3. Focus Publisher and Product
Example
Publisher Product
European-based media company.
Founded in 1875 by the Bauer family
headquartered in Hamburg, Germany.
manages a portfolio of more than 600
magazines, over 400 digital products, 50
radio and TV stations around the world.
Paul Keenan is the CEO
11,000 employees worldwide
Revenue approx. $2.4 billion
Source:
http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/brands-magazine
http://www.qthemusic.com
www.abc.org.uk
Meaning
founded in 1986 by Mark Ellen and David
Hepworth.
First published by the EMAP media group
in October 1986, with Paul McCartney
Was originally called ‘Cue’ but then got
changed to ‘Q’ so it was not mistaken for
a snooker magazine.
In January 2008 EMAP sold its consumer
magazine titles, including Q, to the Bauer
Media Group.
44050 copies circulating in 2015.
4. Bauer Media was founded in 1875 by Ludolph Bauer
who originally opened a print shop for business cards.
Since 2010 Yvonne Bauer has taken over and lead the
family business. Bauer’s first magazine was launched
in 1953 and it was a fishing magazine called Angling
Times. Q media was first published in the 1980’s and
became a big hit.
Sister company is Bauer H Bauer Publishing,
headquarters in Hamburg, Germany, Europe's largest
privately owned publishing group. The publish
magazines such as ‘Bella’
Source: http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/about
https://www.bauermedia.com/en/company/history/
Ownership Structure
5. Operating Model
Andreas Schoo Yvonne Bauer Jorg Hausendorf
(born in 1960) (publisher) (born 1964)
Witold Wonzniak
(born 1968)
Harald Jessen
(born 1971)http://www.bauer-media.com.au/discover/about-
bauer/management-team/
7. Associated Products
TV
Digital products
RadioMagazines
4 Music was launched on the 15th of August 2008
Their slogan is ‘We're Your Filter’.
On the 25th September 2017, 4Music updated its on-
screen graphics, to be revolving around four squares
which extend to create the 4Music logo. A few of its sister
channels are 4seven, Channel 4, Film 4, E4 and More4.
Planet rocks first air date was the 15th November
1999. On 11 February 2008, the previous owner
Gcap Media, who is now known as Global Radio, said
the station would close late march 2008 because of
Gcaps’s financial state. On 6 February 2013, the
station was sold to Bauer Media for between £1
million and £2 million
The first issue of Grazia was released on the 1st
October 1938. It is publish weekly and is categorized
as a women's magazine. The editor is Chantelle
Horton. It is based in Milan and is written and
published in Italian.
8. Market Position
Publishers
Bauer
Time Inc. UK
Magazines
Mojo
Kerrang!
NME
Q
Uncut
352,173= uncut and NME
125,983= Mojo, Kerrang!, Q
308,938
67,518
18,462
40,003 43,235
0
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
300,000
350,000
N M E M O J O K E R R A N G ! Q U N C U T
2015 CIRCULATION NUMBERS
Circulation Market
Bauer
Time Inc UK
At the present time, Time Inc. UK
have more circulation market share
of the music magazines.
Bauer’s net worth is £2489million whereas
Time Inc. UK net worth is £431.1million. So although
Time Inc. UK have more of the circulation market
share, Bauer are worth more, however this is because
Bauer have a radio and TV as well as the magazines.
Source: www.forbes.com
9. Competitors
(publishers)
Hearst
Was founded on March 4th 1887
by William Randolph Hearst.
Hearst UK publishes 22 brands.
owns a wide variety of
newspapers, magazines,
television channels and
television stations.
Time INC
Was founded on the 28th of
November 1922 by Briton
Hadden and Henry Luce. Time
Inc. owns and publishes over 100
magazine brands and is also
based in New York City.
Conde Nast
Was founded by Conde Montrose
Nast in 1909. It is an American
based company who currently
publish 22 magazine brands.
Burda
Burda style was founded by
Aenne Burda who wanted to
expand her family business.
Burda style (previously Burda
Modern) published their first
magazine in 1950. it is a fashion
magazine that is based in
Offenburg, Germany.
The National
Magazine
Company
Was founded by William
Randolph in 1910. London
based publisher company
that was bought by Hearst
in recent years.
10. Kerrang! Magazine is now published by
Wasted Talent, Bauer Media sold it
earlier this year. Their first issue was
published on the 6th of June 1981 as a
one off, however it carried on. Its
founder was Alan Lewis and current
editor is Sam Coare. It is an English
magazine based in London. Including
P&P you can order a copy of Kerrang!
for £3.35.
