Primary Audience Research

A few months back, I tested out a magazine survey to help out with my primary audience research. I tested it first to make sure the questions were right and understandable and there was a various range to help obtain all the answers I need; open and closed questions to insure detailed and also specific answers.

I have changed it since and I will link it to social media sites (Twitter, Facebook...) to make sure I get a range of results and enough answers to make assumptions and further my secondary audience research. The link to the survey can be found here; http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WTQRGZQ

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey , the world's leading questionnaire tool.

I will also create a typed out questionnaire of the same questions to people who don't have or see the link on social media sites. I'll put some out in my Mam's shop for the customers to fill out which will again, broaden the range and target audience.

I'll wait a week or so before viewing and judging the results of the survey, which I will upload to the blog, to give time for everyone to fill out and complete the survey.

Social Grading and Demographics Research

Kerrang! - Audience = 15-34. Affordable at £2.20. 60% male audience. Class= C2/DE. 222 thousand readers.

Q - More sophisticated looking. Audience = 15-24. 266 thousand readers. Class = ABC1. 70% men readers.

NME - 132 thousand readers. Class = CD/DE. Audience = 15-34. Mainly men audience.

MOJO - 154 thousand readers. Class = ABC1. Audience = 35+. Mainly men audience.

UNCUT - Class = ABC1. Audience = 25-45. 86% male readers.

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I would like my magazine to be affordable like Kerrang! (£2.20) so everyone can buy it.

I will aim the magazine towards working class because they tend to buy more magazines according to Bauer (http://bauermediaadvertising.com/) and are less snobish and don't buy it for show or just to have - they buy it to read it.

Men mainly read magazines. I have attracted men to my magazine using Jess on the front cover, using Laura Mulvey's 'male gaze' and photoshopping make-up on her, making her look sexualized.

Main audience for music magazines is 15-25 because people are into music and you grow more sophisicates as you grow older - a magazine is more of a luxury item when you grow older but teenagers see it as a necessidy as it has their favourite band on the front and inside. I will also use slightly informal lexis to suit this target audience in my magazine.

Sources: http://bauermediaadvertising.com/   http://www.ipcmedia.com/

Textual Analysis - Double Page Spread #2

T.V. & Satellite Week 22-28 January 2011 - Double Page Spread - Being Human

Title: T.V. & Satellite
Price: £2
Frequency: Weekly

Masthead/Heading - "Fiends Reunited"
The masthead includes a clever pun- it should be 'friends' rather that 'fiends'. This could suggest rivalry between the housemates in this series.

Colours - Yellow, White, Red
The yellow in this DPS stands out against the other dull colours to show importance and boldness so the reader will read the yellow first because it stands out.
The shade of red is rather dark so it doesn't stand out much. Even the white doesn't particulary stand out. The monochrome colours match the colours of the main image so there is no clash (apart from the yellow). Red has connotations of danger which link to the masthead and the series itself. The white has connotations of purity which clashes with the series but matches Annie's costume.

Main Image - Being Human (Series 3) Characters
Mitchell is the main character that stands out in the picture. He is kneeling down possibly to show loss of power. He has a stern look on his face to suggest a dark topic. He is also leaning forward as is he is looking and reaching out for the reader. The colours of the article match his costume so it could suggest he is the main character further. His costume itself is very dark and emo with fingerless gloves and black jeans which links to his character (a vampire).
George is stood behind Nina in the main image but looks very protective over Nina to suggest love and strength. George's hand is almost clenched to show anger and again, protectiveness (over Nina). Nina in this picture looks very confused and stern, in fact, all the characters do to suggest a dark tone to the article and the show. Geroge and Nina's costume is very casual to show that they don't care much about their appearance. Nina is stood next to a first aid box which reflects her character as a nurse and also George's character as a porter. There is a stuffed dog next to Geroge and Nina which could reflect their characters as werewolves.
Annie is pictured sitting on the bed. She is looking rather stern and hunched up to show a pretective character. Her legs are slightly vanished to show that she is a ghost. The open book next to her could suggest unfinished business which links again to her character and the storyline.
The location itself is very old and rustic and is the new location used in Series 3 of the show.
There is loads of books in the bottom right hand corner with some blood and guts on top to show violence in the programme.
Each character has an arrow coming from them with a little description about their character to give the reader more information about the programme as people maybe confused if they start watching the new series without watching the previous series before.

Anchorage/Text
There is a pull quote used as anchorage in the bottom right corner which really represents the programme with it's underlying theme of death.
There is a small intro before the article to give the reader a small description what will be covered in the article. The words 'Being Human' in this intro are in bold to show the reader what T.V. show it is. There is a yellow box just before the article and under the intro which gives details of when you can see the new series so they will get more viewers and also more profit - no doubt the T.V. guide will link with T.V. channel companies.
At the start of the actual article, the first 3 words are in bold; "In a gloomy". This suggests further a dark tone to the article and programme and the different bold font suggests to read this first, otherwise the article may not make sense.

