Monday 28 November 2011

Audience Targetting for NME

1)      Core buyer of NME; mainly 25 year old men (73%)
2)      Are they targeting niche/small or mass market?  Mass market
3)      How do they target different audiences?
·         NME classified: 26% full time students
·         72% have broadband
·         59% want to keep up with the latest technologies
·         79% want to listen to new bands
·         52% are interested in a musical course/ qualification
·         NME live: 77% have been to at least 1 rock concert in 2007
·         67% will be attending a festival this year
·         70% of gig goers went for the atmosphere as well as the music
·         NME.com: 93% own a computer
·         56% visit NME.com everyday
·         96% can easily access the internet

4)      What do they offer them in terms of the products they offer/produce? Magazines, NME TV, radio station, award ceremony, night club, merchandise, festivals.
5)      What opportunities do the audience have and how might this satisfy mainstreamers/succeeders etc? Can buy merchandise straight from the store, to follow the popular/ in music.
6)      What is the mode of address? (‘The way a media text speaks to the audience to identify with it?’- the manner, tone and attitude of the magazine) and how does this appeal to the target audience? Straight to the point, informal so feels like they are trying to be our friend, informative, plain and simply put.
7)      How is the brand being positioned?  Quite high up and main stream within their genre of magazine. The leaders of music magazines.
8)      What are their brand values? (If it were a person describe its character) mainstream in the crowd, friendly, keeps up with market trends, informative.

ABCDE statuses

What products / brands would each category buy?
A. Chanel / Dior
B.  Hugo Boss / Waitrose / M&S
C1. French Connection / High Street stores
C2. Benefit / Topshop
D. Topshop / New Look / Asda
E. Primark / Pound Land / Iceland
What magazines do you think they would consume?
A. Vogue / Forbes / Collector’s magazines
B. Grazia / Cosmopolitan / Guardian
C1. Marie Claire / Sun / Sunday Times
C2. Hello / Heat / Sun
D. OK / Closer
E. TV Guides

Friday 25 November 2011

exam questions

'What significance does the continuing development of digital media technology have for the media institutions and audiences?'
  • What impact are technological developments having on music magazines and their audiences?
  • How are these developments changing the way music magazines are produced/printed/exhibited and how does this change the way audiences consume them?
Responses:
  • convergence has lowered the consuming rate of printed magazines
  • audiences are getting younger as new market trends are more online products/information
  • costs for printing have risen so they feel they need to move the the changes
  • the new market trends have forced the industries to develop new media technolgy
  • sales and producing magazines may decline as by the time the consumer has brought the magazine, the information will already be online in half the time and half the price -WEB 2.0(massive impact)
  • some small/niche magazines may go corrupt as they only target a specific audience-not a wide maret segment-less consumers
  • accessibility: wherever and whenever we like and portability: phones, tablets etc - Convergence
  • convergence: NME- radio & website (form of synergy if they were seperate) - MULTI-PLATFORM
  • SYNERGY- award shows, NME tour,
  • UGC (user generated content)- podcasts, forums, upload your own pictures (nme), upload videos of your band (metal hammer)- PROSUMERS
  • prosumers- far more likely to be loyal if you give them the oppotunity to be a prosumer
  • NME and Metal Hammer have both won awards
  • FANZINES-websites made by consumers/fans becuase they have bias views on how others proudce theirs/ content so they have in effect became competition
  • nme and metal hammer HAVE to produce both online website and print magazine: financial burden is greater but online may give them more advertising
  • social networks- facebook- can converge with nme and metal hammer- like pages, fan groups
  • Twitter can be a threat, as you can directly follow the celebs and get the information staright from their page rather than wait for it to be distributed (loyalty if they have perks that twitter dont give)
  • PROLIFERATION- so much choice
  • future of magazines- my opinion, statistics etc....
  • rupert murdoch quote
  • music creates a community, can interact with other consumers with similar likes

