The questionnaire showed that the target audience for the magazine was mostly male aged 16-17, and blue was the favorite color. However, the questionnaire had flaws and limited responses. The focus groups provided more useful insights. They found that readers enjoyed learning about the instruments, pictures of bands, tour dates, and facts. Readers wanted the magazine to cover different eras and styles of rock music. Both the interviews and focus groups suggested including free items, interviews, and easy to read writing to attract and engage readers.
1. Task 8 - Audience Research Summary
Questionnaire
The questionnaire showed that the gender of my audience was mostly male
but there were a few females in the audience. All of the people who answered
were between 16 and 17 but this was a flaw in my results as this was the only
age group I asked. In the audience the favourite colour and colour they liked to
see was blue with two out of six results. Followed by red, violet/indigo, purple
and orangeall with one point each. This should be cleared up in my focus
group interviews. The favouriteband/artist question didn’thelp much either as
the only rock band on there was AC/DC. Only one person in my group actually
read music magazines but once again my focus group interviews explain their
thoughts on magazines much better. The one person who did read magazines
said they like them becauseit is easy reading so I should keep my magazine
simple as it will make people like it better. Half of my audience liked rock music
but the other half didn’tso there results will haveto be taken with a grain of
salt and aren’t that helpful. Most people liked rock music from either early on
or morerecent so my magazineshould focus on all types of rock music, right
fromthe fifties onwards. In regardsto if they liked loud rock soft rock or both
the results weretied so this agrees with beforethat I should focus on all types
of rock. Mostpeople said they liked free items in a magazine so I should
advertisea free CD or poster on my cover to draw people in. They also said
they liked interviews so I will make suremy double page spread is an interview.
Focus Group
The focus groups werevery helpful as it told me what people liked about rock
magazine. For example I first learned whatpeople liked about rock music. I
asked them this so that I knew what type of rock music to include or whatto
include for example is they liked the instruments I could have an idea of what
to add on the frontsuch as an interview about what instruments artists liked to
use. Frommy firstinterview I learned that they liked the instruments that were
used in rock music. They weredrawn to the pictures and they liked the
pictures used in a magazine. They wasn’treally bothered about whatwas in
the magazinejustthat it was rock music. He expected the artist to look
friendly. He liked that the frontcover was surrounded by information and that
the contents page was structured. He liked the double page spread having a lot
of information and a big picture.
2. My second interview was with two people. The firstsaid that they liked the
tune and sound of rock music and the second said she liked the pace. When
asked what they liked in a rock magazinethe firstsaid shelike lots of
information such as tour dates and the second said they like lots of pictures
and easy to read writing. When asked what draws them to a magazinethe
cover and picture drew in both of my interviewees. In a rock magazine the
both expected to get tour dates and facts. When they were asked whatwould
make them buy a rock magazinethe firstsaid shewould wantfreebies and the
second wanted facts and tour dates. They both expected the image of the
artist to be close up or low angle. When asked about the frontcover they both
liked how the artist was presented and the fonts. They both liked the neatness
and detail of the contents page. They also agreed that they liked the organised
formatof the double page spread and how much information there was.
My third interview liked that rock music was a lot different to other genres of
music and they liked the images used in a rock magazineas he liked to see the
artists. When asked whatdrew him to a magazine he said that the price was a
major factor and he said that he would buy a rock magazineif it had specific
information on one artist. He would expect the artist to look powerfulon the
frontcover and he would expect it to be a low angle. When asked about the
magazine pages they said they liked the photos on all of them and how they
portrayed the artist. He also liked the neatness of the contents page and layout
of the double page spread.
My fourth interview liked the tune of rock music and the instruments used.
They liked getting freebies in a rock magazine but would be drawn to one if it
featured a lot of information and interviews. In a rock magazine he expected to
find out information about a lot of bands and he would buy the magazine if it
featured this with freebies as well. He expected the artistto havea close up so
you could see them clearly and this is what he liked aboutthe frontcover.
When asked about the contents page he liked the layout of the page and he
also liked the layoutof the double page spread.
My fifth and final interview liked the loudness and sounds of rock music. She
liked getting lots of pictures in a rock magazineand that is also what draws her
into a magazine. She expected to get lots of interviews in a magazinebut it
would be the price that would decide if she boughtthe magazine. They
expected to have the picture of the artist to be a closeup or low angle. She
liked how the front cover was very central and the information was around the
3. picture. They liked how the contents page was simple which made it effective.
Finally they liked all the information that was available on the double page
spread.