'Lacey In Limbo' Mini Article
The masthead is alliteration of 'l'. There are pictures in the article to give a sneek peek of what viewers will expect and they have captions which show what exactly is happening in the picture. Lacey Turner is a well known face (hence why she has her own short article) and the reader will want to know her role in the series. The article is in a yellow box which stands out amongst the rest of the article and suggests importance. The picture of McNair in the bottom left corner of the article stands out - the writing fits around the shape of the picture.

Section - 'Cover Story'
The article is in the very first page (apart from the contents) in the magazine which shows importance. The section 'Cover Story' also shows importance and a must read. It's also on the top left corner what section the article is in and is yellow which stands out amongst the article.

Layout
The article itself is in two clear to read columns but rather small font. The picture stands out against the article as the pictures takes up most of the DPS. People tend to look at pictures and skip the article.

Target Audience
The target audience of this particular DPS would be adults as they typically buy T.V. guides and the programme includes a lot of adult themes.

Textual Analysis - Double Page Spread (DPS)

Kerrang! - Issue 1460 6th April 2013 - Double Page Spread - My Chemical Romance

Title: Kerrang!
Price: £2.20
Frequency: Weekly

Masthead/Heading - "So long and goodnight"
The masthead is a clever use of word play and double meanings- "so long and goodnight" are lyrics from My Chemical Romance's song Helena which also links to the fact they have broken up and what the article is about.

Colours - Red, White, Black
The colours in this DPS is the same colours used in the main image which gives it an even tone with no colours that stand out (apart from the page furniture in the bottom right hand corner which is surrounded by a yellow outline which attracts attention because it stands out) and it also matches the black widow spider on the flag which both stand out on the page. Red and black have connotations of importance, bold and danger (which links to their album 'Danger Days', which artwork is featured in the background of the DPS behind the band) They are monochrome colours which fits with the article and picture well rather than something that clashes. It's pleasing to the eye.

Main Image - My Chemical Romance
The main image is close ups of all the members from My Chemical Romance. The artwork from their latest (and last :( ) album is present in the background on an American flag which is patriotic and shows that they are from America.
Gerard's hair is the same shade as the "It left fans totally numb" extra information article box background.
The band are all wearing leather jackets and have serious looks on their faces to suggest a serious tone to the article. The leather jackets typically have connotations of rock bands. Their shirts also match the colours of the article which is also very clever and they go together well.
The band are looking up at the camera (low angle) which could suggest lack of power which links to the fact they are breaking up.
Gerard is placed in the front of the band which shows that he is the lead singer and the man in charge. He's standing next to his brother Mikey which shows a relationship. Frank and Ray are in the back so less of the focus is on them. All of them are on the same height level (give or take) to suggest that they are equal dispire Gerard being in the front, and the article affects all of them.

Anchorage/Text
The quotes on this page stand out amongst the article itself. The quotes suggest a break up. It's effective having Mat Devine saying a quote about them that stands out because he too is an American singer and musician so he will know how My Chemical Romance feel and fans of theirs will check out each others music.
The only up beat quote is from Mat Devine who says "When one door closes, another opens" which suggests hope for the fans- maybe they will release solo albums. It's also a pull quote, from the article itself only bold to create importance.
"It left fans totally numb"- this makes fans read the article because it links to them.
The text is very bold and in capitals to suggest importance. The 'news' section font is quite worn out and looks rock-y which links to the magazine- all of the sections are in this font and it doesn't change which suggests an equilibrium and the audience maybe confused if it changes. The font is plain and straight forward and nothing special- no fancy typography which makes us focus on the image rather than the font.

Drops Cap
A drops cap is used at the very start of the article ("B") in a red colour to suggest importance and bold so we will be more likely to read it. It suggests a start to the article and where to start reading from.

Section - "News"
The article is in the news section of the page rather than the main features which are located near the beginning and middle because the article doesn't feature any of the band being interviewed- it's just Kerrang! talking about their past. The fact it's on a DPS in the news section suggests BIG news which it true because they have split up.

Layout
The band are in the left third of the article and most of the picture takes up one page alone so you can clearly see the band and if you flick through the pages, it will immediately catch your eye. Plus this suggests that the picture of the band is more important than the article because the pictures continues over 1 and a bit pages and the article fills up the room. The article is placed slightly over the top of the picture which could suggest a hint of importance, but the main focus is on the image.
The article is presented in three columns which is the typical DPS layout and looks easy to read which just enough text but the font size in the article is a bit small and maybe hard to read for the audience. The image in this DPS appears more important than the font due to the font size. We are more likely to look and drool over the picture than to read the article.
There's a small introduction to the article to get the audience to know what they will be reading about and the font stands out amongst the rest of the article to suggest importance and to read this first.

Target Audience
The target audience based on this DPS would be teenagers as it looks quite busy compared to other DPS's on the market. My Chemical Romance is a rock band so the audience will be rock fans plus the magazine itself covers rock bands so fans of rock will buy the magazine.

Textual Analysis - Contents #2

SFX Magazine February 2010 Issue 191 - Contents

Title: SFX
Price: Various. On average, £6.99
Frequency: Every 4 weeks

Layout
There is a collage of pictures in the centre of the contents with the different sections of the magazine and articles in bold with a small 1 sentence intro to the article so the reader will know what the article is about.

