IPC

1. Rachel Knowles
Task 4 IPC’s History)
1800s to 1900s
In 1853, IPC released “The Field” and within a year it became the largest newspaper in Europe, the
magazine contained 24 pages, and throughout the Crimean War it only had one correspondent, showing
although there’s not too much content it would have been enough at this particular time in history but
also the correspondent was trustworthy due to being in the job role for quite a while, therefore the target
audience may be persuaded to read the newspaper. On the 8th November 1854, this issue of the IPC
newspaper “The Field” ran a series of personal experiences of those people who had taken part in the
Charge of the Light Brigade. This would persuade the target audience, of upper class males due to having
a specialist interest in the Charge of the Light Brigade and would want to know about their experience
duringthis.
IPC had released other titles throughout the 1800s, which are still popular today, a few examples of these
are, “Shooting Times”, “Yachting World” “Cycling Weekly” and “Horse & Hound”. These newspaper titles
stereotypically suit males of this period in time due to shooting being a source of entertainment, mainly
for upper class males with a median age of around 30. The others are more sports based showing this
newspaper is aimed towards males as they are seen to be athletic and in to this sort of sport, whereas a
woman wouldn’t be. There is another title called “amateur gardening” which could suggest it is mainly a
woman’s job to be looking after the garden and the house therefore she would be quite skilled. Whereas
in this title it seems to suits the male population as it uses “amateur” in the title which could imply they
aren’t as skilled in this area compared to the women of the house hold as they do this on a daily basis but
the men could potentially be willingto try this in any sparetime they have when they aren’t working.
For the early IPC titles, competitions were very important in order to gain sales of their newspapers,
therefore the fledgling magazine “Answers” offered a sensational prize to people who won that had
brought the magazine. The customers of this magazine had to guess the correct amount of gold and silver
in the Bank of England on a specific date, the prize if they guessed correctly was £1 a week for the rest of
the winner’s life. The prize alone encouraged and persuaded many people to give this competition a try as
£1 was a lot of money in the 1800’s to the 1900’s therefore it was worth entering the competition for this
magazine. This would have doubled sales of the magazine as any reader would be desperate to win the
competition. The competition also opened the target audience for this magazine, as wives may have seen
it advertised this in their husbands copy or they may buy their own magazine, but it specified that “any
reader” would be able to enter the competition for the £1 a week for life, but as it doesn’t mention a
particulargender, women may want to enter, to try and win the prize.
1920s
Odhams released a new monthly Ideal Home magazine in the 1920s in opposition to Newnes’ Homes and
Gardens. The first editor of the Ideal Home magazine wanted to go against the hideous houses which ruin
the beauty of the most ideal and beautiful environment. The editor had done this due to referring to the
government’s 1921 promise that 100,000 houses will be built as part of post war planning which meant
the home and woman entered the market in 1926, as this was such an important topic during this time of
history.

2. Rachel Knowles
The use of language “ideal” and “beautiful” engages the new target audience, which are now women due
to this being a magazine based on a domestic chore of cleaning and looking after the house to make sure
it’s beautiful and ideal to live in, which women stereotypically do on a daily basis due to being viewed
lower than men meaning they are unableto get any good jobs.
The magazine had grown to 144 pages over three years in 1929 which shows how many more subjects on
the home and woman market segment had been discussed or needed to be discuss ed. This over all meant
the magazine got widely popular steadily once it had been introduced to this specific market due to it
being released at the correct time as families and house wives needing this style of magazine, especially
as postwar planning.
1930s
A magazine aimed only at women was launched called “Woman’s Own” in 1932 which was the first of
IPC’s traditional “big two” with the second magazine “Woman” being launched 5 years later. IPC’s
magazines started to include typical conventions to attract the target audience to buying these magazines.
“Woman’s Own” included a free cover-mounted gift which was three skeins off wool with every copy, this
would attract the main target audience which would have been house wives as a main hobby apart from
cleaning and looking after the family was knitting and three free skeins of wool would be appreciated by
the house wives and persuade them to buy this magazine for themselves. The other magazine “Woman”
was the first full cover magazine selling for 2D which was slightly cheaper compared to other colour
magazines available at this time, therefore would persuade a house wife to get this magazine over others
due to the pricepersuadingthem as it is cheaper.
1940’s
IPC's Women's Weeklies, was a key wartime role in the 1940's, which kept the morale of British women
and provided them with key important information on behalf of the government. This shows how the
magazine's identity had changed due to the importance of women needing to know what was happening
whilst their loved ones were away. As the men were fighting in the war media started to respect women
over the country and started to focus mainly on this gender, as they would be their main target audience
because the men went to war.
Also the magazine becoming weekly was the main focus on this section as the war was happening at the
time these magazine's were being published, therefore a monthly magazine wouldn’t be helpful as the
information from the government may be delayed but also unable to respond to as they wouldn't be
relevant. Whereas with a weekly magazine, the women left at home and now able to work would get
more relevant and on time information about their loved ones and an insight to what they are doing from
the government. This would encourage the target audience to buy the magazine as they would be keen to
know any up to date information but also as it kept the morale of British women they would want the
magazine for that littleextra help.
Front covers of the "Woman" magazine are viewed as "classic works of art", whereas the other women’s
magazine covers "Woman's Own" have played a specific part in rallying women to the war time cause,
meaning these magazines have been respected during war time in Britain and the popularity of these
have continued to grow through-out the years.