Competitors
(magazines)
NME is published by Time Inc. UK with
their first issue being the 7th of March
1952. The founder of NME is Theodore
Ingham. The magazine is published
weekly with the current editor being
Mike Williams. NME is free and is
distributed at various locations around
the UK every Friday, such tube
stations, train stations, universities,
music venues and selected retailers.
http://www.kerrang.com
MOJO is published by Bauer Media
monthly and their first issue was 15th
October 1993. Including P&P you can
order a copy of MOJO for £5.25 from
their website. The founding editor is
Paul Du Noyer. MOJO has been online
since 2001.
http://www.mojo4music.com
Uncut is published by Time Inc. UK,
their first issue was in May 1997. It is
published monthly and is based in
London. The current editor of the
magazine is John Mulvey. Including
P&P you can order a copy of Uncut for
£6.93.
http://www.uncut.co.uk http://www.nme.com
11. Form and Style
In Q magazine, the colours used are red and white. People will not struggle to read the
magazine as these colours are quite soothing to the eye. As these colours go well together,
it connotes to the reader that this is a professional company who care about their readers
views and opinions.
Font sizes will change depending on what they are being used for. For example, the title
will have a larger font, this is to get the readers attention so that they will notice the
magazine. The articles will have a smaller font so that all the information form the articles
will all fit and look informative and aesthetically pleasing.
The way Q lay out their front covers are in such a way that the reader will know what
content will be covered in the magazine. They are also laid out quite neatly and not
crowded which again connotes professionalism to the readers.
Q magazines dimensions are about 21cmx25cm
12. Product Analysis
Purpose = Q’s strapline is “discover great music” this connotes that
inside Q’s magazine, is articles on music that is considered to be better
than others. Of course this music taste is all personal opinion but as a
reader, this strapline would catch your eye and you could be curious as
to what ‘great music’ is.
Genre = the subgenre of Q is pop and rock music, by having these two
genres, it opens up Q’s audience to a wider range of people. Who are
it’s competitors? Q’s masthead is quite eye catching as it is a large red
box with a white Q in it, although it is not the most exciting masthead,
it is simple and that’s what makes it eye-catching to the reader.
Form = Q is a non-fiction monthly music magazine. They tend to use
the same, if not similar, colours on the front covers of their magazines.
This helps the reader to identify them. It also shows repetition and
routine which could make the readers feel more comfortable with the
magazine leading to repeat purchase.
Q is also the 2nd most sold music magazine, MOJO being 1st.
13. Front Cover analysisThe masthead is the ‘Q’ logo
and is placed behind the artists
heads, this could, connote the
importance of the band. The
red background could also
connote anger as this relates to
the genre of music ‘Muse’
produce which is Rock and
typically Rock music is
associated with anger
The strapline is covered the the
band members heads. This is a
downfall as it cannot be read
and so the few words that can
be read do not make sense.
In the main image, there are
the 3 members of ‘Muse’ with
the main singing looking straight
at the reader and the other two
looking away. They could be
placed like this to provide direct
address to the reader and to
show who the main singer is.
By the band taking up the whole
page it shows the reader that
they are the main feature in this
issue.
Anchorage text allows the
reader to get a small insight as
to what the main headline is
referring to. Using the verbal
code ‘Boldly go where no band
has gone before’ connotes to
the reader that there is change
and this will interested them
and would make the reader
want to pick up the magazine
and read it.
The barcode illustrates
information such as the date of
the issue, the price and the
number of the issue
Secondary image lets the
reader know what/who else
features in the magazine and
this can draw in new readers as
they might see someone they
know and want to read it.
The main headline is the largest
text on the page. This makes it
eye-catching and the reader will
see the name of the band
‘Muse’ and may recognize them
and want to read the article. It
could also connote that the
band is important.
The Cover lines let the
consumer know what is
featured in the magazines. By
having these in bold, this
catches the consumers eye and
attracts them more to the
stories, making them want to
read into it.
14. Contents Page analysis
Sub lines give the reader a
small insight as to what that
page will entail so that they
know if it interests them or not.
The Subheadings are bold and
a bigger size to the rest of the
writing, this denotes to the
reader what the main stories
are and what is featured in the
current magazine.
Page numbers are also given to
make it easier for the reader to
navigate their way around the
magazine and not lose interest
when looking for a specific
article.
The contents title is not as eye
catching as it could be. The
other features on this page
stand out more. On the other
hand it is capitals and at the top
of the page so it can still be
noticed by the reader.
The main image on this page is
a main feature as it is the
biggest thing on the page, this
could connote that this is an
important story that the editor
wants the reader to read as it
would be one of the first things
the reader would notice when
opening the page.
By adding a review onto the
page, readers can relate to this
by using the verbal code ‘The
Worlds Biggest and Best Music
Guide’ as they would be
interested as to what is popular
and what they should try
listening to.
This is another way of telling
the reader what is in the
magazine except this is what's
in it every month. This could
connote repetition and routine
to the reader. As a reader this
would make you feel
comfortable as you know what
to expect.
15. DPS analysis
Main Image – this image
spreads across both
pages of the dps which
connotes that it is an
important article. By
having the background
image as a view of
London, it helps to
explain to the reader
that Ed Sheeran is a local
London guy, this allows
readers to relate to him.
He has his iconic acoustic
guitar next to him which
helps readers to identify
him.
