research on magazines

1. Magazine Research
By Ruby Hooper

2. List of magazines to look at:
• Cosmopolitan – United States - http://www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/
• Dazed & Confused – United Kingdom - http://www.dazeddigital.com/
• InStyleUK – United Kingdom (originally from the USA) - http://www.instyle.co.uk
• British Vogue – United Kingdom - http://www.vogue.co.uk/ - printed magazine
• Teen Vogue – United States – www.teenvogue.com - printed magazine
• Architectural Digest – United Kingdom - http://www.architecturaldigest.com
• Ideal Home – United Kingdom – http://www.housetohome.co.uk/idealhomemagazine - printed
magazine
• Living Etc – United Kingdom - http://subscribe.livingetc.co.uk - printed magazine
• Elle Décor – United Kingdom - http://www.elledecor.com

3. Cosmopolitan originates from the United States but is an
international magazine and is available in the United Kingdom.
This is because Hearst Magazines UK brings the product to us.
This magazine features an awful lot about celebrities, including
their latest gossip, fashion updates and beauty products they
use or may be the face of. Other things that are featured are
‘real life shock stories’ and the latest one is “How my
boyfriends cheating almost killed me” these stories are about
real readers of Cosmopolitan. There is a body and health
section in the physical magazine and this section is clearer and
more detailed on the online magazine. This gives the reader
advice on weight loss, hormones, fitness training and ways to
lead a healthier lifestyle. There is also side sections to the
magazine such as ‘Love & Sex’. ‘Horoscopes’ and ‘Worklife’
which gives tips on money saving techniques, things people
wish they knew before entering their line of work and also
confessions about where people work.
The following information has been found from the United
Kingdom’s statistics. The median age of people who purchase
Cosmopolitan Magazine are aged 28, with 64% of the
audience being middle class and their target audience are
female readers.

4. Title (feminine
colour)Colour
contrast
Attention grabbing
Slanted to clearly show it is related to
the number. It’s a cheeky yet subtle
statement which shows it is a
magazine for adult woman as this
would be inappropriate on a
teenagers magazine.
Fills negative space
Unfinished sentence entices
the audience to read further
Humorous and casual
language making the
magazine personal.
Subject of the cover
Orange colour so orange text ties
the image together.
Details on the variety within
the article
Details on the article and the
numerous similar stories
Signature styled font to relate
to the subject
Attention grabbing and
relates to the focal image and
‘Miley’
A celebrity that the target audience
is aware of or has an interest in

5. Dazed and Confused is a magazine that is very Old England. All of the models are
quirky and different with Twiggy appearing as inspiration throughout each
photograph. It follows an alternative punky feel by having a very blocky-simple
layout.
This magazine does not only specialize in fashion but another main focus is art and
artistic photography. Dazed and Confused also has a music section which
features older artists and older songs which a sprinkle of more recent artists (its
more gossip on the recent, mainstream, chart artists.) Because of the older
music the magazine is featuring it adds to the old school theme that is set
throughout.
The following information has been taken from MagLab’s
statistics from March 2015. The price of Dazed and
Confused is reasonable at £4.50 a copy when only six
issues are released each year. The magazine is not gender
specific but the majority of advertising is aimed at
females because this is their most popular audience with
only a third being male. Dazed and Confused has a target
audience of people aged 18 to 30 with the median being
19 years old, people purchasing this magazine have most
likely attended college or an art college or are still in this
type of education. MagLab’s research states that Dazed
and Confused has an audience between middle class and
standard working class.
The arts and culture section of the magazine is exactly
what it says, there’s a great mixture of cultural views
and unusual things that current artists are creating. It
is also filled with weird pointless facts and images
that are actually interesting. The website is not so
much like a magazine but it is set out like a blog,
there are persistent, daily updates that include GIF
files and JPEG’s which really brings the website to life.
Dazed and Confused is a magazine that praises the
weird and wonderful from the past and current day.
Yo-Landi Visser is a unique
singer from Die Antwoord.
She has created her own
individual style.
Dazed and Confused
showing their appreciation
and love for Caitlyn Jenner.