3. Rachel Knowles
1950's
In 1952, IPC released "NME" which stands for New Music Express due to music becoming more popular,
meaning a new target audience is starting to be met as this was an upsurge in the music scene so many
people were in to music at the time this magazinewas released.
The new magazine was released during the time Radio Luxembourg was at it's best, but NME had set the
ball rolling when it produced the official UK record chart. This would persuade the target audience, which
would have been both men and women but personally I believe women may have been the may target
due to having slightly more free time compared to men, to buy NME over the other magazine due to it
havinga unique sellingpoint,and as they are both music magazine's NME seems to have more to offer.
TvTimes published its first issue printed in black and white when ITV arrived in 1995, to inform Tv
watchers, what is on TV and when it is being shown. This would be help people in Britain get used to the
new TV channels. TvTimes used celebrity endorsement to promote their magazine as they starred in the
15 minute daily soap opera, which most people who were able to get a TV would be familiar with and
would be persuaded to buy this magazine. This would also engage and interest both men and women as
they would both typically watch the TV, therefore suitingthe genders.
1960's
The 1963 formation of the IPC brought together three rival magazine companies, Newnes, Fleetway and
Odhams Press. So Ideal Home and Homes & Gardens were both working for the same company even
though they were traditional competitors. This may make the magazines appear similar to one another
due to being part of the same company, therefore it may confuse the target audience to which magazine
may be more suited towards them, but also they might not be tempted to try the other magazine and
stick to readingthe one they are used to.
1969 brought a new specialist magazine released on to the market, which was a football magazine called
"Shoot", this brings a new target audience to the magazine, as this magazine was focused towards males
who are interested in sport and like following the actions of what happened and what was going on
during the games, but this would have also brought the target audience tog ether as England had won the
last World Cup three years before the magazine release, meaning the target audience could re-live the
moment England had won.
1970's
IPC had welcomed some of the monarchy to their HQ in order to let them aware of what they are also
doing for the country so the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh to the King's Reach Tower HQ, this would
have interested the target audience as their monarchy had visited a popular corporations HQ, but also to
titles they may have preferred out of all the ones IPC have created. The Queen and the Duke visited Horse
& Hound, Country Life, Woman and Woman's Own which all stereotypically suit both the visitors to the
HQ as these titles were aimed at upper class citizens. Prince Philip however visited Yachting Monthly
which could present him more sporty and more of a team worker compared to the other two, but this
helps the target audiencesee the type of people the monarchy are.