Main headline – using the verbal code ‘I’m bringing ginger back!’ connotes
to the reader that ginger is not a bad colour to be and it is becoming
popular. It is a play of version of the original saying ‘I’m bringing sexy back’
this also can connote to the reader that ginger is sexy. This could easily
change readers views and opinions on Ed Sheeran. Ginger is also in a
red/orange colour to the rest of the white text, this makes it stand out and
catch the readers eye. By being in a different colour and standing out this
could have an underline meaning of not being afraid to stand out.
Drop capital – using
a drop capital at the
start of an article an
effective way to
catch the readers
eye. This drop
capital is a white ‘I’
in a red box, this
contrast and
boldness will
suggest to the
reader that this
article is important
or interesting.
Page number/logo – by having the page
number on the page, helps the reader
identify where in the magazine they are and
it also makes it easier to navigate around the
magazine. The logo, which is next to the
page number helps the reader identify the
magazine, not just the once but at other
times too.
16. Website analysis
The website includes an
image of the front cover
of the latest issue. This
could be keeping the
audience interested and
up to date as if they
were to go onto the
website and see a new
issue it could result in
them buying the
magazine and reading it.
It could also interest non
Q magazine readers as if
they were to have a look
on the Q website, this
magazine headline may
interest them which
could result in new
customers. Advertising other brands and
websites allows Q to make money
other than just selling the magazine.
Easy to navigate
menu. The headings
are quite simplistic
which will allow the
audience to look
around the website
in order to find what
they desire.
This website allows cross media access giving the magazine greater variety when
distributing the magazine to its readership. Technological convergence gives readers
ease of access, choice and greater control over content.
As you can see the website follows the same form and style as the print based
magazine this connotes repetition which could allow the readers to feel safe and
secure.
Search bar allows
the audience to
quickly find what
they are looking for
17. Key points:
o Its about the brand not the product
o Helps to build the brand
o Mass marketing
o Not targeted at certain audiences
o Informs everyone about the product, for example the coca cola adverts.
Above the line can be advertised in several ways:
• TV adverts –
* local – advertise local independent business.
* national – advertise businesses and companies that feature around the country.
* global – advertise businesses and companies that feature in most/every country.
• Radio – psychologists say we need to hear something 3 times before it becomes memorable
• Print – (magazines, newspapers etc.) is meant to have a wider reach than TV or radio
Advantages to ATL marketing:
o Wider reach
o Better contact with the audience
o Defines the brand
Above the Line (ATL) Marketing
18. TV advert (global) TV advert (national) Newspaper/magazine advert
Source:
https://www.google.co.uk/imghp?hl=en&tab=wi
Radio advert (national)
19. Key points:
o Specific to an audience
o Not focused on building the company name
o About the product not the brand
o Based on getting conversions
Above the line can be advertised in several ways:
• Billboards
• Flazma
• Flyers, leaflets, pamphlets
• TV screens
• Social media marketing
• promotional marketing
Advantages to BLT:
o More specific
o Percentage of getting a sale is higher
Below the Line (BLT) Marketing
21. The average cost of a standard 48
sheet billboard is around £200 per
week. An advert on the side of a bus
stop, for example, on a busy high
street could cost about £300 for two
weeks' exposure as it catches more
attention.
Magazine marketing
This shows Q’s advertising as it
shows what they think are the top
20 songs from the past 20 years for
example. If people liked this they
would then be interested as to what
else Q do and talk about.
22. Distribution
How many magazines are circulated in the UK or globally?
In 2016, 40,003 copies of Q were sold within the UK. It is no longer sold in a paper copy within the
US.
Is the magazine available online?
Yes, and it is globally accessible.
The process by which the company markets a product and gets it to its consumer
Source:
http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/uk-magazine-abcs-winners-losers-and-full-breakdown-as-circulation-declines-average-6-per-cent/
Q magazine in WHSmith –
there is an eye-catching
holder specifically for the Q
magazine. This could draw
in new customers as they
might start to think it is a
good magazine to read/the
best music magazine,
otherwise it would not be
separate to the others. It is
likely that Q would have had
to of paid extra in order to
be separate and stand out
from the other magazines.
23. Online subscriptions
Q is available to be subscribed to
from many websites and some
retail stores, such as WHSmith.
You are able to pick your
subscription type. This is where
you can have a printed cop, digital
copy or both digital and printed
copy. The delivery fee is included
within the subscription price. You
are also able to buy a subscription
as a gift. The subscriptions can be
bi-annual or annual. The price of
an annual recurring payment is
£40, where as a one off annual
payment is £45. there is also an
option is to pay £20 every 6
months recurring. The magazine
can be ordered to be delivered to
any country within the world in
the English language.
24. Production Process
Source: https://hosbeg.com/the-magazine-production-process/
DateofPublication
setting up a date for
publication is the is
the first thing that is
needed. all this is, is
the date at which
you will publish your
magazine to the
public. once this date
has been discussed
and decided, you are
operating a
schedule.