6. Colour
contrast
Colour
contrast
Issue number
Information on designers that are
featured in the magazine.
Clever use of text as the
text is placed on the
darker side of the page.
Full title
Extra information within the
magazine.
Symmetrical to the full title
Contrasting and balanced to
the opposite side.
Two sides to a person
Clean line of
difference
Contrasting and balanced to
the opposite side.
Negative space emphasizes
the image
Because there is more writing on the
left side of the cover the audiences
attention is automatically drawn to that
side because there is more going on in
the layout and the photograph.
The audience wants to see
the full person
Ironic because everything in
the cover is black and white
These assets are in bold to draw
attention to each one and also to show
it is a title as the font is quite close
together.
A character the target
audience will find interesting.

7. InStyle UK came from InStyle that is based in the United States. Unlike
other big fashion magazines, this one does not feature a great
deal of popular celebrities, this makes the audience feel more
real.
The main sections in this magazine are: fashion, celebrity, hair and beauty. The celebrity section is not as
famous as it appears, it is full of celebrity news but it is classy and informative. The fashion is up to date
and summery, featuring photographs of Kate Middleton, a loved one of the nation. There are loads of
sections inside of the fashion menu, this help the audience find exactly what they are looking for online,
it is confusing I must admit as some articles are placed in incorrect sections which leads to confusion on
where I actually am on the site. In the printed magazine these assets are spread amongst the magazine
to give it a better flow. The shop that can be found both online and in the magazine ranges from higher
priced products and lower costing ones, this gives a great variety and it is easy to navigate. The magazine
is exactly what it says on the cover, classy, professional and informative of the ‘In Style’ at the moment.
The following information has been taken from InStyle’s statistics. The
most people that read InStyle are aged between 35 and 54, this is
41% of their audience with a median age of 38. The magazine does
not state which class their audience is in but it presents the
information in household income, 65% of their audience earns
between $50,000 and $60,000 which is as low as the magazine
states with 25% of their audience earning over $100,000 which is
not surprising as the magazine is available in the UK for £13.99 a
month for one magazine. It is interesting that the majority of
InStyle’s audience is Single/Separated/Divorced/Widowed with 47%
of their audience married.
This is found on the main page on ‘Most
Popular’ to give the audience choice in
what they read.

8. Colour contrast and basic
shape to attract attentionMatches the focuses
dress
Emphasis on the word
‘amazing’
A large amount of red and bigger font
draws attention to the large number
which encourages the audience to
read further.
Colour difference to draw
attention to the extra
information
Matching colour to the dress
and background of the title to
draw in the image
Subject of the cover
Orange colour so orange text ties
the image together.
Repetition of the colour gold
Exaggeration to sound
appealing
Bold and dark contrasting text
Colour contrast
A celebrity that the target audience
is aware of or has an interest in
Model on the cover and what
is featured about her in the
magazine.

9. British Vogue appeals to the United Kingdom a lot more than the United
States’ Vogue, the main reason behind this is because Vogue as a
whole is all about fashion and celebrities. Because the fashion and
weather is very different in America to England, the British Vogue
informs the reader about British fashion. Of course the magazine
still features information on international designers and fashion
shows etc.
The magazine features recommended shops that suit to certain styles.
The magazine is released monthly so there is a lot of variety
between each release as fashion is changing all of the time. Vogue
is well known for featuring famous celebrities and does so every
release, it informs you of their current style and what parties they
have attended wearing what. Because Vogue is a classy magazine
the writers do not do things like “who wore it better” like gossip
magazines do. Vogue is also like a Fashion Newspaper because
there is a News section which is filled with articles about what is
happening in the fashion world. The online magazine is filled with
loads of articles and sections that take you off to different pages, its
difficult to navigate around but interesting that the audience can
view every issue there has been.
The following information is from Vogue’s media kit and it states that
the median age of their audience is 38½ with only 13% of their
audience being male. 28% of their audience is in professional or
managerial employment which is oddly surprising as Vogue has a
higher class audience as each issue is reasonably priced and even
better value if subscribing to a number of issues but the products
they advertise and promote are expensive.Summer season dress 2015
Summer season shoes 2015