4. Rachel Knowles
During the 1970's more specialised titles were released which were "Aeroplane Monthly" "Sporting Gun"
and also "SuperBike". These titles would be popular with the male population as stereotypically they have
a strong interest in these topics and entertain them therefore, they would be the target audience for
these titles especially because they have used their preferences and what they stereotypically like in
magazines.
1980’s
In 1998, IPC made an announcement about European Magazine LTD which was a joint company with
Groupe Marie Claire, which they then made an international title “Marie Claire”. This would encourage
the target audience, which seems to be the majority of working class females, to purchase this particular
magazine as this would have been a key interest for them; therefore they would want to find out about
the title and read further in to it.
IPC editorial awards were introduced in the 1980’s to honour the excellence within the company which
would appeal to the target audience as they would prefer to purchase a magazine knowing employees are
being rewarded for their work and it is appreciated by senior members of staff, rather than buy a
magazine where the employees aren’t as equally and fairly treated.
1990’s
As the TV listings market has started to increase due to technology improving and more people now
owning TV’s, “What’s on TV” magazine was released, making a huge entrance on to the market in 1991,
which then made the magazine become the UK’s best-selling magazine showing how trustworthy and
accurate this magazine must be to become the best seller in a short period of time of being released. The
popularity of this magazine would have increased mainly due to the improvement of technology, but also
the target audience would have been keen to ty the new magazine, as this would have been slightly more
updated showing this magazine entered the market at the right time due to people and technology
changing.
The women’s weekly magazine went in to overdrive, meaning there was a chance for Now to be launched
on to the market in 1996, showing the magazine market had widened even further as more competition is
starting to be released for the target audience to decide which magazine suits their preferences more
based on if the magazine companies have gone with the stereotypes of women correctly. Now magazine
suits the main target audience of women due to their being a gossip element within the magazine,
therefore this magazine company have reinforced the stereotypes on women leading to better sales for
their magazine.
2000’s
Ignite! Launched a new magazine in early 2004, to the market called Nuts, which was the world’s first
male weekly magazine. This left a perfect gap on the market for the company to release this style of
magazine, and due to this being the world’s first male weekly magazine it meant they had all of the
customers to purchase this magazine and gain the loyalty of their target audience before any competitors
come on the market as other weekly male magazines. This would be ideal for the target audience as now
men have their own weekly magazine which they can become customers of as it is a source of their own
interest and it would engage them meaning the company have created a big seller in the market, however

5. Rachel Knowles
it may have taken a while for the target audience to start buying a magazine aimed at them every week as
they might not have been used to it straightaway depending if they are clumsy or forget quite a bit.
A new generation Real Life weekly for women – Pick Me Up was released in 2006, which was a more
modern up to date magazine aimed towards women showing as women have changed and the
stereotypical conventions women are thought to be interested in have been used for this magazine as it
would include a gossip style to the magazine. Also as there was a £6 million marketing investment raising
the awareness for this magazine so women are aware it is a better magazine suited towards them,
meaning it would have intrigued them to purchasethis particular magazine.
In 2007, IPC released the UK’s first glossy high street fashion and celebrity style weekly magazine called
Look which turned out to be IPC’s biggest launch due to spending £18 million investment to make sure
this magazine would be advertised correctly towards the target audience, which would have mainly been
women as they arestereotypically seen to be heavily interested in fashion and the celebrity style.
IPC developed a new digital media magazine like housetohome showing the target audience would be
able to get magazines suited to their interests online, that would be easier for the target audience as it
would have been a few clicksaway and not a journey to the closestshop.
IPC Inspire created a website called TrustedReviews.com which was a website that delivered original
expert reviews on IT and electronics , which would be stereotypically suiting men as they are seen to be
interested in gadgets as their specialist interest, also as it is available online men would be able to access
this as much as they would like on a computer at home instead of having to get the different categories
but it also meant more interaction as people could post their own reviews if they agree or disagree with
the original review,therefore gaininga wider opinion based website.
Mousebreaker was released in 2008, which was a free gaming site online featuring over 200 different
games, showing IPC to be entering the online gaming market which would be ideal for older children aged
around 11 as all the games are free and it would keep them entertained for a while, whilst their parents
are busy either cooking food for the children or cleaningfor example.
2010’s
IPC released two monthly magazines to the market, which stereotypically the both suit women due to the
titles being “Style at Home” and “Good to know recipes”, however as women are now viewed equal to
men this starts to suit their preferences more as well, subverting the stereotypical view of men, but in a
modern day society this is startingto become a stereotypical viewof the majority of men.
In 2014 a new CEO took over IPC and announced a restructure which removes the divisions of connect,
inspire and southbank meaning the business became one, which would improve the overall
communication due to their now being one hierarchal line, which could then improve the quality of the
products for the target audience meaning they are getting more worth from the money they have spent
on purchasing the magazine. Later in 2014 IPC changed their name to Times Inc. which may have
confused some of the target audience as they have been used to IPC, but it may have also worried them
as they may have got the impression the company’s image may change as well as the name, which may
have been a mistakeif the target audience didn’t accept the change willingly.