ManagingtheSchedule
This is an important
step that should be
understood properly.
In able to produce
your magazine
successfully, you
must have a
successful schedule,
that if anything goes
wrong within the
process, the deadline
is always met.
Editorialandbudgetary
decision
This step is where
the editing team put
together and discuss
what stories will be
covered in the next
issue of the
magazine. After this
is decided, they take
into account the
budget they have to
spend and how it will
be spent.
25. ContentAcquisition
known as the most
important step because if
there was no content
within the magazine then
there can be no
magazine. There are two
ways in which content can
be gathered. the first way
is in-house staff writers
and the second way is by
external writers. The
graphics that are going
into the magazine are
also worked on at this
stage.
SubEditing
Editorialandbudgetarydecision
This step is where the
editing team put
together and discuss
what stories will be
covered in the next
issue of the magazine.
After this is decided,
they take into account
the budget they have
to spend and how it
will be spent.
the main focus here is
quality control. The editor
has this job if the media
organization isn't big
enough. This involves:
Checking the accuracy of all
the facts in the articles
Making sure that spelling,
grammar an punctuation is
correct.
to make sure that all the
articles follow the house-
style
also working on the page
layout
26. Technological Convergence Social Media Statistics from September 2017
YouTube Subscribers 4,382
Pinterest Followers 1,164
Facebook Followers 134,680
Instagram Followers 17.4K
Twitter Followers 135,999
Q magazine has kept up to date with the current social medias.
This could be so Q magazine can reach all their audience and the
audience can get the latest updates quickly.
Q also has synergy with these online line social media networks,
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and many more. Q magazine pays
these social media companies so that they can find out what
type of people look at their media pages. When this information
is obtained, Q can change what they post and what the pages
look like to suit needs and likes of their audience. Q use an e-
media platform which means their website is adapted when
viewing on a mobile device, computer or a tablet. Each lay out
will be slightly different to suit the device.
27. Synergy
Q are in synergy with Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube. This
can make the readers feel more involved and can also invite new audiences to
get involved with the magazine. It also allows Q to see how the readers react if
there is something new, or just in general, which Q can then change or improve
how they do things to suit the needs of the readers.
28. Brand Ideology/Ethos and values
Slogan:
Bauer’s slogan is “we think popular”. This suggests that Bauer is not just a company but a community and by saying
“we” this indicates that Bauer want to involve everyone and make even the audience feel included in the decisions
made. The word “think” suggests that all the employees at Bauer all think and want the same things for the company,
for it to be successful. “popular” connotes that Bauer know what the audience want and they know that they can
deliver it to them.
Values:
Bauer medias four values are: create, collaborate, challenge and respect. By having these four values on display it
shows the public how they work and the ‘secret’ as such into becoming a successful worldwide business like
themselves.
History:
Bauer Media was founded in 1875 by Ludolph Bauer who originally opened a print shop in Hamburg specifically to
produce business cards when he was 23. Ludolph then launched a local advertising newspaper called
Rothenburgersorter Zeitung. In 1926 he released a radio magazine, Rundfunk-Kritik, it seemed to be very popular as
over half a million copies were sold weekly. In 1953 Bauer’s first magazine was launched, a fishing magazine called
Angling Times as fishing was quite popular at the time. In the 1990s Bauer Media Group started to publish magazines
digitally. Since 2010 Yvonne Bauer has taken over and lead the family business to grow.
The blue could
represent the ocean,
as the ocean takes up
most of the world
and this could show
that Bauer is a
worldwide company
The white triangle
could symbolise ‘new’.
As in a fresh start, this
could be there to show
how Bauer will bring
something new and
interesting to the
market
Source: https://www.bauermedia.com/en/company/history/
29. Demographics
Demographics is statistical data relating to the population and particular groups
within it. The demographic of Q’s magazine is A, B, C1, this is because it is aimed at
professionals and people in management. The demographic of my own magazine
will be B, C1, C2 as it will be more aimed at students, workers and a small
proportion of management.
30. Psychographic is the study and classification of people according to their attitudes, aspirations, and other
psychological criteria, especially in market research. The psychographic of Q is aspirers and succeeders. This is
because they seek status and control. By reading Q it keeps them up to date with what’s going on therefore letting
them know more than a person who does not read Q magazine.
The psychographic of my magazine will mainly be mainstreamers and explorers. This is primarily because my
magazine will include all the latest news keeping everyone up to date, therefore by being an explorer, the readers
want to look more into a topic, therefore I will include lots of detail. They will be mainstreamers as my magazine will
be quite conventional and so readers wont really drift from that as conventional is a safe way to be and
mainstreamers seek that security.
Psychographics
31. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
What is wanted
What is needed
You cannot
have self
actualization
if you do not
have the basic
physiological
needs.
32. Its what people do with the media. Consumer is taking an active part in the
communication process and are goal oriented in their media use. Power is
considered to lie with the consumer to gratify their needs or interests.
