2. Attracting
Each element of the magazine was carefully considered to persuade the audience to
invest their time, interest and, essentially, money on the final product.
There were many different ways in which I attracted my audience, including:
Masthead
Photographs
Colours
Free stuff and competitions
Posters
Layout
Cover lines
Price
3. Masthead
Firstly, I chose the colour purple because it is a strong and
vibrant colour and therefore appeals to teenagers searching
for fun and excitement. It is also a gender neutral colour; it
does not have any strong connotations so it attracts both
females and males. It is made from a warm colour and a cool
colour (red and blue) which adds a hint of mystery and draws
the reader’s eye. The purple colour is used throughout the
magazine, and contrasts with the white font and background:
this creates a strong brand recognition.
The gradient shading adds interest and draws the reader in,
whilst the bevel and emboss looks more exciting than just a
flat square: it adds a 3D element which makes it jump off the The tagline attracts the
page. audience because it adds a
sense of exclusivity, so the
The hash tag on the page appeals to a teenage audience target audience will not want
because it relates to twitter, a very popular social networking to miss out on any of the
site. This means that they will relate the magazine to the news or features appearing in
success of twitter and want to read more about it. the magazine. The
exclamation mark adds to the
sense of excitement.
4. Images
The images used throughout the magazine were chosen to
appeal to a teenage target market.
I placed the picture of this girl on the front cover, because
she is the same age as the teenagers, therefore they will be
attracted to the magazine as they will see her as a familiar,
relatable figure. She appeals to a female audience as
teenage girls like to have female role models my artist is
someone who they can aspire to be like. The fact that she is
pouting seductively appeals to a male audience following
Laura Mulvey’s theory of the Male Gaze.
She is staring directly into the camera, appealing to the
audience as it seems she is making direct eye contact with
them. This draws them in, making the target market want to
buy the magazine.
Her hair is perfectly styled and she is wearing lots of make-
up, appealing to teenage girls because they can aspire to
look like her. This is similar to the image used as a free
poster, she is wearing a dress and pulling a girly pose,
therefore appealing to an audience who will engage with
photos of attractive models.
5. Font
For the headline I chose a font that is very simple
and in bold, so that it stands out on the page.
Teenagers are known to have short attention
spans and like things that are easy to read; a
complicated font would have been unappealing to
them. I decided to make the font black rather than
a different colour, because I didn’t want another
bold colour clashing with the purple colour. These
chaotic colour schemes are more appealing to
younger teenagers and pre-teens. The colour
black stands out against the background of the
image, and the white stroke emphasises the text
and attracts the reader.
On the contents page, I similarly chose a simple
font with my teenage market in mind as they are
more attracted to text that is easily readable. I
also made the page numbers and the name of the
artist in bold to attract the eyes of the target
audience so that they are able to flick through
straight to the page, and to the artist that they are
most interested in.
6. Freebies
One thing that my research found was the fact that the
young people surveyed said that the second biggest
influence for buying a music magazine is the posters
and the freebies.
Therefore I decided to add a banner along the bottom
with some example posters because it is clearly
something that the target audience want to see. I have
included a variety of different artists on the posters so
that they will be sure to appeal to a grass roots
audience. This will attract the audience because they
will want to buy the magazine so that they can stick the
posters up on their walls.
I also included a competition where the readers can win
a new iPad Mini. This will appeal to the audience
because of the constant peer pressure to own the latest
gadgets, so they will want to show off to their friends.
This will encourage them to purchase the magazine to
be given the chance to win an expensive piece of Apple
technology. The fact that it is purple adds to the appeal
by making it exclusive and associated with the staple
colour of the magazine.
7. Information
finding out about relevant
events and conditions in
immediate surroundings,
society and the world
seeking advice on practical
matters or opinion and
decision choices
Uses and Gratifications Theory
satisfying curiosity and
general interest
This focuses on why people use
learning; self-education
Personal Identity
particular media rather than looking at
finding reinforcement for
the content of that media. personal values
finding models of behaviour
identifying with valued other
(in the media)
McQuail (1987) gives some common
Integration and Social Interaction
reasons for media use.
gaining insight into
circumstances of others;
social empathy
identifying with others and
gaining a sense of belonging
finding a basis for
conversation and social
interaction
having a substitute for real-
life companionship
Entertainment
escaping, or being diverted,
from problems
relaxing
getting intrinsic cultural or
aesthetic enjoyment
8. How does the Uses and Gratification
Theory apply to my product?