10. Matches the details within
the models dress
Signature to make a personal
connection with the model to
the audience
Negative space
Subject of the cover
Mentions what information is featured
Matches the title colour
Capital letter to draw
attention the the name
Stylish font to fit with the classy
theme of the magazine
Colour contrast
A celebrity that the target audience
is aware of or has an interest in
Placed appropriately for the
shapes within the photograph
and rhyming makes it
memorable
Reference to the photograph
Model covers the magazine title but because it is well known
the title is still obvious. It also makes the cover appear more
like a photograph than a magazine cover
Related to the photograph

11. Teen Vogue is not A4 sized like other fashion magazines, it is smaller to
allow it to fit into a handbag easier. Teen Vogue is based in the United
States.
Teen Vogue is a teenage version of Vogue and the main focuses are
fashion and celebrities, the magazine also features information on the
latest entertainment and includes information on current events and
issues across the world. Teen Vogue is similar to Vogue Magazine, it
talks about the latest fashion but amongst teenagers. Because the
magazine is for teenagers there is a lot more younger assets within
the layout such as gossip articles, school advice…
In this particular cover the title has been
colourised to give the image a split down
the centre but match the other side.
…relationship advice, interior design ideas and the latest in the entertainment business. This magazine
shows the audience weather suitable fashion but keeping it classy and not revealing due to the
younger readers.
Teen Vogue appeals to a similar audience as Vogue does, both of their audiences are of a higher class,
this is clear because the clothing brands suggested are expensive with no cheaper alternative.
Although the magazine states it appeals to teenagers, the median age of the printed magazine is
aged 24 (this is actually 14 years younger than Vogue – having this magazine attracts a younger
audience who may begin purchasing Vogue when they are older) 54% of their audience are
currently attending college or university while this was not an option for Vogue magazine. On Teen
Vogue’s online magazine the median age is 28 and actually 12% of their audience are males.
On average, £38.Expensive for an average teenager.

12. The same colour as the models
outfit on the right
Raising awareness of a
competition and event
Subjects of the cover
Different font to draw attention and
emphasize the large number
Bold text because it’s the
models on the cover and they
are featured
Underlined to emphasize what
is featured in the magazine
Larger text and softer font to
attract attention with a faded
background to soften the contrast
Bold Title and basic shape to
attract attention with extra to fill
the negative space
Title
Large text to show the main
feature in the magazine
‘expert’ shows its professional
The same colour as the models outfit on the left
Exclamation mark to make it
exciting and a big deal
Outlined with white to draw attention
and soften the text
Matches the colour of the dress to
link them closely, it makes the
audience look at the models skin

13. Architectural Digest is filled with images of houses and their décor that fit every season. Every photograph is bright and the
room is most often filled with natural lighting. The photograph is taken at an angle that makes each room or house look
spacious and everything is in proportion.
This magazine features houses all across the world and they present the aesthetically pleasing ones to you. Every single
photograph is clutter free to make the images passive, this draws attention to particular assets within the image. These
photographs are not intended for the audience to have their attention brought to a specific focal point but they allow
the reader to venture round the photos alone and see what they like. The captions with the images give the reader a
pointer towards where they can purchase specific items etc, this is extremely helpful as it makes it easy to create a
similar room for yourself, a problem is that when the product is quirky and different it can be a struggle to find an
alternative when the product suggested can be out of the audiences price range. The magazine also features captions
that state the uses of the products within the image, you can also search for things you are looking for when browsing
online, an example of this is looking for storage space that looks classy. There is also a section on the online magazine
that features celebrities that are selling their homes, this is interesting to see their homes and their asking price.
The following information has been taken from Architectural Digest’s statistics. 40% of the
audience who purchase the printed magazine are aged 35 to 54, the other 60% is not
stated. Architectural Digest is positive that 40% of their audience are male while 60%
are female, this shows that the majority of the audience are females. 38% of the
audience that purchase the magazine have a professional or managerial role in their
job, this is logical as the rooms and houses are expensive.
The statistics state that online, 53% of their audience is ages between 35 and 54 and
more males view the online magazine than females, 53% are male while 47% are
female.

