This document provides research and planning for an ancillary product, a TV magazine front cover, by a student named Claire Olney. It discusses the history, circulation, and target audience of the magazine Inside Soap, which is the source of inspiration. Ideas are generated for the magazine's masthead including "SoapLatest", "SoapDisclosure", and "ExclusiveSoap". Fonts such as "Keep Calm" and images are considered to attract readers. Possible headlines use questions or buzz words to intrigue readers. The needs are outlined for main images of characters and cover lines featuring different soap operas.

1. OCR Media Studies – A2 Level
Unit G324: Advanced Portfolio
Mind Map and
Research
Name: Claire Olney
Candidate Number: 1186
Center Name: St. Andrew’s Catholic School
Center Number: 64135
Generation of Ideas for Ancillary Product 1) –
TV Magazine Front Cover

2. Source of Inspiration
History of the Product
Inside Soap was published in October 1992 as a monthly
magazine. It then went on to be published fortnightly in the
mid 1990s, and as of early September 2003, it became a weekly
magazine.
Publisher
- Hearst Magazines UK
- Group Publishing Director: Matt Hayes
- Editor: Steven Murphy
Circulation Figures – HOW many people read the
magazine?
- 117, 539 people from July-December 2015
Price: £1.75
Socio-Economic Needs
Stereotypically, the target audience will mainly consist of
women, which is because they are more likely to want to read
gossip about soap operas than men are, especially as women
are more likely watch the actual soap opera anyway. The target
audience would typically be in the socio-economics needs
categories of C1, C2, D and E, because normally, most storylines
are more relevant to those of a working class or students, so
therefore the storylines I decide to use will be relatable to the
audience.
Source: http://www.hearst.co.uk/about-us

3. Masthead Ideas
SoapLatest – This masthead
would attract my target audience
particularly due to the use of the
verbal code ‘Latest’. This is
because it will therefore ‘inform’
(Katz) the reader that the content
of the magazine will be up-to-date,
which will enable them to read
about brand new storylines/gossip
from soaps on a weekly basis.
‘Soap’ connotes that the magazine
will revolve around the soap opera
genre, which will target a niche
readership. In terms of the
positioning of the masthead, it will
be in the center near the top of the
magazine in order to stand out to
the reader, so it is easily
identifiable and promotes the
brand identity of the magazine. I
will make sure it is in a bold font,
with a bold colour such as red, to
connote significance on the page,
and this will be easily recognizable
for the reader and they will
understand what the magazine is
about.
SoapDisclosure – This masthead
is engaging because of the use of
the verbal code ‘Disclosure’. This is
because it holds of connotations of
revealing new and/secret
information to the reader, which
no other magazines would be able
to report to their readers. The use
of the verbal code ‘Soap’ displays
that the magazine will release
stories and gossip about soap
operas, which will enable it to
target a niche audience. I want to
position the masthead at the top of
the page in the center, in order for
it to stand out as a main feature on
the front cover, allowing the reader
to identify it easily, and remember
the name of it. I plan to use a bold
font with a striking colour such as
red, as it holds connotations of
passion, therefore implying that
the magazine is passionate to offer
the reader new information about
the soaps.
ExclusiveSoap – This masthead is
appealing because of the verbal
code ‘Exclusive’, which connotes
that the news and information that
the reader will receive is different
and unique in comparison to other
magazines. It also suggests that the
reader will know something secret
that other people who don’t buy
the magazine won’t know about,
therefore highlighting the
exclusivity of the magazine. Again,
the verbal code ‘Soap’ implies that
the magazine is based around the
soap opera genre, therefore
targeting a niche audience. I plan
to position the masthead in the top
center of the page to connote its
significance on the page, and this
is also what my magazine of
inspiration ‘InsideSoap’ has done
too. I want to have the masthead in
a bold colour with bold text in
order to attract an audience to
want to read it.

4. Font: Keep Calm
This font style is
called ‘Keep Calm’. I
feel that this type of
font is quite simple,
yet direct and will
lead the audience to
believe that the
magazine is very
informative. The
simplicity of it makes
it easily readable and
recognizable to the
reader, which is
important.
SoapLatest
ExclusiveSoap
SoapDisclosure

5. Font: Harabara Mais
This font is called
‘Harabara Mais’. I
think it is appealing
as a potential
masthead font
because it is quite
rounded and bouncy,
which connotes that
the magazine is full
of gossip and is
passionate about the
soap opera genre. It
is also reminiscent of
the ‘InsideSoap’ font,
therefore meaning
that it would attract
the same kind of
audience.
SoapLatest
ExclusiveSoap
SoapDisclosure

6. Font: Romance Fatal Serif
This font is called
‘Romance Fatal Serif’.
I believe that this
font would be
attractive to my
target audience
because it is formal
yet simple, and
connotes elegance,
which would secure
female readers for
the magazine, which
is important as they
make up the majority
of the audience for
soap operas. It is also
easy to read due to
the simplicity of it.
SoapLate
st
ExclusiveSoa
p
SoapDisclosur

7. Final Masthead
I have chosen to call my magazine ‘SoapLatest’ using the
font ‘Keep Calm’. This is because I think that it is the most
attractive and appealing title, as readers will believe that
they are receiving updated and important news and
gossip faster than any other magazine. Also, the font is
similar to the font used for ‘InsideSoap’, which is my
magazine of inspiration, so therefore this will enable me
to attract a similar readership that they have, and it will
additionally help me to avoid ‘reinventing the wheel’.
I have also chosen to put it in the colour red because it connotes passion and energy,
which symbolizes the passion that the reader and magazine will have for the soap
opera genre. A shadow effect has also been added to make it stand out more and it is
‘repeated’ (Steve Neale – 1980) from ‘InsideSoap’.