Wednesday 23 November 2011

Opening Paragraph

  • Begin with clear argument about new challenges facing the magazine industry, incoporating how much audience consumption has changed due to digital technology/new media technologies/ the development of the internet (web 2.0)
  • you MUST state what area of the media industry you have studied- this can be embeded within your paragraph or state obviously
  • "Technoogy is shifting power away from editors, the publishers, the establishment, the media elite, now its the people who are taking control." (Murdoch 2006)
my opening paragraph: (advancements of media technology and the effects)
Over the recent years, media technology has rapidly evolved with advancements within the way a consumer can access their information, this has had major effects on media industries especially magazines . The magazine industries are finding that in order to keep up with latest in new media technology they need to converge, they have to respond as best as possible to their customers and give them what they want in order to survive. For example NME have mixed the old with the new to stay on top of the changing trends, they have websites and radio stations in which the audience can get involved with. Today the internet is a two way communication where we can give and recieve information from where ever we are. Technology will carry on evolving and becoming more advance ,"Technoogy is shifting power away from editors, the publishers, the establishment, the media elite, now its the people who are taking control." (Murdoch 2006).

closing paragraph: (draw essay together in one sentence, refer back to opening paragraph. what is the future of magazines?)
All in all, technological convergence is essential in the survuval of magazine industries. With continuos development of ways to access information, the extent and potential of Web 2.0 is unknown, so will magazines be able to keep up to date with latest technologies and survive? In my opinion online magazines will be more likely to survive as the average British teenager spends arounds 31 hours online per week and access to the internet is easier than ever. The launch of online magazines was after sales dropped 60% in 2002, they realised they needed to respond to the latest craze and adapt their product to make it more appealing and saleable. However, i dont think the taditional glossy front covered magazines will never die out completely, to me there will always be something that makes people go back to them and like Jason Docj said, new technology will never replace old technology, we generally find a purpose for 'old tech'.

Exam question example :
'Discuss the issie raised by an institutions need to target specific audiences within a media industry which you have studied.'
Reworded- What issues are raised within the magazine industry when trying to target a specific audience?
  • new market trends
  • stereotypes
  • way in which audience consumes - accessing the product
  • new media technology (nmt)
  • niche (Metal Mammer- bespoke, cant synergies but can create huge loyalties with their customers, ONLY heavy metal-small audience) VS mainstream/mass (NME-appeal to wider audience - can synergies - Reading Festival-versatile, helps create awareness of their brand, potential to meet them-customer loyalty-)
  • Loyal customer-  mode of address, their language, meet their needs-current- 'front runners' (print/online)
  • online can be up to date faster than print as doesnt go through the whole publishing and distributing proccess
  • social network- facebook likes/friends, twitter (convergence & loyalty)
  • website- buy tickets, clothes, merchandise, UGC- loyalty.
  • UGC- NME-upload pictures of yourself at gigs or festivals and Metal Hammer- can upload videos of yourself.
  • advertisement!!! (1/3 of profits come from advertisements)
  • design and layout of magazine, navigation of website-time it takes page to load (loyalty)

Essay Strucuture (example):
introduction
prosumers, UGC, uses and gratifications theory

