MEDIA – TEXT, INDUSTRY AND AUDIENCE
Introduction
This unit contributes to synoptic assessment. It is designed to develop candidates' understanding of the connections between different elements of the specification and to develop their knowledge and understanding of the relationship between media texts, their audiences and the industries which produce and distribute them.
Progression from AS is demonstrated through this emphasis on the relationship between text, audience and industry and the debates surrounding the nature of that relationship. Candidates' understanding of the media will also be more informed by appropriate theoretical perspectives.
Content
Centres will be required to select three different media industries from the list below to study with their candidates.
• Television
• Radio
• Film
• Music
• Newspaper
• Magazine (including comics)
• Advertising
• Computer Games
For each industry, three main texts should provide the focus for candidates' study.
At least two of the chosen texts must be contemporary and one must be British.
Centres are advised to select contrasting texts so that candidates acquire as wide an understanding of the media industry as possible. What constitutes a 'text' will vary depending on the industry.
synoptic
[ad. Gk. synoptikos] /si NAHP tik/
1) affording a general view of some subject; spec. depicting weather conditions over a broad area <a synoptic study of polar air masses>
2) chacterized by a comprehensive mental view of something <the synoptic genius of Einstein>
Mrs Symons’ group will be investigating these three magazines in terms of their actual texts,as part of a larger magazine/publishing/multimedia industry and the ways in which audiences possibly use them.
Clicking on the covers should bring you to their respective web sites.
Mrs Symons has chosen these texts to offer research into a wide range of significantly different magazine material in terms of possible reader demographic and use of text as well as differing marketing styles and “business plans”
Web sites are increasingly important for the marketing of magazines. They are part of a process known as synergy whereby a mix of media makes for a wider reach for magazine texts and for some consumers appears to “add value”
The web sites often offer forums (strictly fora ) to the readership which offers excellent marketing feedback as well as “free” material to the publishers.
Most importantly all the “extra” media that make up the synergy package all carry advertising.
Horse and Rider have a dedicated You Tube site.This is an important development, for reasons you might like to think about...
Synergy in the media*
In media economics, synergy is the promotion and sale of a product (and all its versions)
throughout the various subsidiaries of a media conglomerate, e.g. films, soundtracks
or video games. Walt Disney pioneered synergistic marketing techniques in the 1930s
by granting dozens of firms the right to use his Mickey Mouse character in products
and ads, and continued to market Disney media through licensing arrangements. These
products can help advertise the film itself and thus help to increase the film's
sales. For example, the Spider-
Forums
Social media uses Internet and web-
It supports the democratization of knowledge and information, transforming people from content consumers into content producers.
Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social media as "a group of Internet-
The Board offers us this helpful,if daunting, diagram to show us the extent of the overview required when tackling our three texts above. I have coloured it maroon to make it less frightening.
Please remember the examination proper is only two and a half hours long and there are three questions to answer.
Massive detail will not be required but the examiner will want the sense that a candidate has a real synoptic overview, so the use of lists cunningly used to illustrate you understand the full scope of the question will go down well. This is called in examiner’s parlance touching the bases.
BELOW ARE THE BASES:
In terms of marketing and promotion,distribution and exhibition it is immediately clear that “The Big Issue” differs from “Horse and Rider” and “Men’s Health” so it will be interesting to see if, in terms of its representation of people,places, events and issues, it differs from the other more conventionally marketed magazines yadda, yadda....
THIS IS CALLED TOUCHING THE BASES
So it might be an idea to have the lovely maroon diagram tattooed on your inner eyelid or failing that learn the names of the bases by heart...Oh Yes
Also titles of magazines, films and TV shows should all be put between inverted commas or speech marks...hey! call me old fashioned..
We may as well begin with the board (WJEC) guidelines as to the sort of questions we should ask of our chosen texts and what areas of investigation we should explore.
MAGAZINES: WJEC Guidelines LINK
Big Issue: Skeleton outline
TEXT
Genre
How is Big Issue different to other magazines? Compare and contrast with other magazines
studied and its front cover and contents page with a range of other front covers and contents
pages.