5 main reasons audiences consume media:
To be informed
In order to identify with the characters and situation
To be entertained
To enable themselves to socially interact with others
To escape from their daily troubles
Uses and Gratifications
(Blumler and Katz’s theory)
Sources: https://www.google.co.uk/search?biw=1034&bih=871&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=2kQVWr_eBInPa7Xig9AJ&q=katz+media+theorist&oq=katz+media+theorist&gs_l=psy-
ab.3...27184.38977.0.39423.17.15.1.1.1.0.91.670.15.15.0....0...1c.1.64.psy- ab..0.7.334...0j0i67k1j0i5i30k1j0i8i30k1j0i24k1j0i30k1.0.1NdtEYTwM20&safe=active&ssui=on#imgrc=zGZE968_Ii4EgM:
https://www.google.co.uk/search?biw=1034&bih=871&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=nEQVWpmVIcWzaf3cmvgL&q=Blumler+&oq=Blumler+&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0i67k1j0j0i5i30k1j0i24k1l3.7059.7059.0.7153.1.1.0.0.0.0.74.74.1.1.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-
ab..0.1.72....0.WCm9jCRE9hE&safe=active&ssui=on#imgrc=BStf3z7NuSfcHM:
33. • Self- ambitions or interests of the audience
• Gender
• Age
• Class – different social classes e.g. working, upper
• Ethnicity
• Family
• Nation
The focus and control is on the producer
“institutions are obliged not only to speak about an audience, but –
crucially, for them – to talk to one as well; they need not only to
represent audiences but to enter into relation with them.”
The Hartley Classification
Source: https://www.google.co.uk/search?biw=1034&bih=871&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=hEYVWs2IOMn3aIaWsqgM&q=john+hartley+&oq=john+hartley+&gs_l=psy-
ab.3...8246.8246.0.8441.1.1.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..1.0.0....0.fmiEEINqE4U&safe=active&ssui=on#imgrc=Ub8VExHNFuxCjM:
35. http://www.pressmagmedia.com/free-distribution-press
Free Sheets
Free sheets appeal to a lot of different and diverse audience of commuters, shoppers and
pedestrians by advertising in a free sheet publication. This is because it provides a
distraction from the morning commute and day to day life.
Free sheets are daily magazines and newspapers which are distributed to the public
completely free of charge. They are often handed out in central places in cities and towns
such as rail stations and shopping centres. They sometimes get left on the tube and trains
so that the public can just pick them up as and when they feel they want to. Sometimes,
especially with magazines, they are even put into other newspapers providing additional
and specialised content.
The revenues of free sheets are based purely on advertising return – which means that
there are a wealth of opportunities for brands to make an impact on readers. Companies
can pay to advertise within the free sheet, this will allow the free sheet to make money as
well as the company could gain new customers.
Consumers often pick up free sheets to accompany them on their journey to work, for the
office, or to read at home.
The Metro is a free sheet. It was first published in March 1999 as a newspaper for the
morning commuters. It was intended to be given out around London's transport, however
it became very popular and has been introduced in up to 50 UK cities. It is also estimated
that metro publish around 1.3 million copies of the newspaper, this making it the 3rd
biggest newspaper within the UK.
https://metro.co.uk/about/
36. Red top tabloid is a type of newspaper that contains articles
that are to be related to soft news. A Tabloid is a popular
newspaper that hasn’t got as much in depth info as
broadsheet (quality newspaper).
Red top tabloids are image lead which means that they try
and let the images that they include tell the story. They tend
to focus on celebrity gossip, also known as sensationalist
gossip.
It is called a ‘Red top’ as the mast head for these newspapers
are red. This makes it easier for the public to distinguish them
from other newspapers such as the broadsheets.
Red Top Tabloid
37. Broadsheet newspapers contain hard news whereas Red Top
Tabloids contain soft news. They tend to include a lot more
information which results in broadsheets being larger and having
more pages than a tabloid. Broadsheets can also be printed on
larger paper meaning that the overall newspaper is larger in size.
Most of the information within a broadsheet has been
researched heavily and is made sure to be speaking fairly about a
topic. Broadsheets tend to focus on news that is considered
important such as global/national news, political, social,
economic and cultural issues. They also tend to cover finance an
current affairs.
Examples of broadsheets that are published within the UK are
The Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Financial Times and The
Sunday Times.
Broadsheet
38. Connotations Behind The Name Of The Publication
The name ‘The Sun’ could connote to readers how the news that they
speak about is hot topics right now. This is evident as it is a red top
tabloid which typically tends to report on celebrity gossip and such
like. It also connotes to the reader that the news being talked about is
more soft news than hard news. It tends to be humorous and
headlines tend to be play on words. Not all the stories in this
newspaper should be taken seriously.
39. The Sun is an English newspaper that is published and distributed in
the UK Monday to Saturday. It was founded in 1964 as a broadsheet,
called the Daily Herald, it then was purchased by its current owners in
1969 and that is when it became a tabloid. In 2012, the Sun on Sunday
was launched.
