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Description
As audiences face the decision of choosing which television shows or movies to watch, they must choose between an increasingly variety of options ranging from documentary to fiction, including, news, reality television, and game shows. Uses and gratification theory proposes these audience members make the decision of what to watch based on what motivates them to consume the media in the first place. Additionally, entertainment media often affords organizations, which are the subjects of portrayal, a unique opportunity to reach a wide audience through a non-direct means. Organizations that support media entertainment productions (both fictional or reality) often do so in the hopes that it will have a positive impact on public perception of them. This study hypothesized that the difference in the saliency of an organization’s public relations efforts when it comes to entertainment media may reside in the motivational factors that drive one to consume the media in the first place. This study also proposed that there would be a difference in attitudes, behavioral intentions, and perceptions of an organization based on the genre of portrayal of the same organization. Specifically it was hypothesized that reality television depictions of an organization would have a more positive impact on public perceptions than fictional portrayals of the same organization. Using the Coast Guard’s portrayals in both Coast Guard Alaska (a reality program) and The Guardian (a fictional movie) this study revealed, contrary to the hypothesis, that fictional programming had a greater impact on organizational favorability than reality programming. Additionally, this study also revealed that companionship and social interaction motivation factors for watching reality television resulted in higher scores in organizational favorability. These findings hold important implications for the public relations community who chooses to work with the entertainment industry. While further research is required, this study identified specific motivations and genres of entertainment that led to increased organizational favorability.
