with exercising especially those with physical ailments and barriers that prevent them to do very physically demanding exercises. I will make sure to discuss better alternatives to exercising which won't be as physically demanding and be more efficient even if you don't have a physical barrier. This will be discussed in the podcast. 

In addition, I have learnt that motivation is a key issue for people when it comes to exercising in general therefore, I will discuss ways to get and stay motivated such as listening to music which can improve your energy or maybe considering reward systems that people could use to keep themselves inspired to keep active. 

What is your favourite form of exercise and why?

With this section, I got a range of two primary preferences with separate reasons to accommodate this fact. Firstly, dancing was referenced twice as one person stated that "I like to move and listen to music" to "because I get bored, and music is more enjoyable". In addition, three people stated that walking was their preferred way of exercising with separate reasons which includes "I have to walk my dog" to "it is the cheapest option and its my way of travelling" to "I can just think by myself". This informs me of my ideas as I know that walking is the most popular way of exercise, and I should try and encourage people to walk and explain the perks. 

In addition, walking is the cheapest and most accessible option for anyone as it doesn't cost anything and it is not as physically demanding as going to the gym and it is low effort therefore if someone does not have a lot of motivation, this method of exercising may be the most enticing for someone who struggles to get motivated. I have also learnt what people like to do to exercise which is very eye-opening as some of these exercises I did not think would be as popular as they are. 

What is your least favourite form of exercise and why?

With this section, around half of the people stated that cross country was there least favourite form of exercise due to either " I have weak joints" or "I hate running and it tires me out really quick". Dancing was also mentioned as it was stated that "I suck at it" and biking was referenced as "I have no balance." This further implies I should focus on walking when I tackle exercise and to not reference running. 

I also understand that people are more likely to do simpler ways of exercising rather than high maintenance exercises (such as going to the gym) as it is easier and cheap. Therefore, for my TV Advert, I have been informed on my ideas as I should focus on much more energy efficient ways of exercise that seem enticing to my target audience. 

    Why do you do as much or as little exercise as you do?

Overall, there was a lot of variety with the answers I was given. Firstly, it was stated that "I have to as I have to walk my dog". Also, it was stated that "I don't do much as I prioritize other stuff." In addition, it was referenced that "I like to go places and dance which is why I do as much as I do." Finally, it was mentioned that "I lack motivation." With this information, I can be informed that the set reasons can be quite different however using the previous questions, I can determine that a lack of motivation is why people do not tend to exercise. 

I will talk about/ discuss ways of becoming more motivated so then more exercise will be achieved. 

What three things impact whether you do exercise or not?

The things that were mentioned for this section for barriers to exercise is lack of motivation, laziness, time, hobbies taking priority, judgement, other priorities and that "I like takeaways". With this, I understand that motivation is a massive issue when it comes to exercising and my ideas have been furthered as I now know I should mention and focus on motivation in my TV Advert.

Why do you think a healthy lifestyle is important?

With this question, everyone at least mentioned the fact that it will lead to better physical and (also referenced but not as much) mental health. In addition, preventing diseases and living longer was also mentioned. I can conclude that my target audience is already aware of the benefits of a healthy lifestyle thus I shouldn't take too much time to focus on it. Alternatively, I could also use statistical information to back up and reinforce their beliefs and improve their understanding further. This has informed me of my ideas as I know that I do not need to focus on the mental health perks of getting active.

What do you like to do to unwind in your free time?

With this, there was a wide range of unique answers such as listening to music, playing games, writing stories, watching videos, making art, spending time with loved ones, friends and pets and make tiktok videos. Knowing this, I can cater to my target audience and include things they enjoy in my TV advert such as a TikTok style advert. I have learned that my target audience like to unwind through very little demanding activities or things that require little to no effort.

What is a trend you've noticed about this industry?

With this, there was once again a wide range of responses including: "adverts show exercise is easy when it is not, "stereotypes", "judgement on social media" and "judgement when going to the gym." With this, I can conclude that people feel judgement when trying to get active putting them off therefore I will have to encourage people to not feel that way and to look at the positive side of exercising. This has helped me inform my ideas as I should have to take into consideration the mental effects judgement can cause and how to best avoid that.

What do you already know about exercise and what would you like to learn?

Similarly, to the other questions, there was a lot of different responses such as: "can make life feel better and gain more confidence", "it is good for your mental and physical health". With this, I can understand that my audience understands the positive aspects of being healthy. This means that I do not need to focus on the positive aspects of exercise as from using the answers it seems that my target audience understands it. This has helped inform my ideas as I should make sure to not put my attention on things that my target audience already knows.

For the second aspect of the question, I got answers including: "what would be the best way to lose weight?" and "how to vary my diet to be healthier?" Using this, I can understand and answer these questions with my TV advert/podcast in great detail. With this information I have learnt that there are gaps in my target audience's knowledge on health. This has helped me inform my ideas as I can comment on these aspects that my target audience do not fully understand.