The Sun is part of News Group Newspapers. This is owned by News
Corporation Group. Rupert Murdoch is the CEO of this company.
It gets more than 7 million readers each day.
History and Facts
https://newscorp.com/business/news-corp-uk/
40. News Corp is the Suns publisher as well as other newspapers and
magazines that are majorly known worldwide. In the UK News Corp is
called News UK, they operate three of the UK’s newspaper companies:
The Sun, The Times and The Sunday Times.
Ownership Structure – News Corporation Group
https://newscorp.com/business/news-corp-uk/
42. http://www.jamesborthwick.co.uk/page3.htm
The price of the Sun varies depending on the day in
which you are to purchase the magazine. On a
Monday to Friday it costs 50p, on a Saturday it
costs 70p however on a Sunday it costs £1.
The Sun also varies its price dependent on events
that have happened the day before. For example
when England got knocked out of the world up,
there was a massive commotion, this allowed the
Sun to release a special edition paper and so they
increased the price of this issue.
The Sun is also competing with other Red Top
Tabloids and other newspapers in general. For
example the Daily Mirror costs 70p on a weekday,
£1 on a Saturday and £1.40 on a Sunday.
Price
43. As the Sun newspaper is a red top tabloid it contains a lot of soft news
throughout the page rather than hard news, like a broadsheet. Most of the
stories covered are based on celebrity gossip and small stories about
different celebrities. It also contains other news which could be seen as
irrelevant however the readers could see it as entertainment when they are
bored. Most of the articles within the Sun newspaper are quick to read and
straight to the point as this allows the reader to find the information out
without having to read through a lot of writing.
The pages throughout the newspaper have a lot of pictures and not much
information, making them more visually based rather than informative.
Seeing as the target audience is mainly the socio-economical groups D and
E, this makes sense for the pages to be more visually based as the people
within these groups would be in non qualified jobs or in education.
The headlines that the Sun tend to use are typically quite humorous and
sarcastic, this appealing more to the target audience. On the front covers
there is always someone who is classed as trendy or famous at the time of
the issue, this signifies that the Sun encourage their readers to buy the
newspaper issue based on who is on the front cover, this creates star
appeal.
Star appeal is when a famous/trendy person is placed on a front cover and
this encourages fans of the famous person to buy this issue as they would
want to know more about them and why they are being featured within the
newspaper.
Genre of the newspaper
44. The Sun have quite informal language as their target
audience is mostly group D-E. This class of people would
possibly not be as educated as class A and B for example.
The Colours that The Sun use are very simple and basic, this
fits in with the class of the target audience as the people are
simple and probably live quite simple everyday lives.
The choice of images that The Sun decide to use are ones
that they know will grab the attention of the readers and
make them want to read the article.
The layout is simple, this fits in with the class of the target
audience as the people are simple and probably live quite
simple everyday lives.
Emotive langue is used, for example in this article words such
as terror, blast, explosion and killed. These words stick out to
the readers and the readers can also then start to empathise
for the people within the article, this makes the reader want
to find out more about that event and what happened.
Style
45. Circulation
The current circulation of the Sun in
print form is 1,403,779. On PC the
amount of people reading the online
version of the issue drops to 417,000.
Reading the issue on mobile is seen to
be quite popular as the amount of
readers is 3,931,000. This is even
more than the amount of readers who
read the print form (3,082,000). As
people seem to be relying more on
their electronic devices this is not a
massive surprise that the amount of
people reading the issue is more on a
mobile rather than a print copy.
This data proves that the Sun
newspaper is popular across the UK. https://www.newsworks.org.uk/The-Sun
46. With the Sun newspaper being a red top tabloid, it means
that it focuses on soft news. Soft news is not taken too
seriously by the readers and some of the information can
be over exaggerated, Sensationalised. Some people do not
like this as it can be seen as fake news, or false
information, however some people see it as a bit of
entertainment.
Within the Sun newspaper, they tend to include all sorts
of genres as this would then appeal to a wider audience.
These include topics such as celebrity gossip, sport,
politics and international problems.
As the Sun tend to sesationalise most of the news that is
contained within the newspaper, this causes readers to
value and think differently about current news that is in
the world at the moment. As the socio-economic groups
are mainly D and E, these types of people are less likely to
research more about the news that they have just read.
This meaning that they would believe the content to its
full extent.
News Selection and content
47. Website Analysis
https://www.thesun.co.uk/
Here the users have a chance to sign
in. By having an account with the Sun
newspaper online, it allows for you to
be sent exclusive offers and
promotions.
Other articles to entice the readers to
spend more time on the Sun website
reading more articles. The headlines are
quite engaging and make the reader
want to know more about that topic.
Navigation bar to make it
easier for the user to work
their way around the
website. By having the
topics laid out this way, it
will make the user want to
come back to the website to
read more as they wont
have to scroll through a lot
of pages of articles that
they are not interested in.
