Audience Feedback

Audience Feedback by

This is feedback that I have received from my classmates who also fit my target audience, therefore they have been able to give me feedback from a readers point of view as well as analysing it from a media perspective. The feedback gained from this task has allowed me to understand what I would do differently if I were to do this coursework again.

AS Media Music Magazine

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product? (7/7)

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing of the product? (6/7)

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing of the product? 

In order to create my magazine I have used both InDesign and Photoshop.

Once I had finished my planning, I used a 50mm, 1.8f Prime Lens on a SLR camera and did a photo shoot on location. The location I used had a graffiti background on the walls; therefore the depth of field lens was very useful to ensure that the focus was put on my model, Jade rather than solely on the background. The digital camera allowed me to take as many images as the memory card could store (which is much more than a film camera) and I was also able to instantly view each photograph as I took it.

Once I uploaded the photographs onto my computer using a USB card reader, I chose the images that I wanted to use in my magazine and opened them in Photoshop then used the ‘action’ tool to add the ‘cool photo’ effect on my chosen images. This effect enhances the colours in the photographs and makes them look more effective due to the several colours from the graffiti. In addition the effect adds a slightly yellow hue on top of the images, giving them an authentic feel. I decided to add the effect on all of the images in order to give my magazine a sense of continuity.

Following this, I created a blank InDesign document and added a front cover, contents page and 3 double page spreads. Using the ‘master page’ tool I added the date and website to the bottom of all of the double page spreads and started the layout of each page. Using the ‘master page’ tool made it much easier for me to ensure that the date and website are in the exact same position on each page, which would have been time consuming if I was to do it manually.

First I decided to place the text into the document using the ‘File-Place’ action as I had already written my article. Next I used the text wrap tool to wrap the text around my images once I placed them onto the double page spreads. I used the border and drop shadow tools to add a white border around each image to ensure that they all stand out.

Once the images and text had all been placed onto the double page spread, I decided to add in my pull quotes. To do this, I wrote the quote out and used the ‘justify’ tool to ensure that the words were equally spread out. I them made the key work in the quote bigger and changed the colour to a bluey-green colour that I created using the colour swatch tool. I them used the line tool to add a line above the quote and held down Ctrl and Alt in order to replicate the line and place it below the quote. The text wrap tool helped me to wrap the text around the pull quote easily. I used another tool to make the first letter of the article bigger and added a box of the same bluey-green colour around the first letter to make it stand out. I then went back to the ‘master page’ and added ‘Jade McClune’ to the top left side of the double page spreads. I then added page numbers to each page using the text tool.

For the first of my double page spreads I used the opacity tool to make the box around the introduction opaque so that you can see the photograph behind it and the italics tool to make the quote slanted. Moreover, on the last page of my double page spread I added a black box at the end of the article and used the text tool to make ‘The Base Verdict’ the same font as my masthead (Capture It). I then print-screened the BBC Maida Vale logo that says ‘BBC introducing,’ and placed it onto the page. Using the border tool I put the bluey-green border around it.

On the final page I placed a full bleed photograph of Jade then used the box tool to place three red boxes in which I used the text tool to write Jade’s reviews of other artists. I used the border tool to create a white dotted border around the box and changed the colour of the key phrases in the text from black to white to highlight them.

For the contents page I used the place tool to add images onto the pages and also added small boxes of text. I used the text wrap tool to wrap the text and page numbers around the image that they related to. Using the line tool I separated different parts of the page, such as the cover story and the regular features. I used the shape tool to add a round button on top of one of the images and added a drop shadow to make it look more effective.

For the front cover I placed in a photograph of Jade from a studio shoot after using the blur tool on Photoshop to remove some imperfections and the colour range tool to remove the background. I then used the text tool to add in my masthead: BASE in the Capture It font. I increased the size so it takes up the majority of the width then added other sell lines in another font, making the descriptions in grey and the main titles in both grey and the bluey-green shade (using the colour swatch tool). I then placed in the barcode as well as using the text tool to write the slogan, issue number, prices and date.