Friday 18 November 2011

FUTURE PLC

FUTURE PLC
Who are they?  Future PLC. is an international special-interest media group that is listed on the London Stock Exchange (symbol FUTR).  Founded in 1985 with one magazine, today we have operations in the UK, US and Australia creating over 180 special-interest publications, websites and events for people who are passionate about their interests.  We hold market-leading positions in games, film, music, technology, cycling, automotive and crafts.
Are they British/European/American? Future todays employs 1200 people in offices in London, Bath, San Francisco, New York and Sydney. Future was founded as a UK company in 1985.
What other magazines do they produce?  They produce T3, Total Film, Classic Rock, Guitar World, and Official Xbox Magazine (Metal Hammer). Future is the biggest music-making publisher in both the US and the UK (Future PLC, 2011).  Metal Hammer on Planet Rock and Metal Hammer 25th Anniversary show (
Why is it important for the institution to evolve and follow market trends? To keep on top of what their audiences want, they need to be able to offer exactly what there after thus resulting in no loss of customers/viewers. The more magazines evolve and offer more products, the more things their customers can get involved with and may appeal to a wider range of people. (Same as IPC Media)
Do they produce products other than media texts? They organise events, (sporting events), music and film industry and have websites for gaming and technology.
How important is convergence for your institution?  Convergence is what gives these two magazine institutions unique selling points which attract more customers. By mixing the old with new, more customers are able to get involved with the product. For example, Future magazine allows the customer to subscribe to them on an iPad, iPhone and iPod touch.
How do they target their audience? Do they offer a variety of magazines for different nationalities and ethnicities? Our online advertising growth in the UK – some 44% - more than compensated for the continued decline in demand for print advertising. Overall advertising revenues grew year-on-year, with online proportions up from 22% to 31% (Steve Spring, May 2011).
‘Advertising patterns continue to change and in the UK, the internet advertising now accounts for a greater share of advertising expenditure than is allocated to television, radio, billboards, magazines or newspapers’ (Interim Report, May 2011).
Consider the use of NMT (New Media technology); how does the institution communicate with their audiences’ through the use of the internet/mobile phone applications. . Mobile phone apps and Metal Hammer has more than 100,000 Facebook followers.  They allow you to sign up to receive frequent newsletters, podcasts, forums (fans can communicate and share with each other). Most magazines allow the audience to write and contribute/ leave a comment(s). They allow you to sign up to receive frequent newsletters, podcasts, forums (fans can communicate and share with each other). Through the Future PLC website, you can register to get email alerts/ updates and twitter updates

Wednesday 16 November 2011

IPC MEDIA

IPC MEDIA MAGAZINE:
Who are they?  IPC Media produces over 60 iconic media brands, with print alone reaching almost two thirds of UK women and 42% of UK men – almost 26 million UK adults – while our websites collectively reach over 20 million users every month
Our mass market women's division (IPC Connect) comprises famous women's weeklies including Look, Now, Chat and Woman; TV entertainment brands including What's on TV, TVTimes and TV & Satellite Week and, online, the goodtoknow network.
Are they British/European/American? British
What other magazines do they produce? Our men's portfolio (IPC Inspire) comprises a wealth of leisure brands including Country Life, Horse & Hound, Rugby World and Decanter, as well as lifestyle brands including Nuts, Mousebreaker and NME. NME has become a truly unique multi-platform media proposition. Across the magazine, nme.com, NMETV, NME Radio and the brand's live events and awards, NME reaches over one million music fans every week. NME is the longest published and most respected music weekly in the world. Every week it gives its readers the most exciting, most authoritative coverage of the very best in contemporary music, including award winning features, the latest releases, live reviews, the definitive guide to the best new bands in its Radar section, as well as a regular look back through the magazine's incredible 58 year heritage.
Why is it important for the institution to evolve and follow market trends? To keep on top of what their audiences want, they need to be able to offer exactly what there after thus resulting in no loss of customers/viewers. The more magazines evolve and offer more products, the more things their customers can get involved with and may appeal to a wider range of people.
Do they produce products other than media texts? They only produce a wide variety of magazines, some websites but always media texts.
How important is convergence for your institution?  Convergence is what gives these two magazine institutions unique selling points which attract more customers. By mixing the old with new, more customers are able to get involved with the product.

Consider the use of NMT (New Media technology); how does the institution communicate with their audiences’ through the use of the internet/mobile phone application. They allow you to subscribe to their magazines so; ‘it’s the perfect way to guarantee receiving your favourite magazine regularly’. They have the option to email them on feedback you have, creating a sense that the consumer can contribute in making their website as good as it can be, and they’re interacting. NME let you have an account on their website in which you can get regular newsletters (email).  You can now get super-fast music news wherever you are, with the all-new NME.COM smartphone site; fully optimized for: IPhone/iPod, Android, Blackberry, Windows Mobile, Palm Pre, Nokia N900, Nintendo Wii, and PSP. Access to their website/ information seems to be easier than ever as the portability of ways to access it is at the end of our fingertips.