6. Rachel Knowles
Question 3 and 4)
Times Inc may be an appropriate publisher for a new music magazi ne as this company have dealt with the
different music trends over the years since the 1950’ when they released NME suggesting they would
know the current music trend and what genre the target audience are mostly in to. This would mean they
could be likely to publish either a rock or pop music magazine as these seem to be the most popular
genres for people who buy music magazines as stereotypically they are roughly aged around 15 to 30
approximately. Times Inc would also have a wide target audience, as they have suited many different
people, either reinforcing the stereotype with “SuperBike” as a typical males magazine or even if they
have subverted the stereotype with the title “Amateur Gardening” which goes against the typical male in
the 1800s to the 1900’s. Therefore, as Times Inc would have a wider target audience it suggests the
chances of the new music magazine they may publish being successful would be high if they choose the
correct genre with the target audience, which they seem to know their target audience perfectly for most
of the titles they have published on to the market.
Bauer’s history
Bauer was the firstbusiness to publish a freeadvertisingissueof their magazine in the early 20th century,
which was located within Germany. This would have been a unique sellingpointfor the company as they
were the firstbusinessto publish,therefore attractingthe targeted audienceat this specific time.
1920’s
A special edition of the paper was released in the early 1920’s called “Extrablattam Montag”, however
after a while of being released on to the market it had eventually changed and became a sport paper. This
indicates that Bauer had a clear idea of the target audience for the media they are producing, at this
specific time they were aiming their magazine towards middle class men who played sport or had a
general interest in sportand have some sparetime to participatein this.
After they had published the sports magazine, they then went on to produce a paper called “Rundfunk
Kristik” which was of Bauer’s best-selling weekly radio magazines which was released at the end of the
1920’s. This helped the company majorly succeed due to breaking the German magazine industry when
World War Two had finished, this was due to the magazine company knowing the target audience they
are aiming each magazine towards, therefore they include all the relevant information and conventions
which their target audience would appreciate and be interested in leading the magazine company to grow
and sell millions of copies of their magazine to the targeted audience.
1970’s
Bauer had released Women’s Weeklies magazines which had started being published in the 1970’s with a
magazine called Tina and Bella, this shows how the company has decided to expand the target audience
their magazines normally get, by creating a magazine directly addressed for women readers so they have
a magazine with conventions typical to them and with topics they would appreciate more, than perhaps a
magazine likethe radio one which would have maleand female conventions and interest points involved.

7. Rachel Knowles
1980’s
Bauer decided to buy shares for a Tv broadcasting company RTL, a private radio station Radio Hambury
and also with a daily paper in Germany called Magdeburger Volksstimme, showing they a re widening the
company but also they could have advertised their papers more through having these shares in these
companies, meaning awareness for their magazine would increase. Also they are following the current
trends at this specific time in history with technology as TVs were starting to become even more popular
in the 80’s meaning Bauer having a share in a Tv broadcasting company meant they are keeping up to
date with the current market.
1990’s
Early in the 1990’s Bauer kept up with the current market also due to starting to use the digital aspect of
publishing, by using the internet, their magazines as technology was increasing at a faster rate meaning
they had to as a company as well because the target audience would be interested in the current change
of technology. This would increase the popularity with the target audience as they would be interested in
how they have decided to use the internet to publish their magazines as media started to take over the
media in the 1990’s.
2000’s
Heat was published and released on to the market in the year 2000 in Great Britain, both in physical
copies and digital, on their own website heatworld.com but as well as making their own website, they
introduced their own radio broadcaster which was called heatradi o. This would attract different
personalities of women as not everyone would want a physical copy therefore a digital one may be
preferred more over the physical as it is keeping up with the trends of media but some people wouldn’t
have been able to afford a digital copy as they might not have had the correct equipment and technology
needed, therefore it meant they would have had to get a physical copy if they wanted to read the
magazine. This shows the magazine is catering towards different women mainly through the class which
they are suited in.
Over the years Bauer has appropriately suited their magazines to the specific targeted audience, as well as
keeping up with the current market digitally and in physical forms as efficiently as they could, which ha d
worked to their advantage improving the company, showing Bauer could be an appropriate publisher for
a magazine. However, IPC seems to have been slightly more accurate and up to date due to having a
wider range of magazines suiting a more varied target audience showing they have catered to the
majority of their desired target audiences.