14. Matching coloured border to
give the image a shape
Brad Pitt’s home in New Orleans
Subjects of the cover
Due to the background in this area
of the image being blue, the text
is less clear but still affective.
Descriptive and the rest of the
sentence – gives the audience
further information on what
features in the magazine.
Title
Not in focus so the attention
is not drawn to it
Negative area to give the
photograph space
Same colour as the rest of the font
Date of the issue
Same colour as the font but a different shade
to draw in the image with the text
Bigger and bolder to draw attention
to the magazine

15. Ideal Home is an interior design magazine that is based in the United Kingdom, a benefit to
its location is because the featured products are suitable for the readers. What makes
Ideal Home different to other interior design magazines is that they work closely with
colour, pattern and texture. With these three elements they create quirky rooms that
can be changed to fit to any individual.
Ideal Home feature images and details on every room in the average household, it
provides details on where assets can be purchased, the designer and occasionally the
home owner. The online website is very limited as they want you to purchase the
printed magazine. The online site however, does include sections that are helpful,
such as: ‘Buyers Guide’, ‘Shopping Ideas’, ‘Makeovers’ and also ‘House Tours’ which
give the same inspiration as the printed magazine and where certain products can be
purchased. The printed magazine often features advertisement that is irrelevant to the
magazine, this is a minor set back as it is distraction and goes against the rest of the
magazine. Throughout the piece it is clear that there is interior designing that can
appeal to different types of people and inspiration can be found from every
photograph. Online there is a section called ‘Moodboards’ which is filled with a variety
of different colours, themes and textures which are aimed at a wide range of different
people and everybody can find an asset they like. Unfortunately Ideal Home does not
include many purchasing opportunities for its audience and the things they do provide
information for have no cheaper alternative when often the products are pricey.
The following information has been taken from Ideal Home’s official statistics website. The
median age of their audience is 46. While their target audience is aged between 25 and
54. Ideal home has a middle class and upper class target audience with 67% of their
audience being middle class and 33% of their printed audience being upper class.
For a yearly subscription the audience can pay £28.99 which is reasonable for twelve
magazines. When that makes it £2.42 per copy it makes the offer seem more appealing.
For a two year subscription which is twenty four issues at £57.99 but you are still paying
£2.42 per issue when the magazine makes it look like a massive saving when it actually is
not. To purchase Ideal Home in store it costs the reader £3.40 so there is a saving when
subscribing for a year.

16. Matching colour to the colour
scheme within the photograph
Repetition of hearts,
emphasizes the feminism
Information on what is
featured within the magazine
Repetition of colour to grab attention
Someone in their home to show a
lifestyle and interior design of
somebody’s home featured
Title
Large number to attract attention
Basic shape to draw attention
In attempt to entice the reader to
purchase the magazine to read further
Number is large to attract attention
Hearts are feminine
Bold ‘comforts’ to emphasize
the point and italic ‘enjoy’ to
show it is relaxed
Different colour and basic
shape to attract attention

