Magazine Pages

Audience Report Study

 

Audience Report Study

Magazines have been around since the 17^th century and in more recent centuries became one of the most popular forms of mass media communication along with newspapers. Because magazines have been around for such a period of time, there is very few niche markets left to build one within; this is why I carried out research to try and find my target market and how I should design my magazine.

The first question I asked was, ‘what is your gender?’ Whilst it may seem irrelevant due to the fact that I can pick one and work from there, I felt I should ask and see who responded more on the social media websites that I used to advertise my survey. The results were 79% female and 21% male, this shows me females were the most likely to use social media and are the most interested in magazines. I said the survey was to create a new magazine, because more females answered it suggests they are looking for a new magazine. This will impact my magazine because I am going to design my magazine for females.

The second question I asked was ‘how old are you?’ I asked this question to further my target market, by having a specific age I can use colour schemes and artists that would appeal to that age group and make my magazine more popular. The most common answer was 16-18 year olds. This will help me design my magazine because I can now use this to my advantage and create my magazine so it is suitable to the target market of 16-18 year old females.

Another question I felt was important was ‘how do you read magazines?’ I felt this was important because I wanted to know how to sell my magazine. In the 21^st century, particularly since 2010, more and more print magazines have been shutting down or transferring to internet copies due to the increase of digitalisation. The most common answer was paper magazines followed by the internet; this is useful because now I know to create a paper friendly as well as online ready magazine.

The next important question was ‘what is your favourite genre of music?’ I thought that this question was important because the magazine I am creating is a music one; this means that the most popular music type will be the one I will create a magazine for as it will be most likely to sell. The answer which was most common was R&B music; this means I will base my magazine around this genre.

I also asked the question ‘what is your favourite colour?’ I asked this because my magazine needs to have a colour scheme which can be associated with the artist, the magazine and the genre. The most popular colours were black and gold. These colours tie in well with the genre because, black and white would be base colours and gold connotates power, wealth and create a regal air. All these things can be linked to R&B and give a theme I am happy with my magazine being associated with.

The next question I felt was important to the creation of my magazine was ‘what do you like to read about in a magazine?’ This question is important because it will let me know what stories to have on the front of my magazine, the contents page and what to write my double page spread about. The most popular answers were as follows in order, new music/artists, gossip and then fashion. This means that my double page spread will be about a new artist and feature stories will be music reviews, fashion in the music industry, relationships etc.

The final important question for my magazine was ‘do you prefer female or male artists?’ This is important because it will help me create/decide on an artist for the front of magazine and double page spread as well as others to feature on the contents page. The gender with the most yes answers was females, this means that my main artist/s will be female.

In summary through research I have decided my magazine will be an R&B one, with female artists and with the colours purple and gold. It will be aimed at 16-18 year old girls.