 







Monday 14 November 2011

Exemplar response to Section B: Magazine Industry

In recent times the media industry has witnessed meteoric rise in new technologies.  The advancement of the internet, for example, as it entered its second phase enables consumers to access media in new and unparalleled ways.  For the magazine industry, this has presented both challenges and opportunities.
Print media is mostly in decline, a worry of course for producers of magazines.  Therefore they must assess just how important technological convergence is for helping their magazine to survive in the long run.
The Future Plc title Metal Hammer is a monthly rock and metal magazine, that has existed since 1994. In that time, Metal Hammer has built a reputation as a bible of both modern and traditional metal music. It’s publisher, Future, is an independent company with a portfolio of magazines aimed at niche market sectors.  As a whole, Future, has performed well in a declining market, with Metal Hammer and Classic Rock reporting increases in circulation, with Metal Hammer reaching a circulation of 50,269 and classic rock 70, 188 (ABC, Dec 08).  Perhaps Futures strategies involving technological convergence have something to do with this success.  One of their ‘pillars’ of business strategies  is to implore upon their existing convergences in order to further appeal to prosumers.  This is important; Future defines ‘prosumers’ as “young men or young-at-heart men (Future licensing.com). In general this demographic will be one of the most technologically involved, in the know about the latest technologies.  They are also, incidentally the most valuable demographics for advertisers.  In this respect, convergence is extremely important for Future and indeed Metal Hammer in retaining advertising revenue.  Advertising revenue has already fallen for Future, as they already saw a 15% drop in advertising from December 08-March 09 (futurelicensing.com, 2009).  It is therefore, vital that they use technological convergences to remain advanced enough to attract advertisers.
Metal Hammer’s target audience is a young audience, interested in music, “converging adults”, according to futurelicensing.com The National Readership survey 08, the latest available, shows Metal Hammer readers to be 64% male, average age 22.  Again, this is an audience that will be interested in many forms of media. So for Metal Hammer to maintain their loyalty they must fulfil their newly evolving needs (Uses and Gratifications, McQuail).
The Metal Hammer website is a demonstration of convergence, and has proved popular with nearly 60,000 individual visitors since starting (futurelicensing.com).  Alex’s web traffic analysis suggests that visitors are mostly male, aged between 18 and 24 and spend around 2.7 minutes on Metal Hammer.co.uk. Therefore the website has apparently targeted the right audience for Metal Hammer.  Users can interact, voting in polls such as “who has the best slipknot mask?”, giving users the sense that they are contributing to a community. They are also educated and entertained with video exclusives, Metallica Live, and Opeth on tour.  In this way convergence maintains interest in the Metal Hammer brand.  Web 2.0 allows users to submit and generate a content, so Metal Hammer has competition in that users can go elsewhere for such videos .  It is up to Convergence in order to provide the best service for users.
Metal Hammer has also had successful synergies created as a result of convergence.  In 2008, Metal hammer.co.uk encourages users to send in photos taken on their mobiles of them playing “Guitar Heroes”, combining the internet with mobile technology.  The guitar hero synergy combined with a party sponsored by Metal Hammer at the O2 (Metal Hammer.co.uk), Podcasts have allowed content to be sent faster than ever to multi-media formats.
Indeed, distribution is an interesting issue to consider for the magazines industry.  The internet, podcasts and video channels allow readers to access their wanted content within seconds.  Where as hard copies of a magazine must be ordered or brought from a shop. Indeed it could be suggested that the gathering of content from the internet or mobile has replaced the need for buying the magazine itself, as subscriptions for Metal Hammer rose 8% from Dec-march 09 (futurelicensing.co.uk) suggesting there is not the same novelty when buying a magazine. 
However, whilst technological convergence is important for the magazine industry, publishers must consider that the extra content offered to consumers via convergences in technology, could replace the magazine itself.  IPC’s NME is an example of this as circulation dropped 24.1%, whilst its website has been praised for the amount of content on offer.  Metal Hammer has a unique community created by the interacting mode of address; ‘Join the Crusade’ and writing style filled with expletives ‘F*** You!’, readers of Metal Hammer feel a string sense of unrivalled community within the magazine.  The magazine sticks close to its ideologies of anti-establishment , avant-garde by  featuring adverts appropriate to his such as Attitude Clothing and HMV Metal, whilst the website has adverts by O2, Orange and T-mobile.
Overall techno convergence is important as consumers needs alter and change but for the magazine industry to survive they must make any technological advancements not a replacement for the hard copy of the magazine as Future have so far successfully done.  As online advertising reached 18% for future it is important.


