Purpose of Media Products
Stating a Purpose Correctly
A purpose is the reason a media product exists: what it is trying to achieve. When you are asked for a product's purpose, say why it was made. Do not describe what it contains, what genre it is or what platform it uses.
Content, genre and platform are not purposes
Words such as 'has' or 'shows' describe a product's content. Calling it a poster or a website names a format or platform, and calling it a comedy names a genre. None of these explains why someone made it. A purpose answer gives the reason first, then says what the product is trying to do to its audience.
| Weak answer | Why it fails | Correct purpose answer |
|---|---|---|
| 'It has a photo of fireworks and a price.' | Describes content | 'It exists to advertise/promote the school fireworks display so that more tickets are sold.' |
| 'It is a website.' | Names a format or platform | 'It exists to inform residents about changes to bin collections.' |
| 'It is a comedy.' | Names a genre | 'It exists to entertain families on a rainy afternoon.' |
Worked example
A flyer for a beach clean-up shows the meeting point and the equipment provided. 'It has a meeting point and equipment' only describes the flyer. The correct purpose is: 'It exists to advertise/promote the beach clean-up so that more volunteers sign up.' The second half matters because it explains what the flyer is trying to achieve.
Wording your answer
Answer with one of the five purposes — advertise/promote, educate, entertain, inform or influence — then give the reason. A reliable pattern is 'Its purpose is to ... so that ...'. For example, 'Its purpose is to influence readers to view street art as a proper art form, so that the town's new mural trail gets more support from local people.' If more than one purpose could fit, choose the one that best explains why the product was made.
Practise this
OCR Creative iMedia · Purpose of Media Products