The different topics are
clearly laid out for a simple
format. It also lets the
reader know about all the
different things they can
read about. Furthermore,
the layout of the topics
could connote that football
and sport is seen to be
more important to the Suns
readers over TV & Showbiz.
Users are able to share the articles straight onto social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook and
WhatsApp. This makes it convenient for the users as if they want to talk about the articles that they’ve just
read they can easily send/share it with their friends with no large hassle. It also uses synergy to promote
the Sun by allowing the users to do this. Users are also able to comment on the articles and interact with
others sharing their views and opinions about that topic.
48. Here the editors would have been
using the negativity news value to
entice people into reading their
newspaper. This evolves using death,
violence and tragedy stories.
However, these are rated above
‘positive’ stories as it interests more
people and people like to know what
is going on.
The editors would also of been using
the closeness to home news value as
they know that a lot of family
members of this specific story would
want to read about the events that
happened. People who live in the
area/the country would also want to
be kept in the loop of any new
updates and information.
News Values (Galtung & Ruge)
http://mediaknowall.com/gcse/news/news.php?pageID=values
49. Front Cover Analysis
Puff Promotion: this advert can clearly
been seen by the reader and would
quickly grab the attention of the reader.
By having ‘2 free tickets’ in a large font
and capitalized this will also entice the
reader to buy the newspaper so that they
can get the free tickets. By having it say
‘worth up to £120’ the reader may think
that they can be getting a huge deal if
they buy this newspaper.
Main Image: the main headline suits the
main image as you can see the terror,
shock and pain in the faces of the people
in the photo. This photo would make the
readers want to empathise with the
young girl who is hurt. This could invite
the reader into buying the newspaper so
that they can read about the details of
how it happened.
Masthead: the masthead sticks out a
lot and is very noticeable as the font
size is very large and the colours
being red and white contrast each
other. This newspaper would be one
of the first newspapers to catch the
readers eye. It is also a very
recognisable masthead which would
be able to lead to a reader
repurchasing it.
Secondary lead: by having another
story feature on the front page this
will interest other readers to read the
newspaper. There is only a small
proportion of the story, this will make
readers want to buy the newspaper
so that they can read the rest of the
story.
https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/the-sun-has-utmost-contempt-for-false-claims-about-its-front-page-on-day-after-manchester-attack/
50. Double Page Spread Analysis
Page number and date:
this allows the reader to
know where in the paper
they are and what issue
they are currently
reading.
Main image: its been printed to cover most of the double page as this would grab
the readers attention. Smaller photos relating to the article have also been printed.
Images like this will allow the reader to empathise with the subject of the article.
Main headline: it has
been used as a pun to
make the reader
question the headline.
This will make them
want to read the article
so that they can
understand what the
headline means.
The copy: this gives
some further information
about the article which
the reader can decide if
they want to know more
information or not.
https://www.theguardian.com/media/organgrinder/2010/jul/23/the-sun-parasailing-donkey
51. The Sun is distributed around the UK in paper form. It is available
worldwide electronically via the Sun website, with a subscription of
£4.99 a month. This subscription entitles the user to an electronic issue
everyday. The Sun newspaper can be found in almost any retail shop
such as Waitrose, Tesco, Co-Op and Sainsbury’s. Corner shops also
stock the Sun.
With the current circulation of the Sun newspaper being 1,403,779,
this connotes how popular it is across the UK. In 2016 the Sun became
the 2nd most read newspaper in print and online within the UK
Distribution
https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/nrs-the-sun-moves-up-to-become-second-most-
read-uk-newspaper-in-print-and-online-with-mail-still-top-on-29m-a-month/
52. Advertisement Pricing
https://newscommercial.co.uk/cms/resources/the-sun-rate-card.pdf
Depending on what region you want your advertisement to be in will alter the price in which you will
have to pay to advertise in the tabloid. How much you pay will also be based on how big you want the
advertisement to be. It is possible to have a full page, half page and also a quarter of a page. The
quarter of the page being obviously cheaper than a full page as the full page is a lot bigger.
53. Advertised Products – inside the newspaper
The advertisements that appear within The Sun
newspaper are very suited to its target audience,
groups D-E. This is highlighted in the fact that the
products being advertised are cheap. For example,
Lidl are known to be a cheap supermarket, as shown
in the advert, you can get more for your money than
at a supermarket such as Waitrose. Plusnet is also
deemed to be quite a cheap broadband service.
There is also an advert for The Sun £9.50 holidays
which would really grab the readers attention as
some of the readers may not be able to afford to go
on holiday.
54. Complaints
https://www.thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/
On The Sun website, readers are able to go and file a
complaint about something that they’ve read within The
Sun. the complaint will be made under the terms of the
Editors’ Code which is updated frequently. This enables
them to maintain the complaints policy, every newspaper
company has to follow one, to obtain publishing rights.
The Sun has their own specific policy which protects
them and their editors.