 Analysis, Argument
Example
Terminology

Terminology in Advertising

Web 1.0 was the first of the internet - a one way communication, from the sender to the receiver.
Web 2.0 is what we know the internet to be from, sender to receiver and return. (allowed magazines to expand)

A 'Prosumer' is a combination of the words:
- Producer
- Consumer
With advances in technology it is possible for us to be film producers and distributors. We are able to be all the media that wasn’t able to be successful to us.
NME and WARHAMMER give the receiver an opportunity to give feedback.

MULTIPLATFORM approach
Each media has its own platform – radio, internet, music, magazines.
Magazines based around radio stations have merged to mix radio with the internet; it multitasks on the web page to give you both the Medias.

Media Convergence
Mixing the old and new for media changes:
Can also be on magazines distributors, 'communities'; on the internet they now allow you to upload photos, reviews, music and even share it for your own web pages. It gives you the option to advertise.

Synergy
The interaction of two or more forces where there combined effect is greater than their original effect: Magazine example: NME radio station/sponsorship of festivals and events = synergised marketing.
The advances in technology mean tweets, Facebook, RSS feed are able to connect with the Medias to give a stronger experience.
Some Medias connect with physical promotions like toys and so on to give a synergised effect.

Viral Marketing
A marketing technique aiming at reproducing 'word of mouth', usually on the internet and through existing social networks; Word of mouth is still the strongest advertising, is a trust technique. (signs, texting and driving)

Guerrilla Marketing
The use of unconvemtional and low cost marketing strategies to raise awareness of a product.
EG. putting up the old 'WANTED' signs from the Wild West.
Poster/commissioning works of graffiti
Advertising needs to be unique, marketing is getting harder to be the best at distributing their products, experimenting is now more than ever the most important part; name just doesn’t cut it anymore.

UGC (user generated content)
Content that has been generated by the consumer/user.
Magazine example: music reviews, forums, blogging, podcasting
USP (unique selling point)
Making a product different from competitors: 
USP of NME is the radio station behind the magazine

POD
Point of Difference:
Differentiating a product from another; making it unique; the actual way in which a product is different from another in the same market
Example sentence: The USP and perhaps the pod of NME compared to metal hammer is that the offer a multiplatform website.

UPB
Unique perceived benefit:
How a product can benefit you, magazines, the fact you are talking to fans of the same magazine. But also that it may benefit some niche magazines more as it’s based around one particular area.

Loyal consumers/brand loyalty (very important in todays society, need us to keep going back)
Consumer community which means they will never leave their side, always go back and be truthful to their brand. Similar to fans of music which means part of the band always stays as a favourite.
  •   Proliferation: A rapid increase in the number of a certain type of product.
    Multi-platform: a multi-platform series is a form of entertainment where the story is told over a range of media platforms; such as magazines, radio station, videos, podcasts.
Vertical integration
Adsorption of several firms into a single firm involved in all aspects of a products manufacture from raw materials to distribution; For example, Rockstar games have become vertically integrated by buying developers they have previously worked with, such as DMA design who became Rockstar north and angel studios who became Rockstar north San Diego. By doing this Rockstar have control over development, funding and marketing of their products.