17. This magazine is about interior design in the United Kingdom for modern living individuals. The main focuses in
the magazine take up a double page spread, this gives the audience a bigger picture and keeps the detail.
The following research was taken from the issue of February 2014.
For an interior design magazine there is a lot of writing which draws the attention to a variety of places making
the lay out appear messy, its an interesting contrast as the photographs are passive. There is no particular
focal point on each page with text as it depends on the audiences taste as to what they are drawn to.
Some pages follow a theme such as colours or similar textures or even the same objects but individual
styles, this breaks up the sections into pages which helps the reader find what they are looking for. The
styles that are seen throughout are varied which makes something interesting for everybody, you are also
introduced to the interior designers and people who’s home you are looking that to see their clothing style
in comparison to their home, a blueprint layout is also included to give you a better idea of the layout of
the house. It is an interesting read as there is sections about wooden furniture, glass decorations, plant
uses within a room, colour schemes, textures, patterns and loads more. Page 68 is full of fabrics, tiles,
paints and wallpaper that all compliment each other giving the audience a better understanding of what
colours, textures and patterns work well together to give the reader more inspiration and allow more
creativity.
Throughout the magazine the audience is given multiple opportunities to find the distributer of the products that are shown. The
advertisement is occasional and most of it is relevant to keep within the theme of the interior design, towards the end of the magazine
the relevant advertisement becomes less interior based and more frequent, this is a minor set back as it distracts the audience from the
information within the magazine. An asset within this magazine that is beneficial to the audience is that from featuring individual items
and their distributers it gives the audience ideas of what products they like but unfortunately Living etc does not include an alternative,
cheaper distributer so the audience is left to find a cheaper version of the product or a similar product by themselves. This can be both a
positive and a negative as the audience may not be able to find an alternative or, they might discover a similar product and like it more
than the one featured in the magazine. Either way the audience has to do some research if the product is not within their budget.
The following information has been taken from Living etc’s online statistic website. 78% of Living etc’s audience is middle class, this is a fair
audience but surprising as the designers mentioned are experts in their field and charge a lot of money for their service, also the
products featured are expensive. You would expect that the majority of readers are female and they are, with 63% of the audience are
female while 37% are males. 93% of readers keep their copies of Living etc, this is impressive and understandable as every issue is totally
different but is timeless and includes both modern homes and revamped older homes. Living etc has a higher average household income
than other interior design magazines do with theirs at £57,703. And finally, 74% of their audience are loyal subscribers.

18. Magazine description
Repetition of colour to grab attention
Appealing sentence due to use of
words
Title
Large number to draw attention to
the featured article
Colourful banner to attract attention
Faded to suit the photograph and appear
‘relaxed’
Italic font variation to emphasize
the word to show relaxation
Repetition of vibrant colour
Colour difference attracts attention
Simple font. The word is larger
because it shows how easy it
can be
Subject

19. Elle Décor originated from Elle magazine which is a big fashion magazine. Both magazines are classy and informative both online and printed.
Elle Décor is based in the United States and the United Kingdom which gives the magazine a wide variety of different styles with a wide
range of different interior designers. The online magazine is set out similarly to a fashion and gossip magazine which is what ties it so
closely to Elle Magazine giving them the connection.
To the left is a screenshot of the online sections, its easy but
professional with no extra sections within each other to keep it
elegant yet simple.
Elle Décor has very different designs and styles in each
photograph to make every location utterly different.
Some images show space to create a passive design
while others are busy and close giving the room a
warm, comforting feeling. What makes this particular
magazine interesting is that there are multiple articles
within each sections, these articles include advice on
how to achieve a certain look which is inspirational and
a good read. The website is also updated regularly
which keeps people up to date, there is also loads of
information and all for free online with the articles
having a header to inform the audience exactly what
they are looking at. The similarity this magazine has to
Elle fashion magazine is the celebrity section, this is
great fun as it gives the audience an opportunity to see
celebrities houses and latest home purchases, it is also
inspirational as it gives people ideas for their homes.
Another interesting point to the celebrity section is
that is informs readers on which celebrities are
currently selling their homes and what they look like
both inside and out which is rarely seen in casual
magazines. The culture section is the most interesting
as it is very bland but the articles are filled with specific
ideas that can be very beneficial for the readers.
The following information has been
taken from Elle Décor’s online
media kit. The media kit states the
audience is higher on the printed
magazine than it is online. With
their audience being upper class
with a median age of 38. Due to
Elle fashion magazine being
advertised towards females, it is
not surprising that 79% of Elle
Décor’s being female with only
21% being male. Advertising in Elle
Décor is actually cheaper than a lot
of other interior design magazines.
This is a benefit to smaller
companies with a similar target
audience. The highest selling rate
of the magazine is here in the
United Kingdom. (These statistics
were based on the figures in 2014.)
Each issue of the magazine is just
£4 or a years subscription for the
printed magazine at £25 which is
very cheap considering their
audience is upper class.

