AS Media Studies coursework

2. • It
was
founded
in
the
United
States,
in
1987.
Originally
called
“Sports
Fitness”.
Its
first
issue
came
out
in
1988
featuring
Michael
Pare,
from
the
television
series
“The
Greatest
American
Hero”.
• The
magazine
targets
men
between
the
ages
of
21-­‐40
and
features
in-­‐depth
arIcles
on
fitness,
nutri9on
and
sports,
as
well
as
sex
9ps,
fashion
advice
and
interviews.
It
publishes
10
issues
per
year.
1st
issue
1988
• It
has
become
one
of
the
fastest
growing
9tles
in
its
category.
It
doubled
its
circulaIon
from
1997
to
2003,
and
we
can
nowadays
find
it
in
Russian,
Australian
and
BriIsh
formats.
• Men’s
Fitness
slogan
is:
“How
the
Best
Man
Wins”.
Webpage
header

3. June
1990
We
can
clearly
appreciate
the
big
change
in
typography,
font
style,
main
image
and
layout
the
magazine
has
gone
through
during
the
Ime
it
has
been
acIve.
November
2014

4. As
Ime
passed
“Men’s
Fitness”
kept
on
giving
a
greater
focus
to
the
aesthe9cs,
rather
than
to
the
athleIcs,
and
acquiring
a
more
similar
look
to
nowadays.
This
we
can
appreciate
in
the
main
images
used,
as
well
as
in
the
content
of
the
sell
lines.
The
figures
portrayed
are
progressively
more
defined
and
more
noIceably
sculpted,
becoming
beWer
examples
for
the
target
audience
and
encouraging
them
to
get
their
aspiraIons
up
into
a
similar
level.
The
models
feature
most
of
the
Ime
with
the
upper
part
of
their
bodies
uncovered.
This
is
a
convenIonal
stylis9c
feature
from
the
genre.
However,
the
magazine
has
been
loyal
to
its
style
in
terms
of
how
it
displayed
its
content
throughout
the
whole
of
its
existence.
The
sell
lines
speak
by
themselves
to
prove
this.
June
1991
November
2011
April
2014

5. • The
name
of
the
magazine,
always
as
the
masthead,
conveys
directly
its
genre:
“fitness”,
and
reveals
the
target
audience’s
genre
straight
away:
“Men’s”.
• It
is
important
to
menIon
that
the
masthead
does
not
always
follow
a
specific
colour
code,
or
a
par9cular
style.
A
lot
of
variaIon
has
gone
on
in
these
aspect
throughout
the
different
issues.
July
2013
February
2009
January
2014
June
2013
• This
stylis9c
varia9on
has
not
only
been
manifested
within
the
magazine’s
masthead,
but
also
in
its
sell
lines,
main
image
and
layout
as
a
whole,
unlike
other
magazines
within
the
genre
like
“Men’s
Health”.

6. • “Men’s
Fitness”
features
a
lot
of
iconography
associated
with
the
genre
and
with
the
target
audience’s
needs
and
wants:
sculpted
figures,
weights,
gymnasiums,
tense
muscles…
We
can
see
how
the
representaIon
of
the
female
is
the
sex
object
type.
• “Men’s
Fitness”
features
all
of
its
front
cover
text
in
an
upper
case,
distressed
font.
• The
use
of
red
has
quite
a
noIceable
presence,
even
in
those
issues
that
break
up
with
the
habitual
colour
scheme.
It
connotes
power,
strength,
passion
and
sexuality;
represenIng
in
this
way
the
target
audience’s
aspira9ons
as
well
as
the
magazine’s
content.
It
is
a
strong,
popular
colour
within
the
genre.
• In
its
front
cover,
the
key
element
is
the
main
image,
it
has
the
greatest
importance
and
draws
the
greatest
aWenIon.
It
is
there
to
seduce
the
reader.
It
is
usually
a
medium
shot
of
a
model,
having
the
upper
part
of
the
body
uncovered.
The
model
used
is
a
man
most
of
the
Imes,
however
there
has
been
a
minority
of
issues
featuring
a
woman
as
the
main
image.

7. “Men’s
Fitness”
always
tends
to
use
a
direct
mode
of
address.
This
is
manifested
both
in
the
language
used
and
in
the
main
images.
The
main
image
is
looking
at
the
reader
directly
into
his
eyes.
He
has
a
defying
sight
and
an
inImidaIng
pose,
so
the
look
as
a
whole
is
not
really
friendly.
It
is
more
of
a
challenge
to
the
reader:
“are
you
man
enough
to
buy
this?”.
This
type
of
relaIonship
with
the
reader
does
encourage
him
successfully
to
buy
the
magazine.
It
is
very
common
that
the
language
in
the
sell
lines
contains
impera9ves
and
inclusive
pronouns
as
we
can
see.
It
sets
a
more
demanding
and
personal
tone
and
intensifies
the
appeal
to
the
target
audience’s
needs
and
wants.
This
accompanied
by
exclama9ons
marks
emphasizes
the
message
and
puts
a
final
touch
to
create
an
intense
man-­‐to-­‐man
relaIonship
with
the
reader.
Within
the
language,
the
use
of
some
specialised
lexis
and
fitness
jargon
in
the
form
of
abbreviaIons
is
also
very
common