Narrative
Analyse at least 3 editions to ascertain typical structure, special and regular features, with a
particular focus on contents pages.
Representations
To what extent are representations of social issues, especially homelessness and poverty,
realistic? How might this compare to representations in newspapers and other media forms?
Investigate positive representations of homeless people: students may wish to focus on the
Street Talk feature, usually on the last page, or on Streetlights and Mr Big Issue Man,
usually found on p.6.
INDUSTRY
Production
Who owns The Big Issue? Introduction: a rare example of a successful independent
magazine.
Read the about us and how we work sections on the website.
Context
Research background and history:
http://www.bigissue.com/magazinesite/introduction.h tml
Marketing
Discuss the magazine’s house style with particular reference to the Badger feature on the
contents page and the editorial overview on the website.
Read
http://www.bigissueonline.com/cgibin/
foundation/info.html?domain=info&name=mission
How are the advertisements carried in Big Issue different to those in other magazines you
have studied?
How does Big Issue advertise itself?
Find and print off the magazine’s rate card and compare it to the rate card for another
magazine you have studied. How can you explain these differences?
Regulation
Search the Press Complaints Commission website for any adjudications against The Big
Issue. (there aren’t any. Why?)
Global Implications
Research the International Network of Street Papers:
Distribution
How does Big Issue distribution differ from that of any other magazine? Students may wish
to use the website or to chat to a vendor.
AUDIENCE
Target Audience
Who are they? Ways of classifying the Big Issue audience.
Discuss demographic and psychometric profiles and apply audience theories, then look at
the reader profile on the website.
http://www.bigissue.com/profile.html
How does this magazine attract different groups within the target audience? (e.g. editorial
content, Big Scene “what’s on” feature, film, book, music and art reviews, featured
subscriber, competitions, letter, crossword..)
Investigate the magazine’s use of stars and celebrities with a particular focus on covers and
the This Is Me feature usually found on p.20.
Positioning
What assumptions does this magazine make about its audience that set it apart from other
magazines ?
Debates
Given stereotypes about the homeless, how do the students feel about Big Issue vendors?
Look at the Big Issue code of conduct. http://www.bigissue.com/magazinesite/conduct.pdf
To what extent is The Big Issue a “pro-
Responses
Look at the ABC data on the magazine and at the blurb which is usually found on page 4 to
establish how many copies it sells.
http://abcpdfcerts.abc.org.uk/pdf/certificates/139933 53.pdf
Resources:
International Network of Street Papers:
http://www.bigissue.com/intl.html (links to the excellent Big Issue website.)
http://www.bigissue.com/magazinesite/
Vendors’ Code of Conduct:
http://www.bigissue.com/magazinesite/conduct.pdf
Audit Bureau of Circulations:
http://www.abc.org.uk/cgi-
National Readership Survey:
http://www.nrs.co.uk/open_access/open_topline/Gene raMagazines/index.cfm
Press Complaints Commission Code of Practice:
http://www.pcc.org.uk/assets/111/Code_aug_06.pdf
The Big Issue is one of the UK’s leading social businesses, which seventeen years since its inception continues to offer homeless and vulnerably housed people the opportunity to earn a legitimate income.
The organisation is made up of two parts; a limited company which produces and distributes a magazine to a network of street vendors, and a registered charity which exists to help those vendors gain control of their lives by addressing the issues which have contributed to their homelessness.
The Big Issue Company publishes a weekly entertainment and current affairs magazine, which Big Issue sellers (or vendors) buy for 75p and sell for £1.50, thereby earning 75p per copy. Any post investment profit generated through the sale of the magazine or the sale of advertising is passed on to our charity, The Big Issue Foundation. The Foundation is also reliant upon donations from the public to fund its crucial work with vendors.
The organisation currently supports over 2900 homeless and vulnerably housed people across the country. The magazine is read by over 670,000 people every week throughout the UK*
Personality types, behavioural styles theories, personality and testing systems, really great stuff HERE
Positioning is often used nowadays as a broad synonym for marketing strategy. However, the terms “positioning” and “marketing strategy” should not be used interchangeably. Rather, positioning should be thought of as an element of strategy, a component of strategy, not as the strategy itself.