The front cover is pictures near the 'contents' to remind the reader what issue they have bought and who is on the front cover. The people on the front cover also take up most of the contents page- this suggests it must be a fairly big article with big news.

The logo of the magazine is pictured in the C of the 'contents' and also has the issue number and date below to again, remind the reader what magazine and issue of the magazine they have bought.

Page Furniture
The 'Spoiler Threat' opinion box shows the reader if the article will have any crucial plot lines. It gives the reader a warning before they read the article if they don't want any spoilers. The bottom left corner has another 'spoiler zone' box in crime scene tape colours which stands out and has connotations of danger.

There is a 'Profiles' box which includes some well known faces which will attract fans to read about them.

'5 top facts we discovered this month' in the top left corner is a little bit extra to get the reader to read and be interested in the magazine.

There is a reminder at the top of the page saying 'Have you bought your tickets yet?' in bold blue writing to get the reader to read it and 'buy their tickets' which will no doubt, be linked with the magazine.

Images

There's a big collage in the middle of the contents clearly showing what will be featured in this issue. The largest picture on the contents is the cover story to show importance. There are other images to show the reader what else will be featured.

Each image has a caption and a small intro to the article to show the reader what to expect.

The page numbers are also on each picture so the reader knows what page to flick to for that particular article.

Colours - Red, White
The main colours in this contents complement each other and go with the colours of the magazine. Red has connotations of danger, bold and importance so it catches the reader's eye. The pictures have the name of the programme in read to clearly show to the reader what article it is.
There is some use of other colours such as blue and yellow which contrast and stand out and creates importance as it makes the reader read these first. The yellow on this page is very important and wants you to read it first to prevent spoilers.

Fonts
The fonts on this page don't particularly stand out. They are all uniform and are the same. We don't want anything too fancy on the contents page because it will direct the reader's attention away from an article and confuse.

There are some bold fonts, such as the stories in each section to stand out to the reader what will be on each page.



This magazine is very expensive and even though it includes lots of articles, the layout it quite disappointing. The layout is very busy throughout which is good to some extent because it shows the reader everything about the article and the show, but it is really heavy on the eye. The target audience for this magazine which is teenagers to mid 20's may not be able to afford the magazine.

Textual Analysis - Contents

 



Kerrang! Issue 1482 September 07 2013 - Contents

Title: Kerrang!
Price: £2.20
Frequency: Weekly

Layout
The contents is in a three column layout and doesn't look too busy. There's an equal balance of pictures and text so it's easy on the eye and easy to read. Each section has a different heading. Some have a little intro to each article to show the reader what the article will be about.

Page Furniture
There is a letter from the editor in the top right hand corner that is signed by him to give the reader a bit of background to the issue and what it's about and the work involved and created a friendly and personal relationship between the reader and writer.

The issue number and the cover date is clearly shown in the top left corner so show the reader what issue they have bought and the date. It's not too big because it's not a vital part of the contents- the issue number is also normally on the front cover.

There is some magazine credits at the bottom right corner ("this issue was created with the help from...") which will get the reader to buy from these companies- it's almost like an advert. There is also a picture from Metallica's new film so it links with the genre of the magazine.

Images
There are a few pictures of the main articles to show the reader what to expect, with the page numbers clearly shown next to them so they can flick to the page that they want to read. The captions have a funny, light hearted feel to them; "Crossing your fingers for a good review are ya, Jenna?". This makes the reader read on and put a smile on their face and grabs you in, wanting you to read further. This particular caption also has some colloquial and slang language; 'ya'. This can relate to the teenager target audience this magazine has.

Having a picture of a shirtless Simon Neil attracts fans (especially of Biffy Clyro and female) to buy and read the article.

Colours - White, Yellow, Black, Red
These colours are easy to read and also bold. The yellow stands out and the main features are in this colour so it stands out. The caption of Simon Neil is also in yellow to stand out but I think it clashes with the picture and is hard to read. The black and red is bold and dark which links to the rock genre of the magazine. Having a white background makes it easier to read as having a different colour would make it too busy and clash too much, plus it wouldn't go with the colour scheme of the magazine. Having the page numbers in red makes them stand out so the reader can clearly see which page to flick to for their favourite articles they are interested in.

Fonts
The fonts are plain and bold, nothing too fancy, so the reader can clearly see the features. I really like the font 'contents' is in at the top right corner. Might use this for my magazine. It has a rough, edgy feel to it which links to the rock genre.

The fonts for the articles in each section is bold so it's easy to read and see what bands will be in the issue. The editor's letter also starts with a bold 'Hello readers' which makes the reader read the letter because it's addressed directly to them.

'Contents' - "What have we got for you lot this week? Loads!"
This again links to the target audience of teenagers as it includes some slang and colloquial language; 'you lot' and it talks directly to the reader ('you') making them read on. It also has a light hearted tone to grab the reader in and wonder what exactly is in the issue. There is an effective use of punctuation to grab the reader's attention further.