Information: Teenagers will want to read my magazine to learn new
things about their idols that are featured in my magazine. They will read
about topics like singles, albums and festivals, and learn about how
certain artists became interested in music and what inspires their song
writing.
Personal Identity: Another reason why teenagers will want to read my
magazine is for personal identity. Many teenagers have self esteem
issues and just want to feel as though they belong; the readers can
engage with my magazine because they identify with the clothes that the
artists wear and they can relate to the problems that they talk about. This
attracts the young people as they realise that they are not alone and even
celebrities have problems.
Entertainment: Possibly the main reason why people consume music
magazines is for entertainment. Young people are known for becoming
bored easily, but my magazine will be saturated with exclusive features
and content that they will want to read about. They may also purchase the
magazine for escapism, it can be more exciting to read about someone
else’s life then think about your own problems, especially when they are
famous and have lots of interesting stories and ideas.
Social Interaction: Lastly, most teenagers have friends with similar
music tastes and interests to them, and this magazine will allow peer
groups to discuss any articles or competitions that they have read. This
gives them more topics of conversation and allows the teenagers to relate
to each other.
9. Addressing
o Once the audience had been attracted then they were addressed by the
magazine.
o The audience for #1 were addressed both visually and through written elements
throughout the magazine.
o Some ways that I addressed the audience was by:
The writing style
Images
The ratio of text to pictures.
10. Writing Style
There are certain lexis that I chose as I thought that they would
appeal more to the target audience. For example on the Contents
page I said 'mates', 'dates' and 'pet hates.‘ The playful rhyming
sounds informal and attracts the audience because it sounds like
text language and how they address each other. Other synonyms I
could have used for mates are friends, colleagues, acquaintances,
and companions, but these would have appealed more to an older
audience. The informal language I chose reflects the way that
teenagers talk to each other, therefore the magazine become more
relevant to them.
The omission of the full stops on the contents page also adds to the
sense of informality as standard grammar rules are not being
followed. This shows that I am addressing the audience as they
would address each other, and making them engage more with the
magazine. The use of the exclamation mark makes the writing style
seem quite excitable, therefore addressing them in a way that
mirrors the amount of energy that stereotypically hyper teenagers
seem to have.
The use of the code of enigma, 'who really is this girl?' on the front
cover addresses the audience in an informal way, enticing them to
buy the magazine to find the answer to the question posed.
11. Ratio of text to images
The ratio of images to text on a page highlights how the
audience is being addressed.
On my contents page, I decided to use more pictures then
writing, because younger people stereotypically do not
want to read a lot of writing; if there was a big block of text
about what is featured in the magazine then they just
would not read it. I have addressed them mainly through
the photos because they appeal more to a teenage
audience, and the page references allow them to easily
flick through to the page that most excites them.
The canted image on the contents page addresses the
audience's stereotypically rebellious nature and dislike of
too much formal structure. It isn't neatly lined up and
justified; it does not conform to conventions of other
magazines aimed at an older readership. This is similar to
the images used on the banner on the font cover: the
random angling of the small images appeals to the
teenagers’ liking of informal structures.
12. Images
The visual elements in a magazine can be used to address the audience in
different ways.
I have chosen to use a male model, as he can address the teenage girl
market who like to see boys that they can fancy in magazines. It also it
addresses the male side of the target audience, who can be inspired by him
and his music.
The location used is an urban setting, with a brick wall visible in the
background. This communicates the rebellious nature of kids in the street
and is seen as being cool and fashionable. It makes the character more
relatable, as he appears like a person who has grown up in the same areas
as some of the target audience will have. He has become famous and
successful, so it gives the audience the inspiration to follow their dreams.
He is not looking at the camera, and is slouched against the wall, not
pulling a particular pose. This makes the shot seem more natural and
shows that this artist is a real character: he is a person that the audience
can relate to, not just a celebrity who seems perfect looking and
inaccessible.
He is wearing a hoodie and baggy jeans, all popular styles with the target
audience, so he becomes a celebrity who is relevant and relatable to them.