20. Repetition of colour to grab attention
Title Black border to frame the photograph
Places that interior design will be
shown in the magazine
Large text to attract attention
Falls on the rule of thirds
The underlining separates the
following subtitle while
drawing attention the the
‘special issue’
Capital to make the point obvious
Negative space to crate room
within the image

21. Audience
I have found out a lot about my desired target audience through my research, I am aware that my target audience should fall into
middle class and stretching into upper class. I can do this by having a reasonably priced magazine that can be purchased in
stores and subscriptions, this will allow people to have it delivered to their home so they do not have to leave the house to
access the magazine. By distributing the magazine in stores this will encourage new readers to purchase the magazine as it
may catch their attention, this could lead to even more subscriptions. From all of the magazines I have researched, a
significant number of the audience members are female which clearer indicates to me that I should use a layout and font
that would appeal to females and males but be aware that it is mostly appealing to females with a higher number of males
viewing the magazine online.
My personal audience is slightly younger than all the interior design magazines I have researched and this is because it will
appeal to people with a lower budget to make the dream home more affordable and within the boundaries of someone
who is not a home owner but is renting etc. By having a younger audience my magazine will appeal more to university or
graduate students as the featured products will be affordable. Because my audience are in a younger generation they are
more electronic based so assets of the magazine will be featured online but only to a certain extent as this should influence
the audience to purchase the magazine to find out more information. By featuring articles that are smaller and quicker such
as tips, it will appeal more to my audience as there is less to read but it gets the point across, I will also add extra
information and detail on the online magazine as it is more appropriate to display a great deal of text.
I have decided to price the magazine at £4 an issue in stores, if the audience were to purchase the magazine for a year in store
they would spend a total of £48 as there will be an issue released every month. I have decided to price the subscription at
£30 a year for twelve issues including access to the online website that can be viewed on mobile devices. By pricing the
yearly subscription at £30 it means the reader pays £2.50 per issue. From my research I learnt that these prices are suitable
and affordable for my target audience. By making a subscription available it helps busy people keep within the loop of the
goings on within the magazine. Elle Décor is also £4 and the subscription is significantly cheaper which has made me rethink
my subscription at £30 a year as £25 seems more appealing to my audience.
I am aiming for a median age of 25, this is significantly lower than the magazines I have researched but I believe it has potential
to work because some people at this age are home owners while others are renting so it is appropriate for both people in
their home situation. To appeal to this audience I will use classy yet classic fonts with believable front covers that are simple
yet effective. I will also follow a similar website layout as Elle Décor as this particular magazine is elegant and includes loads
of different articles on tips and advice which relates closely to a fashion and gossip magazine which are the most popular
sellers amongst my desired target audience. There will of course be assets that appeal to older people, such as the age of 38
which is Elle Décor’s median age audience, but my older audience members will be different to those who purchase Elle
Décor because my audience will have a lower budget but similar tastes.