The term “positioning” is, and should be, intimately connected to the concept of “target market.” That is, a brand’s positioning defines the target audience. For example, an airline might position itself against other airlines, which defines the target audience as airline travelers. Or, it might position itself against all modes of transportation between two destinations, which then defines the target audience as all travelers between those two markets. The second positioning reaches out to a much larger target audience.
Another example: A brand of peanut butter could position itself against all competing brands of peanut butter, which defines the audience as peanut butter users. Or the brand might position itself against margarine and butter, which defines a very different target market. Positioning, then, is analogous to aiming an artillery field gun. How you position the cannon defines who and what the target is. So, the term “aiming” is not a bad definition of positioning, and the term “targeting” is not a bad definition of positioning. MORE HERE
Circulation & Readership
CIRCULATION: 147,098 PER WEEK
READERSHIP: 658,000 PER WEEK
ADVERTISE IN THE BIG ISSUE MAGAZINE AND REACH A CULTURALLY ENGAGED, SOCIALLY AWARE AUDIENCE –THE ULTIMATE CONSUMERS WITH A CONSCIENCE!
FEMALE: 56% MALE: 44% ABC1: 75%
WORKING FULL TIME: 41%
STILL STUDYING: 31%
BIG ISSUE READERS AGREE THAT:
It’s important that a company acts ethically – 84%
It’s worth paying extra for quality goods – 82%
Music
* Readers spend £3.8M on albums/singles per year
* 71% of readers say music is an important part of their life – 475,000 readers
* Total volume of nightclub visits per month is 377,000 – over three times more than Time Out
Arts & Culture
* Readers visit the theatre a total of 1.4M times per year
* Readers make a total of 886,000 visits to art galleries per year
* Total spend on paperbacks £3.3M per year
Banking
* 68% of readers are more aware of personal finance than they used to be – 453,000 readers
* 52% of readers say it is important for everything to be insured – 343,000 readers
Charitable giving
* Total spend per year £40.8M
* Readers spend £78 each on charity per year
The Environment
* 87% say people should recycle
* 64% say you should pay more for environmentally friendly products
Lifestyle
* 44% of readers always check the nutritional content of food -
* 174,000 readers ALWAYS look for the Light/Diet version of food & drink
Drinks
* 252,000 of readers say it’s worth paying extra for good quality beer
* 337,000 of readers are prepared to pay more for good quality wine
* Total volume of wine bought for home consumption – 1.2M
* Readers drink 3.1M fizzy soft drinks in total per year
* Total volume of yoghurt drinks per month 2.4M
Film
* Buy an average of 5 DVD’s per year each, more than the Guardian, The Independent and Time Out
* Readers buy 2.1M DVD’s in total per year
* Readers make over half a million cinema visits a month.
The Big Issue readership has a denser population of Main Shoppers than readers of the Independent on Sunday, Independent on Saturday, Independent, Guardian, Times and Telegraph
Source: GB TGI Q2 2008
Looking for a specific audience?
Call us and we can tell you exactly how we fit in compared to other print media.
Email advertising@bigissue.com or call 020 7526 3240
Read below how “Big Issue” defines its demographic especially their likely consumer choices, is it a good proposition for advertisers? Who actually advertises in “Big Issue”?
Editorial Overview
The Big Issue is a weekly entertainment and current affairs magazine. The Big Issue
group magazines have a shared aim -
In every edition we publish a broad and balanced selection of articles, from investigative
news features and in-
Over the past 17 years The Big Issue has built up a strong reputation for journalistic
integrity -
The content of the magazine, with the exception of the Streetlights Pages (our dedicated
space for homeless contributors) is written by highly experienced journalists. They
work alongside a professional production team that design the look of the magazine
-
The finished product is one that everyone involved in the Big Issue firmly believes
should be one that our vendors are proud to sell and the public are keen to buy -
“Men’s Health”,of the three magazines you are researching has probably the most dynamic web space and its navigation bar (see below) while echoing the standard content of the magazine proper it also offers video and forums which are quite extensive.It is published by Hearst whose other major titles are listed above. Below is the navigation bar which if clicked will give you a chance to rummage round the site, perhaps sign up for the newsletter?
