WHO WOULD BE THE AUDIENCE FOR YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT?ALICE SOPHIE TURRELL

INITIAL QUESTIONNAIRE

Due to the research I done previous to the creation of my magazine, I found out that the average reader for my would be around 16 – 20, and the female to male ratio is about 50/50. The results from this questionnaire influenced the creation process of my magazine, as to make it appeal to the target audience as much as possible it needed to look how they think best and contain content that they find interesting. The other important information that came from this is the target audiences employment status information and hobbies. The results showed that they were mainly students with a part time job. This showed me about pricing and availability for my magazine. In terms of hobbies sport, video games and photography were the most popular. This gave me more information on who the target audience would be.

FOCUS GROUP

Once the magazine was completed, I undertook a focus group to see if the target audience had changed at all after the magazine was created and to see who it appealed to more. The people who undertook the focus group were all interested in the rock genre so that they would understand the contents and theme of the magazine.

MUSIC TASTEThis is the most important and obvious factor into who the target audience is. They obviously have to be interested in the rock genre to pick up the magazine, for instance someone interested in Dance music and not interested in rock music would not pick it up. Although the magazine is in the rock genre, it focuses more on the sub genre of 90’s rock, meaning the target audience is predominantly those interested on rock artists from the 90’s and those artists influenced and similar to those in the 90’s. Although the genre is 90’s rock, there is no focus in on other sub genres – such as punk or metal – so it will be suitable for most rock fans.

When looking at existing magazines for inspiration when it came to the features for 90’s rock, I looked to both Classic Rock magazine and Kerrang! combining the two. I combined these rather than focus on one more than the other as Classic Rock is aimed at older people (20 – 40) and does not include as many new artists, and Kerrang! Is aimed more at teenagers and shows a wide range of music in the rock genre and a lot of new artists. Both of these alone did not match my genre, but taking inspiration from both magazine did relate.

.

MUSIC TASTE CONTINUED

Throughout the magazine it is clear that the focus of the magazine is 90s rock music and the coverlines on the front show that boldly, as they show artists who are from the 90’s and influenced by that time in rock music.

When I asked the focus group about their favourite artists in the genre, they included Green Day and Guns N Roses which are artists featured in the magazine. Then when I showed them the cover and the contents page (in terms of artists featured) they said that they were ones that interested them, and therefore appealed to them and they would pick up the magazine if it was on sale in relation to the featured artists. Although the target audience are fans of 90’s rock, they have an open mind and will look at new artists as well that conform to similar ideas and styles of 90’s rock.

GENDER AND AGEFrom my first questionnaire, the target audience was 52% female and 48% male, so the magazine had to appeal to both males and females. In terms of age, the average was 16 – 20. This did not change much when undertaking the focus group either, there was 3 females and 2 males and the age range was 16 – 18.

The magazine is aimed at both males and females equally, but due to the colour scheme (red, black and white) more males that females may pick up the magazine potentially. Although this is the case, the features and language used appeal to both males and females equally.

For the target age group, the magazine is aimed at a young audience – late teens to young adults. But due to the focus of the magazine being music from the 90’s, the magazine is also aimed at those up to 40 years. To attract the broad age range, I have designed my magazine with a mix of informal and formal elements. For instance the text style is more formal, and the logo is quite edgy and informal.

EMPLOYMENT STATUS/EDUCATION

Due to the average age being 16 – 20 years old, the majority of my target audience are a student of some kind at sixth form or college. Some also have a part time job. This information has helped with the pricing and how often the magazine should come out in relation to how often the potential readers can buy the magazine.

Due to the target audience being mainly students with a part time job, the price of the magazine is relatively cheap and comes out fortnightly. I have also included a “win” feature in the magazine, giving the readers the chance to go to a festival as they may not be able to afford it.

HOBBIES AND INTERESTS

From the first questionnaire the results for peoples hobbies and interests ranged from video games, to photography and playing instruments. This was such a broad variety due to the amount of people who participated in the questionnaire. The results from the focus group were not as broad with hobbies being socializing, going to concerts and sports. This shows the average Dirt reader to be someone who is quite sociable and outgoing.

To attract the readers from this point of view, I have included some game reviews in the magazine (included on flat plan) and quite a few images to appeal to those more interested in photography and visual aspects. Knowing the hobbies and interests of the reader is also helpful in choosing what adverts to include in the magazine. For instance there would be no point in advertising a high street clothing brand as it would not make an impact on the reader.

A TYPICAL DIRT READERHannah is 16 and studying art at college. Her love of 90’s rock is evident through her unique style, attitude and her work as it gives her inspiration. Her art is based around her favourite songs and icons, such as Joey Ramone. She does not go anywhere without her iPod which is constantly updated with the latest rock banks as well as nearly every rock album from the 80’s and 90’s ranging from Bon Jovi to Green Day. When it comes to fashion, she ignores the latest high street trends, and instead opts for looking around places such as Camden for items to add to her alternative wardrobe influenced by the style of Courtney Love. During her free time she like to hang out with her friends listening to music and going to concerts to see both legendary and small new artists. Her summers are spent at festivals such as Download and Reading. She is always participating in some sort of physical activity, especially as a part of the local tennis team.