8. ConvenIonally,
full
colour
ar9cles
combine
a
large
image
with
text
in
a
simple,
but
yet
elegant
and
classy
font,
to
create
a
more
visually
appealing
look.
Some
touches
of
red
are
popular
within
the
arIcles,
for
the
connotaIons
the
colour
has,
and
to
add
a
sophis9cated
and
elegant
touch.
However
all
arIcles
follow
a
established
colour
and
font
code
depending
on
the
context.
It
is
not
rare
to
see
sportsmen
in
the
middle
of
workout
along
with
an
interview
about
them,
or
the
use
of
illustraIons.

9. The
content
of
the
magazine
is
enIrely
devoted
to
fitness,
featuring
arIcles
about
sports
and
nutriIon
mainly.
These
usually
take
the
shape
of
9ps
and
advice
to
the
target
audience:
“Best
gyms
to…”
“4
weeks
diet
plan
to
achieve
a
figure
like
this”.
However,
as
“Men’s
Fitness”
uses
celebri9es
very
oaen
to
appeal
to
the
target
audience’s
needs
and
wants,
interviews
with
them
talking
about
how
they
got
to
where
they
are
and
what
advice
may
themselves
give
are
also
popular
within
the
magazine.
CelebriIes
that
feature
most
commonly
are
actors
and
popular-­‐sports
players
(soccer,
tennis..),
people
that
the
target
audience
encounters
frequently
in
the
media
and
posses
a
good
enough
physical
appearance
to
act
as
a
source
of
inspira9on
and
a
way
of
escapism
to
the
reader.
The
inclusion
of
tests
or
quizzes
is
very
rare
in
this
magazine
and
in
the
genre
as
a
whole.
However
free
gias,
posters
and
extra
incenIves
like
such
for
the
reader
to
buy
the
magazine
are
a
bit
more
common,
specially
in
the
webpage
to
encourage
the
subscripIon.

10. • “Men’s
Fitness”
targets
men
between
the
ages
of
21
to
40.
• These
men
are
truly
concerned
about
their
figure
and
want
to
keep
their
physical
appearance
to
the
highest
standard.
• They
should
be
ready
to
absorb
and
put
in
prac9ce
all
the
informaIon
the
magazine
provides
them.
• Their
disposable
income
should
be
medium
so
they
are
able
to
buy
any
item
advised
by
the
magazine
to
improve
their
performance.
These
may
not
necessarily
be
cheap.
• They
should
be
ready
to
enjoy
their
social
life
as
much
as
possible
and
go
to
see
their
favourite
sports
live.
• They
take
“Men’s
Fitness”
as
the
authority
in
terms
of
fitness.

11. “Men’s
Fitness”
is
owned
by
“American
Media,
Inc.”,
founded
in
1936
and
currently
based
in
New
York
city.
It
is
a
pioneer
in
the
industry
of
newspapers
and
magazines,
and
the
main
responsible
for
“Men’s
Fitness”
success
due
to
its
decades
of
experience.
“Men’s
Fitness”
belongs
to
AMI’s
“enthusiast
group”
along
with
two
other
top
magazines
in
their
genres:
“FLEX”
and
“Muscle
&
Fitness”.
The
group
as
a
whole
reaches
a
powerful
20
million+
men
each
month.
Thanks
to
AMI’s
successful
management,
“Men’s
Fitness”
is
ranked
2nd
in
“Askmen”
top
fitness
magazines.
“Flex”
and
“Muscle
&
Fitness”
come
7th
and
6th
in
the
same
rank.

12. The
company
also
owns
and
distributes
a
number
of
magazines
aimed
at
audiences
with
niché
interests;
women’s
acIve
lifestyle
and
entertainment.
“AMI’s
Women’s
AcIve
Lifestyle
Group
reaches
more
than
11
million
women
who
are
in
the
prime
of
life,
the
midst
of
success,
and
at
the
peak
of
spending
power.
No
other
publisher
offers
as
disIncIve
a
mix
of
fitness
and
empowerment
Itles
for
modern
women”.
“With
some
of
the
most
renowned
Itles
in
the
industry,
AMI
has
become
the
undisputed
leader
in
celebrity
journalism.
The
company’s
broad
and
diverse
entertainment
group
delivers
more
than
26
million
readers
via
a
powerful
line-­‐up
of
brands”.
So
the
benefit
for
“Men’s
Fitness”
for
belonging
to
such
a
experienced
and
successful
media
company
is
huge,
since
AMI
has
a
great
knowledge
on
what
policies
and
strategies
to
employ
in
order
to
increase
sales
and
expand
even
more
its
market
share.
The
stability
and
success
for
“Men’s
Fitness”
is
guaranteed.