This web space might be perceived as adding value for the reader but, of course, it is also carrying advertising which is a valuable income source for the publisher.
Signing up for full access to the site will enable the publisher to harvest your
personal details and, almost certainly, give them access to your e-
A thorough look at the web site is advised noticing and noting down the advertising it is carrying as well as the links to other product/service advertising sites.
It is worth clicking to these sites and thinking how they differ from advertising image and copy in the magazine proper.
All the advertising material on the left was on the front page alone.
Check out the behaviour of the masthead beside the web title.
Now it may be that users of the site ignore these ads and get right onto new info about six packs, but this is worth researching even if only in an informal way, talk to some lads, honest types preferably, who might describe for you their web page surfing behaviour. In any event even if you only see these brands “out of the corner of your eye” they will have been noticed at some level.
All of this possible interactivity might be termed the synergy of cunning navigation cues or prompts.
“Horse and Rider” has a site too but is it as extensive or interactive? A basic content list analysis of possible interactivity would yield an answer of sorts.
Apart from the navigation bar how many clickaways does each front page have?
Issues of REPRESENTATION are import in your research, below is menu that comes up when you you click Sex and Relationships on the “Men’s Health” (herinafter MH) site.
How does MH construct relation ships and sexuality on their web site and in their magazine?
Are they sexist in a pejorative sense? are they homophobic,ageist,racist or worst of all laddish?
Is the imagery designed to render the women as objects.
Are the templates of beauty/fitness impossible for most women?
Are all the women white? young? thin? and air brushed/photoshopped to a mere fantasy representation?
Mrs S will take you through the basic interrogation of the magazine for constructions of men or women which may be socially unhealthy.
Is a six pack really necessary?
Must men love cars and footie?
Must men binge drink?
Are gay chaps men?
On these great questions of our time there will be hand outs.....
And what on God’s earth class of thing is that Touch O Meter ???
The images below are on a single page of MH’s site, it is easy to see how easily much of the content becomes advertorial in a way which is not as easily done in the magazine proper. The menu on the left hand side is clearly in some instances hosted by some product so that content can be produced outside the magazine imported thereby saving MH’s staff the effort and so cutting staff costs.
The same is true of the forum,in green on the right. This is reader generated copy and so cost free.
ADVERTORIAL
a form of print advertising that is designed to mimic the editorial content, style and layout of the publication in which it appears.
It possible that people give more credibility to editorial content than to paid advertisements. After all, anyone can claim that their own product is the best. But editorial content suggests that someone else has endorsed your product or service.
Masculinity has its roots in genetics (see gender).[7][8] Therefore while masculinity looks different in different cultures, there are common aspects to its definition across cultures.
Some gender studies scholars will use the phrase "hegemonic masculinity" to refer to an ideal of male behaviour which men are strongly encouraged to aim, which is calculated to guarantee the dominant position of some men over others.
Western trends
According to a paper submitted by Tracy Tylka to the American Psychological Association (APA), in contemporary America: "Instead of seeing a decrease in objectification of women in society, there has just been an increase in the objectification of both sexes. And you can see that in the media today." Men and women restrict their food intake in an effort to achieve what they consider an attractively thin body, in extreme cases leading to eating disorders.[10] Thomas Holbrook, also a psychiatrist, cites a recent Canadian study indicating as many as one in six of those with eating disorders were men.
"Younger men and women who read fitness and fashion magazines could be psychologically harmed by the images of perfect female and male physiques," according to recent research in the United Kingdom. Some young women and men exercise excessively in an effort to achieve what they consider an attractively fit and muscular body, which in extreme cases can lead to body dysmorphic disorder or muscle dysmorphia.
Although the actual stereotypes may have remained relatively constant, the value attached to the masculine and feminine stereotypes seem to have changed over the past few decades. Men commit 90% of violent crimes as well as a majority of other crimes. The social cost for males is more than twice the cost for women in terms of prisons, vandalism, addictions and domestic violence.
Recent work in the study of masculinity from a philosophical perspective, views masculinity as an always unstable phenomenon, never ultimately achieved.