In my opinion InDesign has made it much easier for me to create this magazine as the text wrap tool comes in use very often and makes it much easier to create an article that looks realistic. The professional look has definitely been achieved by using the same software that is used to make real magazines. Also I liked using the actions tool on Photoshop to add effects to the images as it adds many layers of effects to create interesting photographs in the click of a button.

How did you attract/address your audience? (5/7)

How Did You Attract Your Audience by

How did you attract/address your audience?

The target audience of my magazine is both male and female teenagers and young adults aged 15-25 of the social classes BC1 and C2, who are interested in urban music.

The genre of music that my magazine is based on is known to be slightly edgy and possibly controversial, therefore in order to appeal to my target audience, the articles in my magazines will not all be positive (like in a pop magazine) but will deal with more in-depth controversial stories and topics in the urban industry.

I have also tried to attract my audience through the aesthetic look of my magazine. On the front cover I have used a close –up of my model, Jade who is wearing ‘Beats by Dr. Dre’ headphones. This is a brand that will appeal to my target audience; therefore they will be able to identify with my magazine, according to the uses and gratifications theory. Furthermore, I have mentioned that there is a Smartphone app available, as well as a website, Facebook page and Twitter account. This will encourage audiences to stay tuned into my magazine as my target audience would be very involved in the ‘digital revolution’ and would want to be able to get information from my magazine wherever they are. These social networking accounts will also help my audience to build personal relationships with other readers of my magazine as they will have their love for the urban genre in common. In addition, with stores like HMV closing down, it is obvious that digital programs are  becoming increasingly popular that traditional methods of listening to music or reading, therefore I want to make sure that my magazine can be reached digitally as well as physically in order to appeal to a wider audience.

Moreover, most of the images have been taken with the graffiti in the background which is very representative of urban music and the urban genre as a whole which would allow audiences to identify with the genre of the magazine straight away.

The tone of my magazine is not very critical or harsh, but relaxed which is an imitation of urban music. However, much like urban music, the article is also very honest and informative, which my target audience would appreciate.

The sell lines in my magazine are very catchy and honest, rather than sugar-coated like in a pop magazine or harsh and slightly intimidating like in a rock magazine. These sell lines will encourage audiences to buy my magazine as they will feel like they are getting exclusive information about my magazine. Furthermore, the article in my magazine has extra sections such as Jade’s review on other artists, as well as a review of her album and live performances. As well as making the readers feel like they are getting extra, exclusive information, it will entertain them as it is the artist’s candid, personal opinion that they may not be able to find in any other magazine. This personal response allows readers to not only enjoy reading the magazine, but to also feel as though they have a relationship with the artist as they are getting ‘insider’ information on them.

Who would be the audience for your media product? (4/7)

Who would be the audience for your media product?

The target audience for my media product would be teenagers and young adults, of both genders, aged 15-25 of the social classes BC1 and C2. My magazine would be read by readers who are interested in urban music, artists and culture. This is different to most music magazines as they usually appeal more to males than females as there is a smaller range of magazines for men, whereas lifestyle and fashion magazines (that are extremely popular in the magazine industry) are available to women.

 I have chosen to target my magazine to the social class BC1 and C2, as I believe they are the ones who will be willing to spend money on a magazine, and they would not consider £3.99 to be very expensive. They would also be the ones who would have the time to engage in urban music and be interested in the latest news about this genre. Higher social classes would probably not see the music magazine to be a necessity and may not have the time to read the magazines due to their busy careers and social lives. Also, lower social classes would probably consider buying a magazine as a waste of money as their focus would be on paying the bills, therefore buying a magazine would be a rare luxury and they would not be frequent readers.

My typical reader would shop at clothing stores such as River Island and Bank and would buy music online, through applications such as iTunes, rather than buying CDs. Therefore, I will ensure that my magazine is on popular Social Networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook, as well as a website and Smartphone application in order to ensure that my target audience can engage in my magazine, no matter where they are, or what they are doing. For example, on the website for my magazine, readers will be able to get the latest information about the newest issue of my magazine. They will also be able to read the main articles that appear in the magazine and there will be fun quizzes and games for the readers to engage in, when visiting the website. On the Twitter account there will be small clues about the main articles that would be leaked, up until the newest issue is released. There will also be 'backstage' information and photographs about things such as the photo shoots that happen for the magazine. This will not only make my magazine seem current and up-to-date with the latest online trends, but it will also allow me to see the Urban artists 'tweets' about their careers and lives that I could use in the upcoming articles.

