Question 5 - How did you attract/address your audience?

Evaluation

How did you attract/address your audience?

When designing my magazine, I had to be extremely conscious of how I would address my audience. There are many things to consider when deciding how to address your audience correctly, such as their age and class. At the same time, it is important to attract your audience to buy the product. This can be done by using the audience's interests. Using my survey made on SurveyMonkey and the interview I filmed, I was able to identify the interests of my audience and how I could attract them.

Using My Survey on SurveyMonkey I was able to identify different things about my audience and this therefore helps me when deciding how to address my audience.

This was the conclusion I drew from the question 'How old are you?':

"This suggests that the age group to aim my magazine at is likely to fall somewhere between the 0-16 and 17-24 categories" 

This conclusion means I know how to talk to my audience. I later revised my target audience to 15-24. I wouldn't address them extremely formally but at the same time I would not talk down to my audience. This helped me decide on the tone and general feel of my product.


This was the conclusion I drew from the question 'Please describe your race/ethnicity':

"The results show that 16 of the people who took my survey were White (British), with all other groups selected in the survey only represented by one person. This should be considered when decided who to aim my magazine at"

I used a white cover star, challenging stereotypes and attracting different audiences

As Hip Hop and RnB originate from the struggles of black people in America, they have tended to be associated predominantly with black people. The interest around arguably the most famous white rapper, Eminem, emphasises this. The results from my survey put me in a position where I would have to be conscious to make sure my magazine broke down stereotypes and was open to everyone, featuring a white cover star as well as an Asian model on the contents page. This not only helped me on how to address my audience, it helped me attract my audience because of the open nature, giving everyone interested in Hip Hop and RnB, no matter their roots and class, a chance for integration and to find social belonging.


This was the conclusion I drew from the question 'How often do you read a magazine?':

"The answers here were relatively well spread, but we did see 10 pick the option of 'slightly often'"

This helped me to decide that my audience would probably prefer a monthly release of the magazine. 


This was the conclusion I drew from the question 'What genres of music do you enjoy?':

"The results here were also quite spread. 'Dance' received the most votes closely followed by 'rock'. 'Hip Hop' and 'RnB' are two genres that could be merged in a magazine and therefore should also be considered as a highly sought-after option for my magazine"

Using this information, I took the decision to merge Hip Hop and RnB in one magazine, giving the magazine a larger demographic for its audience and a more diverse feel, this diversity continued by the aforementioned challenging of stereotypes.


This was the conclusion I drew from the question 'What attracts you most to buy a magazine?':

"The results show that interviews, images and offers are key things to place on the front cover of my magazine in order to attract buyers"

Armed with this information, I knew I had to pack my magazine with interviews, images and offers to win the war of increasing readership. I definitely included a large amount of interviews and to a lesser extent images, although I was very short in terms of offers, but all the same, I knew giving the readers what they said attracts them to buy a magazine would, unsurprisingly, attract them to buy the magazine.


This was the conclusion I drew from the question 'How much would you be willing to pay for a magazine?':

"The results to this question show a solid spread of answers but the category that just comes out on top is '£3.00-£3.99' and therefore I should consider placing my magazine on the market for the upper end of this range, maximizing profit margins and still satisfying customers"

The answers for how much people would be willing to spend were relatively spread so I chose the highest, most-common price bracket to give larger profits margins but most importantly, a price all my potential readers could afford and would willingly pay, once a month.


Using my interview, I able to further my ideas on how to attract and address my audience. The interview backed up all my original decisions made using the evidence from the survey.

Final Piece - Double Page Spread

Final Piece - Contents

Final Piece - Magazine Cover

Photography Planning

Shot 1

Location: College Art Gallery

This shot will be my cover photo. The image will be a medium close up of a male model, my friend Charlie who plays the character of KiD ViGOROUS in my magazine, facing the camera head on with an aggressive expression. The model will have their hands held in front of their face, in a praying motion. The image will follow the rule of thirds and the focus point will be the models eyes. The model could potentially be wearing a microphone around their neck.

Shot 2

Location: Power Generator in Car Park

This shot will be for the full page image in my double page spread. The image will be a long shot, full body low-angle shot. The model, Charlie, will be stood, hands in pockets making eye contact with the camera. Charlie will be wearing a coat, rucksack, jeans and trainers, an urban image being created. The power generator is surrounded by metal railings and warning signs making it a perfect urban scene, personifying the dangerous lifestyle of a rapper.

Shot 3

Location: Walkway/Wall

This shot will be for my contents page. The model will once again be Charlie. The image will be a medium close up Charlie looking in to the distance, wearing a street style outfit once again. The wall and path behind him provide a street image, with graffiti on the walls and litter on the floor, representing an earthy look at Britain and British rap.

Shot 4

Location: Graffiti-covered Wall

This shot will be used on my contents page. The shot will be a medium long shot of the model Ed, stood in front of a graffiti-covered wall, once again representing Britain, looking away from the camera with his arms folded, giving an effortless, casual look. He will be wearing a hoodie zipped up and a rucksack again, demonstrating the street culture of British hip hop.

Shot 5

Location: Storage Container in Car Park

This shot will be used on my contents page. The shot will be a medium long shot of the model, Jamal, stood in from of a storage container. The storage container gives a plain background as it is an off-white colour but it also gives an urban feel with the uses of metal, warning stickers and locks. Jamal will be stood hands in pockets, with his large jacket wide open, looking in to the distance. The long jacket and open stance are a trait of his character, producer Jamz, suggesting he has a lot to offer and is open to proposals, as a producer would be.

When I put my images into my product, I will be conscious to use the rule of thirds, positioning images accurately spaced/positioned around my pages. I did take multiple pictures of each of the shots, allowing me to choose the best shot for my product, in terms of lighting, model's appearance and a few other aspects, such as allowing for headroom on my front cover image to place a masthead.

Preliminary Magazine - College Magazine (Front Cover)

Here is the front cover from my preliminary magazine, a magazine about the college, made on Adobe PhotoShop.