Media encouragement
According to Arran Stibbe (2004), men's health problems and behaviors can be linked to the socialized gender role of men in our culture. In exploring magazines, he found that they promote traditional masculinity and claims that, among other things, men's magazines tend to celebrate "male" activities and behavior such as admiring guns, fast cars, sexually libertine women, and reading or viewing pornography regularly. In men's magazines, several "ideal" images of men are promoted, and that these images may even entail certain health risks.
However, perhaps MH helps to counter the masculine phenomenon outlined below:
Health care
Men are significantly less likely to visit their physicians to receive preventive health care examinations. American men make 134.5 million fewer physician visits than American women each year. In fact, men make only 40.8% of all physician visits, that is, if you include women's visits for pregnancy, childbirth and associated obstetrical and gynecological visits.
A quarter of the men who are 45 to 60 do not have a personal physician.
Many men should go to annual heart checkups with physicians but do not, increasing their risk of death from heart disease. Men between the ages of 25 and 65 are four times more likely to die from cardiovascular disease than women. Men are more likely to be diagnosed in a later stage of a terminal illness because of their reluctance to go to the doctor.
Reasons men give for not having annual physicals and not visiting their physician include fear, denial, embarrassment, a dislike of situations out of their control, or not worth the time or cost.
Below an article from good old Wikipedia on the nature and possible construction of masculinity.To read the full article click on the Wiki logo on the left
Pejoratives are words or grammatical forms which denote a negative affect; that is, they express the contempt or distaste of the speaker.
REPRESENTATIONS WJEC Guidance:
Centres may wish to encourage their students to examine a range of positive and negative representations across media forms. In examining the nature of representations (how they have been selected, constructed, mediated and anchored) and exploring how they are
interpreted and responded to by audiences, students may develop an understanding of ideologies, for example:
• Ways of seeing the world – ideologies as values, attitudes and beliefs
• How ideologies are conveyed through texts
• How ideologies have affected the production of the texts
• How dominant ideologies are reinforced and/or challenged by texts.
Key Questions:
What kind of world is being constructed by media texts?
Students might consider the following points:
• That the “reality” of the world presented by texts is constructed
• That audiences respond to texts according to their experience and knowledge of the world presented to them
How are stereotypes used as a shorthand to represent certain groups of people?
Students might consider the following point:
• That makers of media texts use audience recognition of types to transmit messages rapidly. Most media texts (e.g. films, magazine articles, television programmes and advertising) only have a short time to establish characters and as a result offer limited representations.
Who is in control of the text? Whose ideas and values are expressed through the representations?
Students might consider the following points:
• Texts are constructed and often manipulated by the producers (and organisations behind them). For example: newspaper articles, films, television programmes
• A process of mediation occurs in the construction of media texts, for example a news report.
How will audiences interpret the representation within texts? Who are the texts aimed at?
Students might consider the following points:
• That an understanding of representation is linked to the cultural experiences and the backgrounds of the audience.
• It is also affected by the audience relationship with, for example, the individual star/ event /environment etc.
What ideologies / messages might be contained within the representation/s?
Students might:
• Be aware of the view being presented through the text.
• Question whether the particular interests / views of the world are being challenged, reinforced or promoted.
• Consider whether the texts are promoting, challenging or judging the roles of
gender / ethnicity/ age etc.
.
Media Pack
What is Men’s Health?
“Men’s Health is the magazine
for active, successful, intelligent
men who want to make the most
of their physical, professional and
emotional lives.
We give men the tools they need
to make their lives better.”