22. Production
Unlike the majority of interior design magazines I do not intend on using a lot of double spread pages, this means I will have to
have a lot more ideas, things to write about and photographs because double page spreads take up a lot of room in a
magazine but what I dislike about it is that the audience struggles to see the entire image as it is so large and has the split
down the centre.
The images that will be featured in my magazine will be entirely created by me. Instead of featuring naturalistic images they will
all be made up in a sort of collage style. There are numerous reasons as to why I will use this visual technique and one is
because it is a lot more creative and out there, it also allows me to create an image of a room using a variety of different
different assets from other rooms instead of worrying that I can not find the perfect room that I wish to photograph and
feature in my magazine. By following this method I can attract an audience that thinks outside of the box with a more
creative mind so they can appreciate the image made up of different ones. This method will also draw the audiences
attention to assets of the image such as a chair or wardrobe simply because they are part of a collage and oddly placed with
rough edges etc. The description of the photograph will include information on where assets of the image can be purchased
and cheaper alternatives. I have not yet decided if my images will be entirely photoshop based of if I will physically print out
my assets and create one image to be scanned into the computer. I need to use a method that wont take up a great deal of
time but it will give me a good result and look suitable and professional enough to be presented in a magazine.
The style I wish to follow is very clean with some pages linking into one and other while other pages are completely different, this
is because if some particular members of my audience do not find some assets interesting it will shortly lead onto another
image or subject to keep their attention, another reason for this is because it gives my magazine a good variety. The
individual pages will be similar to one I saw in Living Etc, the page was filled with different patterns, colours and textures
that all work efficiently together, this was very inspiring and I would like to have this impact on my audience too.
Elle Décor uses very slick modern font with little colour but a variety of italic and bold assets to keep it classy but visually
interesting. Like a fashion magazine, Living Etc uses the text to shape the photograph and the use of colour and font
variations draws attention to different articles and assets of the image. On the front cover I have researched the font almost
becomes the image because it matches assets within the photograph. The use of bright colours and capacity changes is eye
catching while making a bold statement.
To stick to the glossy, formal magazine feeling I would like to use smart casual yet formal font, I will stick to one or two fonts but
using different colours to make articles and assets stand out within following the colour scheme on that particular page to
make the entire page aesthetically pleasing as an image not just a photograph alongside text. I will also use italic and bold
font variations to create a less bland article or section to emphasize assets of the text.

23. Market
All of the fashion magazines I researched have a similar layout to each other while the interior design magazines
also have a similar layout to each other. The more famous magazines feature a lot less text on the front
cover as they’re name makes them known enough Vogue and Elle Décor are examples of this. From this I
have learnt that the most popular magazines use photography and their well known name to advertise
themselves to members of the public. This is something I am considering as I like the idea of the front cover
being passive and photography based.
Because every magazine is so competitive it leads to competitive prices. Each magazine is a totally different price
and it is common for magazines to adjust their prices, a popular one to do this is Ideal Home, it is regular for
them to change the price to keep up with their competition. A negative to this is by increasing the price by a
tiny amount can really put off members of the audience, especially if it continues to increase or if it
massively increases. This is another reason why most magazines offer a subscription to the audience
because it gives the audience an opportunity to pay less for their issues. Because of the extreme
competition, magazines are including free gifts or extras to attempt to entice more people amongst their
target audience to purchase the magazine, this began with children’s magazines as children want the small
gifts that are included. This is now popular amongst a lot of women’s fashion magazines where they may
receive free sunglasses, a purse or even a mascara. This is a marketing technique that is becoming
increasingly popular but I personally feel like it is a cop out and the magazine is not popular enough so by
tempting people with gifts they will purchase the magazine. Another thing that is becoming increasingly
popular is by including the online subscription with the printed subscription.
Starting off a magazine is hard work as all these other magazines with the same target audience as you has the
funding and has the reputation so is able to easily get famous celebrities to feature in the magazine while it
is a lot harder for a smaller, unknown business to attract the attention of celebrities. This adds to the
competition amongst fashion magazines as they all want the bigger, better, most famous celebrity to feature
in their magazine. There is a similar situation with gossip magazines. Every magazine wants the best, most
interesting story. Interior design magazines all want the best photograph and information on the best
homes with the most famous interior designers to be featured in the magazine. What is helpful for me is
that my target audience is not people classified in the AB audience section so my magazine doesn't’t have to
include famous celebrities and amazing, expensive houses because my target audience is people with a
lower budget so I am relieved that the competition is not a major problem for this project.