The readers would be slightly edgy and risky, just like the artists that are written about. This will allow them to identify with the artists in the articles, which will hopefully encourage them to become frequent readers. Also, their care-free attitudes would mean that they will not be offended by ‘taboo’ words or the artists’ questionable opinions.

What kind of institution might distribute your media product and why? (3/7)

What kind of institution might distribute your media product and why?

There are four main distribution companies in the magazine industry. They are: IPC Media, Bauer Media, Condé Nast & Hearst (National Magazine Company).

IPC is one of the leading distributers with more than 60 iconic media brands such as Marie Claire and Ideal Home. ‘IPC creates content for multiple platforms, across print, online, mobile, tablets and events. We engage with 26 million UK adults - almost two thirds of UK women and over 40% of UK men.’ Due to its large consumer platform, IPC would be a good choice, however they also distribute the extremely popular NME magazine, which is also a music magazine, therefore they would not want to distribute my magazine as well. This is because they would be marketing two competing magazines towards a very similar market, and distribution companies do not usually like to create competition within their companies. This is why NME is the only music magazine that they distribute. However, it would be possible to convince the company to distribute my magazine as I could pick up on the fact that NME and my magazine, Base are targeted towards different markets as they are completely different genres.

Bauer Media is another company which states that they ‘reach over nineteen million UK adults every week’. However, like IPC, Bauer distributes other music magazines already. However they don’t just distribute one music magazine, but several very well known magazines such as Q and Kerrang! For that reason, I do not think that Bauer would be willing to distribute my magazine because even though they have lots of experience in distributing music magazines, I would want a company where my magazine was the only music magazine of its kind, therefore all of the marketing can be focused on my magazine alone.

Hearst Magazines UK is the largest digital publisher in the UK. They reach 1 in 6 UK adults and their portfolio comprises of 20 magazines, such as the well known ELLE, Cosmopolitan, Esquire, Company and Harpers Bazaar. Most of the magazines that they distribute seem to be focused towards women and seem to be either lifestyle of fashion magazines. However, they are branching out to other genres such as Digital Spy and Country Living. I believe that Hearst (NMC) could be a very good distributer for my magazine as they do not have any other music magazines in their brand list, therefore may want to expand their brand range by distributing my urban music magazine. Also, the magazines that they already distribute are extremely successful and well known, which depicts their knowledge at getting a magazine’s name into the public’s knowledge, which could benefit my magazine.

Lastly, there is the world famous Condé Nast, which is probably best known for distributing Vogue magazine, one of the world’s leading fashion magazines, as well as GQ, Glamour and Easy Living. The company is renowned for distributing high-class, elite, glamorous magazines, and usually focus on the fashion and lifestyle genres; therefore I am unsure whether they would be willing to expand into the music magazine industry. Although, my magazine is also quite stylish and glamorous even though it is about music, therefore this might encourage Condé Nast to distribute it.

After considering all of the distribution companies, I would like Condé Nast to distribute my magazine because I think the name of the company itself and its reputation will boost the public knowledge of my magazine, and hopefully the marketing strategies that have boosted magazines such as GQ and Vogue will also make my magazine the best Urban music magazine in the industry. However, I think that Hearst may be more likely to want to distribute my magazine as they distribute digital spy and netdoctor.com magazines which portrays how they do not just stick to women’s and lifestyle magazines, therefore they may be more likely to want to distribute a music magazine than Condé Nast.

I assume that the distribution company would distribute my magazine by using new media and web 2.0, for example through social networking websites such as YouTube, Twitter and Facebook in order to reach my target audience. They might also advertise the magazine in other magazines that they distribute by having an A4 advertisement poster within the magazine. Furthermore, by getting my magazine to sponsor events and through public relations, they would create a ‘buzz’ around my magazine, encouraging potential readers to buy it.