Morgan Rees, Editor
Men’s Health provides an upmarket premium
environment with mass numbers
We are the number one magazine for the
affluent 30 something man
We reach more AB 25-
GQ and Esquire added together
Circulation & readership
MH READERS HIP
MORE THAN 1MILLION (1,151,000) Male 88%
Total circulation
250,094
Source: National Readership Survey
January -
ABC July -
Total Circulation Men’s Quality
Lifestyle Magazines. Six year trend
250,094
MH total
13,082 other
130,094
GQ total
60,051
Esquire total
70,164
Esquire total
124,022
GQ total
220,446
MH total
➥
➥
MH has a larger circulation
than both GQ and Esquire
put together MH Solus Readership
vs FHM 50% GQ 34% Esquire 15%
65%
2003 2009 2003 2009 2003 2009
65% of Men’s Health readers
don’t read any of
men’s lifestyle magazines:
(FHm, Maxim, Loaded,
Front, GQ and Esquire). Fourteen
➥
MH’s readers recognise that
health isn’t just about physical
concerns. It’s about a
lifestyle in it’s own right
MH’s readers see the big
benefits in making small changes
to their everyday life
Social Status
ABC1 769,000 70.4%
AB 369,000 33.8%
C1 400,000 36.6%
C2 188,000 17.2%
15-
Marital Status Single 43%
Married/living with partner 51.5%
Separated/divorced
or widowed 5.7%
Median age 31
Average age 33
Age
15-
25-
35-
45-
55+ 61,000 (5.6%)
Promotions &
special projects
The Men’s Health bespoke
team work with you to produce
engaging promotions and special
projects – both in print and online
– to deliver your commercial
messages in classic Men’s Health
style and tone.
Whether it’s on the page,
using paper technology,
online, at events or otherwise,
promotions in Men’s Health
are a very effective way to
communicate complex, stylish
or aspirational messages to
our readers in a focused and
effective manner.
Visit mhbespoke.co.uk to
see over 100 examples of
our creative work.
as ics -
menshealth.co.uk is one of the largest
websites for upmarket men in the UK.
With a broad range of channels from
health & fitness to style, grooming and
gear, menshealth.co.uk provides a fully
interactive lifestyle offering, and extends
online the content formula that has
made Men’s Health, the magazine, one
of the publishing success stories
of the last ten years.
In addition to editorial content
updated on a daily basis,
our website offers users a
host of interactive tools (such
as our bespoke Workout Generator), picture galleries,
self-
user forums.
We can provide a number of integrated
and flexible advertising solutions which either work in
tandem with print campaigns or communicate purely
with our online users on a number of different levels -
including display inventory, advertorial, e-
sponsorship, and video pre-
menshealth.co.uk
Vital Stats (ABC audited)
Unique Users 700,000
Page impressions 5.3 million
Time spent on site 25 mins
Our users are
Targeted 82% of users are aged 18-
Affluent The average household
income is £53,277
Upmarket A huge 47% are AB
56% are single, 24% are in a relationship and
17% are married/living as married
The internet
Heavy users 12.7 hours per week for
personal purposes
Frequent 86% access the Internet daily.
They use the internet more
than any other media source
E shoppers 86% have bought something online
Big spenders Average £313.13 spent online
in the last three months
72% use it for business & personal purposes with
24% just for personal reasons
Weekly emails
Our weekly editorial newsletter is sent out every
Tuesday to almost 60,000 subscribers.
Target audience
25-
74% of users agree that advertising on the site creates
a positive brand image 70%
73% say they are constantly looking for new ways to
better themselves
47% say they will not be affected by credit crunch
Source: UK User Internet Monitor Q4 2008 |
Net Observer Autumn 2008
Rate card
Banner @ £20 CPM
Skyscraper @ £30 CPM
MPU @ £40 CPM
Super MPU @ £60 CPM
Newsletter @ £50 CPM
Competition £5,000
What is CPM?
All our prices are priced per thousand impressions.
CPM is the price for the ad to be viewed 1,000 times.
Accepted Formats
Expandable Banners
Expandable Skyscrapers
Expandable MPU
Animated gifs
Flash
Video formats available on request
Bespoke Packages
Bespoke packages can be created depending on
budget and will vary from brand to brand.
For more information on bespoke opportunities visit
www.mhbespoke.co.uk
This is where advertorials are produced,well worth a visit...click the banner above
Note how these promotions are in the style and mirror the ethos of the magazine
MH is owned by Hearst, digital see banners above
March 2010 issue – out now
p28 Weight-
Why eating fat is the key to your weight-
p36 Sex Magic
Forget the rabbit; here’s how to pull a sex kitten out of your hat
p48 Boom And Best
Tune in to the best audio kit around
p55 Gym-
Get “rock” hard abs, courtesy of Metallica’s fitness guru
p58 Show Me The Monet
How to turn canvas into hard cash
p74 Log On For Love
Fine-
p77 How Much Is Enough… Chicken?