8. Main headline Ideas
Possible Headlines:
• Who will she choose? By using a
question as a main headline
without revealing very much, it
entices the reader to purchase the
magazine to find out details about
the storyline, and understand
more context behind the situation.
• Who is the killer? Again, through
the use of a question, it enables the
audience to come up with different
theories to answer the question,
and by reading the article it will
help them by offering clues.
• Shock Revelations! A headline
like this doesn’t give very much
away, which therefore makes the
audience want to read the story
inside. Also, it would be supported
with an image of the characters
involved in order to give the
audience an understanding
regarding who the article is about
and from what soap.
Language and Punctuation:
• Capital Letters – Having the
main headline in all capital
letters draws attention to it and
highlights its importance and
significance to the soap opera,
which is important in order to
attract a readership.
• Buzz Words – Words such as
‘shock’, ‘murder’ and ‘horror’
catches the reader’s attention,
and it is important as it makes
them want to read about the
headline inside the magazine. It
dramatizes the storyline to make
it more appealing to the target
audience.
• Explanation Marks – This will
again dramatize the story and
add importance to it, which will
attract the audience to read
about it as it connotes a sense of
shock.
• Question Marks – By including
questions in the main headline,
this causes the reader to want to
find out answers, so therefore it
will make them want to purchase
the magazine.
Positioning:
• Across the main image – By
overlapping the main
headline on the image, it
connotes the significance of
the story, and it also links the
headline and image together
in order to allow the reader to
understand who is involved in
the story. It also stands out on
the page over the other cover
lines as it will be in a different
sized font in comparison to
the others.
• Titled at an angle – This
makes the headline more
interesting and eye-catching,
and it would stand out over
the other cover lines that are
not in this position. Also, it
allows the image to be viewed
slightly better, as the headline
will be less likely to cover the
image too much at this angle.

9. Images Needed
Main Image:
From looking at copies of InsideSoap, I
can see that the majority of their main
images are mid shots, which feature the
characters involved in the main
headline looking directly at the camera.
This therefore creates a personal
relationship (Katz) with the reader, and
makes it more personal. Also, it is easier
for the text to be placed over the main
image with this shot type. Therefore, I
need to include a mid shot, with the
characters engaging in eye contact with
the camera for my magazine in order to
attract the same audience as
InsideSoap.
Other Soap Operas:
Eastenders, Coronation Street,
Hollyoaks, Emmerdale – These
soap operas are the most well-
known and popular on TV, so by
including these on the cover it is
easy for the audience to recognize
them, so they would be more
drawn to buy the magazine.
Therefore, by including other
soaps on my magazine cover, it
makes the magazine more
appealing to the audience, and it
also demonstrates variety within
my magazine.
Cover Lines:
• Sectioned off (borders/shapes)
– Some of the images linked to
cover lines are sectioned off from
the main image and other cover
lines on copies of InsideSoap. This
therefore enables audience to tell
which cover line belongs with
which image, and it separates the
different soaps from one another.
• No Background – There are
cover line images that missing a
background, which is done to
make more space on the
magazine cover, and this also
allows the images to overlap each
other easily.
Mode of Address: The people in the
main image will be looking at the
camera as these images will be the
largest, and most significant, so they
will draw the attention of the audience.
The cover line images may not be
making eye contact as they will more
likely be action shots from the soap
itself.

10. Language/Price
Price: From researching other soap
opera magazines, their prices range
from 58p-£1.85. This is quite a big
difference, but I will therefore try to
price my own magazine between the
two, in order to be able to compete
without charging too much or too
little. So, in consideration of this I
will price my magazine at £1 as I
believe this is a reasonable and
affordable price for the demographic
I am targeting.
Strapline Language: I believe that
language used in the strapline
should contain buzz words and
punctuation such as explanation
marks in order to attract the
audience’s attention, whilst be easily
recognised. Also, repetition is also an
important thing to consider for a
strapline because it makes it more
catchy and memorable for the
reader. Alliteration is also a good
technique to use in the strapline as it
makes it more interesting to read for
the reader, and it is more likely to be
more memorable/recognisable.

11. Colours
• I will be using red, yellow, orange, white and black on my
magazine front cover. This is because I feel that these
colours are very eye-catching, and they represent the
action-packed storylines often featured in soap operas
because they are bold colours. Also, these colours have
been used on my magazine of inspiration ‘InsideSoap’, so I
therefore want to replicate this to avoid ‘reinventing the
wheel’.

12. Puff Promotion
By including a puff promotion on
my magazine, it makes it more
appealing to buy, particularly
when buzz words are used such
as ‘plus’ or ‘exclusive’, as this
demonstrates that the readers are
gaining extra benefits by
purchasing the magazine. It is
often written using bold and eye-
catching colours in order to grab
the attention of the reader.

13. Synergy (Social Media)
• Within the magazines I have researched, I have not seen them
containing social media logos present on the front cover. Therefore, I
will include them on the front cover of my magazine to make it more
accessible for ‘loyal fans’ to find out exclusive content and information
through social media. Also, this is an efficient way to promote brand
identity for the magazine.

14. Conclusion
• Through research, I have come to the conclusion that I need to
purchase a copy of InsideSoap, which is my magazine of inspiration
because it will be easier for me to use their codes and conventions to
create my own magazine successfully like they have.
• In order to produce my magazine, I need to make sure I organise the
people I want to take photos of, the locations where I will take these
photos and the props I will use for them so everything can be done
efficiently without wasting time.
• To create my magazine front cover, I will be using Photoshop CS5. This
is because it is the best software available to me in order to make my
magazine look attractive and professional. It also has the tools that I
understand how to use and will need in order to make it look realistic
and presentable.