The complaints procedure that The Sun follow is by using
an IPSO form, this is linked on the complaints page.
Customers are also able to send a complaint by an email
or post. Complaints can also improve The Sun as it may
be as simple as a spelling mistake that they have made
and someone has complained about it.
55. Maslow: The Maslow theory suggests that audiences are appealed to
media based on their needs and what satisfies them. Maslow's
hierarchy of needs was made to show the different needs and what is
needed within those needs to satisfy. The Sun tries to appeal to most
of the audience, they interest and satisfy a lot of people with their
content which is mainly celebrity gossip.
Audience Theories
Socio-economic (Demographics): This theory suggests that people
are split into different groups based on their job, class and the
amount of money that they earn. For example, A is someone who is
upper class, they would have a job as a lawyer and earn anything in
exess of £50,000. The group E would be mainly made up of students
and casual workers who earn between £4000 - £7000. I would place
The Sun in the groups D – E as the pricing of The Sun implies that this
is the target they would like to use, 50p - £1. The content in The Suns
newspaper also gives the impression that this is their target market as
students are more likely to want to know about the latest gossip than
a lawyer.
56. Psychographic is the study and
classification of people according to their
attitudes, aspirations, and other
psychological criteria, especially in market
research. I personally would place The Sun
in the category of strugglers, this is
because the majority of the demographics
are D-E. Some information that is in The
Sun is misleading, this could also connote
strugglers as they are unable to research
the topics properly.
Furthermore, the price of the newspaper is
not as dear as some upmarket
newspapers, such as the Daily Mail. The
Sun is only 50p on most days, meaning
that readers are able to afford it on a day
to day basis.
Psychographics
57. Marketing
https://vimeo.com/66887346
The Sun released an advert in 2015 to introduce their new strapline “Get Involved”. The advert is meant to show and
demonstrate how The Sun is for everyone, no matter what job they have or don’t have. The Sun publish news that
they believe the ‘nation’ wants to hear. However, the advert does seem to contradict itself in showing that really it
targets people in the working class and people in the demographic groups of D-E, possibly now branching out to C2.
this is shown by having the man who narrates the advert walking around local streets that are busy with these sorts
of people.
Further more, within the video the holiday deals are also mentioned. These have been proven to be a huge hit with
the readers of The Sun. These holidays are offered to the readers by collecting tokens from the paper weekly, there
are 8 to collect and then you are entitled to a £9.50 holiday.
https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/sun-get-involved-grey/1146772
58. Above The Line marketing means that the advertising is going to be deployed around a wider
target audience, e.g. television, radio, or billboards.
Below the line marketing means that the advertising is going to target a specific group of
potential consumers. Such as emails and freebies.
Marketing (continued)
Above the Line:
An above the line marketing for The Sun that I have identified is one of
their TV advertisement which advertises their product of ‘Sun Bingo’.
Bingo is known to be more for the working class people and so by having
the person singing in the advert look quite normal, viewers will be able to
relate with her and are more likely to start playing bingo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-bbxcFHVc0
Below the Line:
A below the line marketing for The Sun that I have identified is their
twitter page, which advertises themselves and their newspaper. As
Twitter has a lot of people going on it everyday, The Sun posts small
articles for free which reaches their 1.4 million followers who can
then go and read the full article online. Therefore The Sun is able to
reach a vast amount of people in just a few seconds.
https://twitter.com/TheSun?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
59. Synergy is when two or more things work together to create something
that is bigger than it was originally. For example, The Sun use social media
in order to promote and advertise themselves and their product(s). A few
of the social media platforms that they use are Snapchat, Twitter and
Facebook. As well as promoting themselves through social media they can
also interact with readers, as well as pushing their product to a wider
audience who use social media daily.
Synergy
https://www.facebook.com/thesun/ https://twitter.com/TheSun
The Sun has a Facebook page that has been liked by 3,195,752 people and has 3,029,017
followers. On the Facebook page they tend to show a small video to cover stories as and
when they happen. This attracts a lot of people as it is easier to watch a video than to read
an article. They then have a link which sends the reader to The Sun website. On Snapchat,
The Sun has a ‘Story; featured which users can click on and swipe up to read the articles.
The articles are shortened down with only the basic information as Snapchat users tend to
be teenagers and so they include stories which The Sun feel would be relevant/interesting
to the age group of 13-18 year olds. Such as articles about reality TV stars. On Twitter, The
Sun have 1.4 million followers, they post a photo of what relates to the article and then
include one small line, or quote, to draw in the reader and click the link which redirects the
user to the article onto The Sun website. https://www.thedrum.com/news/2018/03/21/how-the-sun-
attracts-the-opposite-the-white-van-man-snapchat
60. Throughout LO1 I have looked at red top tabloids, free sheets and
broadsheets. I have analysed what the differences between these all
are. I picked The Sun newspaper to look at further, with The Sun being
a red top tabloid I have given myself a better understanding of how
they operate and what content is mainly included within this
newspaper.
Conclusion
