5. How did you attract/address your audience?

In attracting my audience I used images in line with the male gaze, as my audience found hyper reality more fascinating and alluring compared to reality. As I wanted to offer my audience an escape (just like a book or movie would) I decided to use images that represented what my audience aspire to be (as suggested by the theory 'Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs'). Although being one of the main attractions I wanted to use the content of my magazine to contradict the images. The article portrayed the girls as guys who seek adrenaline and danger through free hand rock climbing, drag racing and boxing, sports which are not associated with women; especially women who are dressed and look the way the girls on my front cover do. As society says this would not be possible I found it necessary to have the underlying message that you can go against the norm and sometimes even should due to attaining a higher sense of achievement within life and yourself.

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The 'uses and gratifications' theory was interpreted into my magazine in order to attract my audience. I used educational content such as the 'CLUB 27' (as my audience are young they may not be aware), latest collaborations (so they are the first to know) and introduced my audience to new, fresh talent. I tried to inform and keep my audience up to date so that they are always a step in front when it comes to the music industry. I also tried to entertain my audience with big buzz words like: 'EPIC', 'Breakthroughs' and 'Legends' to excite them as they will find it gratifying to escape into a fictional world. In order to interpret social interaction I tried to intrigue the audience and attract them by appealing to their curious side. I used a contemporary loved artist and used the word 'EXCLUSIVE' which suggests a secret that will only be shared if the magazine is bought. Once the secret is revealed it will encourage social interaction as they will talk about it to their friends and family, also mentioning where they read it. The 'Uses and Gratification' theory also reinforces the use of the male gaze through 'personal identification', as my audience will sympathise with the person on the cover as they aspire to be like them my audience will put themselves in the cover stars situation.

I also attracted my audience using additional incentives such as 'FREE iTunes gift card'. In placing an additional incentive that my audience can only get if they visit my website I have encouraged the use of synergy, as my magazine is advertising my website which advertises my magazines brand. I have to use synergy in order to prevent audience fragmentation, which has occurred due to the increase in household internet usage and availability over the years (data which can be confirmed by the 'Office of National Statistics'). Due to information and the latest news being accessible via  search engines on the internet e.g. Google or Bing, it has become harder for magazines to compete with and attain a high sales rate; especially since all that information found within magazines is practically free through the web whereas to get the information through magazines you have to buy it.

As shown above, in 1998 internet usage increased by 43% in the time span of six years, going from 9% to 52% in 2004. People (children in particular) are more fragmented as they have very accessible technology at their fingertips, as not only is internet usage at home increasing but so is internet usage via mobile phones. And it seems the younger the audience the larger the internet usage is by mobile phones

 


Therefore taking this research into account I used different types of media platforms to encourage the de-fragmentation of my audience. Not only my own website, which I encouraged them to visit through an additional incentive through my main feature story but also through up to date social media sites such as 'Twitter' and 'Facebook'. This will also in turn encourage and enforce the idea of exchange as through my audiences interaction with these sites for instance: status updates, comments, video blogs and YouTube videos/reviews, they could mention my magazine and attract more attention to it. I also tried to encourage the readers which I do have to subscribe to my magazine giving them a discount and visual aid to future and past magazines which may encourage them to be the first to get my magazine and saving them a trip to the shops.

Another way in which I hope to attract my audience is through what is known as retail psychology. This is when shops place your magazine on their shelves at eye level of their customers. This will give my magazine more of a chance to get noticed. I will have to give the shops which display my magazine a discount in order for them to also place it near another magazine which is not advertising the same content e.g: Q or NME. But rather place it near a popular magazine that is promoting a compeltely different content e.g: film magazine. This will help create awareness.