Monday 7 November 2011

Section B: Magazine Institution

Key Media Concepts Exam:
Develop a case study on two music magazines published by tow institutions within in the contemporary magazine industry and distributed in the UK.
Focus on will be how magazine is produced, distributed, exhibited and consumed. The importance of advertising will be a major feature.


Two music magazines:  (allows us to compare between the two.)
  • Mainstream- IPC Media- NME
  • Niche- Future PLC- METAL HAMMER
Examples of possible questions:
  • How importnant is technological convergence for institutions and audiences?
  • With reference toy your chosen case study consider how important interactivity is to media institutions?
  • What has the impact of increased connectivity been on the media production, distribution and exhibition process?
Future of magazines:
Understand the impact of the changing media landscape, and the impact this is having on the magazine industry.

Sunday 6 November 2011

Representation of Ethnicity

                                             




Definition:
1) ethnic traits, background, allegiance, or association
2) an ethnic group: representatives of several ethnicities were present


Stereotypes:
Asian People- rich, business people, religious, have been portrayed as terrorists, good at making curry. own cornershops. big families and all live in one house with all relatives.


Travellers- AKA gypsies, usually irish/foreign (bulgarian/romanian). fun fairs, live in caravans, take over peoples land and destroy it. make mess and steal. lack in education. wear vests and jeans and slobber everywhere sometimes long haired. women wear big dresses and gold hooped earrings. british/irish travellers prefer being called 'travellers'.


Polish People- cheap labour, poor, young families, own kebab/chicken/pizza shops. take all of our jobs, eg builders.


Examples of Stereotypes:
GYPSIES- only represent a small number but paints a very negative picture when really we know they are not all bad.
Waterloo Road- moved caravans onto school grounds and caused conflict and upset alot of people so police got involved.
Simpsons- house got ake over by gypsies and had to fight theyre way back in and drove them out.


POLISH- shows that stereptypical views can be changed.
Corontaion Street- two polish girls who Carla employed (immigrants)


ASIAN-
Eastenders- the Masoods, they run their own business, and a curry place and have a typical indian accent.
Masood have recently been praised as being one of the most realisitc 'ethnic' families in the soap land. Stereotypical-owning a corner shop, subject to racially motivated attacks.
Syed is gay which goes against the stereotypical religions of muslims.


The Brown Race
  • 'Brown' often the genreal term used to describe the category of South Asian races.
  • alothough there are several countries who make up part of this geographcial  area, mostly indians are stereotyped.
  • hollywood films stereotyping: Bend it like Beckham, Tessa Perkins
Common representations of Race
  • Asian women- doctors or accountants, not artists
  • Black men- lazy, promiscuous, bad fathers, obsessed with rap music
  • Black women- were obsessed with how much money a man earned and were 'strait laced'
  • Asian people- invaders, karate experts
  • Hispanic people- comics, banditos, gang members
  • Native Americans- savages, victims, cowards, medicine men
  • Middle Eastern people- terrorists, oil sheiks
  • 'On TV, black people are depicted as poor nearly twice as often as their true incidence'
  • Black people stereotyped as criminals and late arrivers
  • White people cant dance
  • Asians own corner shops in England
Black People:
  • mainly black men
  • crime
  • living in slums
  • on welfare
  • need help from community
  • less intelligent
  • over sexual
White People:
  • dumb blondes
  • greedy
  • materialistic
  • businessmen
  • middle/upperclass
  • posh/well spoken
Asian People:
  • doctors
  • engineers
  • mathematics
  • newsagents- small businesses-entrepreneurs
  • ignorant
  • intelligent
  • extremely smart
  • men are threats to women
  • insensitive
  • disrespectful towards women