Primary Target Audience research

• I conducted some primary audience research in order to: To find out what appeals to my target audience
• To discover any flaws or potential improvements that could be made to my magazine genre.
• To identify any gaps in the market and place a refreshing new twist on the genre

 

These are the chosen products that i conducted my research on these are the questions i asked my sample:

• Who do you think the target audience is of this magazine?
• What do you think the target audience is of this magazine and why?
• What could be done to Improve this magazine?
• Do you think the use of one main image that covers the whole front page of the magazine is effective?
• Would you open and read this magazine soley off the front page of this magazine?
• Is the contents page useful? Why?
• Do you think the simple use of the colour scheme is effective in the front cover?
• Do you think the use of a picture of one page and the use of text on the other page of a double page spread is effective and would it make you likely to read it?

From the research i did, with a selective sample from my target audience i found that:
The general consensus was that the magazines i used represented the younger target audience particularly between the ages of 16-25 and Q is of More of a mainstream target audience.. Also a key point which was brought forward was that the use of colour scheme was a major pull in trying to get the audience interested and focused on the magazine, as the use of colours is what the audience look at and the bright vibrant colours used in Q represents the artists being used and if i was to use dark and dull colours it wouldn't really appeal to and engage with the required target audience. Also consistency is necessary between the front cover and contents page and keeping an 'Eye Catching' display is crucial in making the magazine a success. The use of fonts is also important getting the right contrast between the colour of the text within the masthead and side headings in relation to the main image and theme of the magazine is important so that it looks professional, consistent and so that it will make the reader want to read the magazine. Keeping a simple structure to the magazine so that it doesn't look messy and un-organised is also important.

Below is a list of stylistic decisions ill make for my project following my audience feedback:

• Consistent colour schemes and layout
• Bright Vibrant Colours
• Contrasting Fonts
• Easy to understand and follow so it needs to be simplistic
• Imposing main image
• High eyeline on Main Image
• Imposing Main Sell line

Research into a potential target audience - Secondary

Q is owned by Bauer media and this is what their audience profile is and who they target their magazine for to consume their products. Q's audience is composed of passionate, engaged and open minded music fans driven to continually discover new music - and to use this lust for discovery to influence their friends. The audience is split 75% male to 25% female and is affluent (with 68% ABC1). http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/Brands/Q/ Friday 20th January 

This shows that Q magazine is a magazine which caters for a range of people both of class and gender. They are a music magazine who aim at the higher status and more educated audience as they aim for the ABC categories whom are people who tend to be in employment. They are a magazine which aim to please its current audience and attract further fans as it seeks to give exposure to new artists and bands and styles which are making it big.

Other magazines owned by Bauer media include Kerrang although this isn't my chosen genre of magazine i could use this to compare with Q. Kerrang's audience profile is Young, individually minded and passionate consumers, an audience defined by attitude, passion and loyalty.  http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/Brands/Kerrang/ Friday 20th January

Kerrang is less of Mainstream magazine but more of a higher powered niche market magazine who focus on their specific field which is rock, and it closes itself off from other genres in which they don't represent so they are always going to be limited to the amount of people they attract unless they alter their target audience they will never really develop the way Q magazine has.

My Target audience would be similar to Q magazine as it gives my magazine more chance to expand and become more succesful. I would promote new music and give a fresh new feel to the music industry. My audience Profile is for people who are excited and engaged with music industry and are keen to experience the new experiences the music industry has to offer. My target audience would have an edge to it i would look to making the main genre of the magazine like dance and fresh music similar to example and calvin harris, so it would also feature like a dubstep type reference and audience, My magazine would be a feelgood uplifitng magazine.

The effect my research into other products will have on my product is that it will be aimed at 16-26 as this would tend to be the age range who would look into and follow the type of music magazine i am offering there would be no gender preference as that would limit the sales and chance of expansion my magazine would have. My music magazine will be made to suit a range of different music genres and not be a niche related magazine as it suit many different audiences as did Q. So my magazine will bare more resemblance to Q than kerrang as Q is a more mainstream open magazine. Bauer media should incorporate my magazine as it would give more exposure to new bands as well as an insight into how the music industry works. There would be no specific niche market to my magazine it would give most genres a similar amount of exposure to represent how all sides of the music industry are equal.

 Qs major rival is nme and here is an example of their reader profile:

Research into institutions that distribute similar products

Research into institutions that distribute similar products

View more presentations from DannyCarr17.

After looking into these products i have decided that my genre will be dance and club style music as there seems to be a gap in the market for this style and genre of music and i know that this music is highly acclaimed and succesful. So Bauer media could look into this magazine as it will appeal to a new audience and increase the company's appeal.

Prezi- textual analysis

After looking at these magazines i have learnt that my magazine needs to be consistent in layout and colour scheme and should stick to a simple three colour pallete and to use colours that contrast each other so they make each other stand out. Also the layout needs to be simple and not to cluttered on the front cover i have decided i will use one main image and one main sell line but also use a sub headline so the magazine would appeal to more people. Also the contents page could feature collums so it looks more proffesional. The double page spread will be dividing into two different pages as the first page will feature a photo and an important quote then the second page will feature the text.

Zoom in prezi to find textual analysis on front covers.

Brief

Preliminary exercise: using DTP and an image manipulation program, produce the front page of a new school/college magazine, featuring a photograph of a student in medium close-up plus some appropriately laid-out text and a masthead. Additionally candidates must produce a DTP mock-up of the layout of the contents page to demonstrate their grasp of the program.

Main task: the front page, contents and double page spread of a new music magazine.
All images and text used must be original, produced by the candidate, minimum of FOUR images per candidate.

Print Prelim Evaluation

• Does not look as proffesional as real magazines
• Images lack Proffesinalism
• Dark background makes down mood
• Not bright and vibrant 
• Qe magazine
• no relevance behind photos besides qe students
• 3 colour pallete
• Red Black and White contrasting colours make it stand out more
• Relevant picture to sell line
• Red Masthead in top left corner too small
• audience are college students aged 16-18
• male and female
• lets them know about college life and goings on and up and coming events
• Use of bold sell lines and illiteration to draw attention
• Simple easy to read layout
• Made using Photoshop and In design

Print Prelim and Evaluation