Is your poultry consumption paltry or are you over-
p78 Bullet-
Act now so you can forget about Alzheimer’s in the future
p84 Earn Rock Star Money
Want a wallet fatter than Meatloaf? Here’s how to attain it
p90 The Best Lunchtime Workout EverPerfect your physical performance in under an hour
p96 Become A Sex LegendLove tips and tricks from the world’s greatest ladykillers
p102 The Fast Of The Curious Fasting has many detractors, but could it really improve your life?
p110 Fight Fat And Win Smash through your personal goals, just like our writers did
p139 101 Fitness Challenges For You In 2010 Make like a ninja and use this Japanese secret to awesome abs
p140 Future Muscle
Tap into the future of working out for immediate muscle gains
“Horse and Rider” (herinafter H&R) is obviously a niche magazine so you should first research just who that niche readership are. This information can often be gleaned by a careful study of content as well as observing just what advertising the magazine or web site is carrying.
However possibly the fastest and most reliable way of learning exactly who is buying and reading a magazine is by getting your hands on the company’s media pack. These packs are targeted on potential advertisers and can indicate the precise demographic that reads the magazine. Below you will find the current media pack for H&R
Here is the all important reader profile.Some of the detail revealed here will be very significant for advertisers. Which,in your opinion would be the crucial details?
The Horse&Rider story
A family-
D J Murphy (Publishers) Ltd was founded in 1949 by David J Murphy, who spotted a gap in the market for a magazine for young horse enthusiasts.
He started publishing PONY Magazine, and for many years it was the only title dedicated
to young equestrians. Since then, generations of pony-
established as the UK's number one equestrian teen magazine.
In 1950, Murphy added Showjumping to his stable of equestrian titles, but soon renamed
the title Light Horse, to reach more owners and riders. Light Horse became Horse&Rider
in 1981, is now the UK's No1 best-
D J Murphy (Publishers) Ltd was a family affair, managed first by one of David Murphy's
daughters, Marion O'Sullivan, and then by her daughter, Kate Austin until January
2006, when it became a wholly-
In addition to publishing equestrian magazines, books and websites, D J Murphy plays an active part in the equestrian world.
As a company dedicated to equine welfare, D J Murphy publically supports equine charities. Beneficiaries include the World Horse Welfare, Riding for the Disabled Association, The Brooke, HAPPA, Redwings, The Donkey Sanctuary, The Blue Cross, and the Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust.
Horse&Rider March 2010
Join Nicky Moffatt as she goes behind the scenes at Laura Collett’s Membury Estate
-
Horse&Rider February 2010
Discover more about the winning formula behind Sea the Stars -
Horse&Rider January 2010
Improve your riding out of the saddle, try Sharon Hunt’s simple grids and plan your best horsey year ever. It’s set to be a wonderful winter with the January issue of Horse&Rider Magazine!
Horse&Rider December 2009
Prepare for riding success with Michael Peace, be your horse's personal trainer and learn to love winter. Save time, feed well and train right with the December issue of Horse&Rider Magazine!
Horse&Rider November 2009
Try spook busting with top tips from Carl Hester, enjoy jumping without the rush with Ben Maher, and five hacking problems: sorted!
Horse&Rider October 2009
Stretch your horse with Carl Hester and go inside your horse's guts with a pull-
Horse&Rider September 2009
Prepare for great cross country jumping with Oliver Townend in the September issue
of Horse&Rider! Make your horse a hero with Michael Peace and watch your horse go
from scaredy cat to brave boy. Plus Laminitis test breakthrough -
Horse&Rider August 2009
Ride out with style and confidence with the August issue of Horse&Rider! 29 hot hacking tips will help you put your best hoof forward.
A brief content analysis of the magazine is advisable as well as a check on its generic style see the WJEC advice above.
Below are some of what the editor of H&R perceive as highlight content from previous months.
This is the final draft of Claire Kempster’s opening "chapter" on genre, she has been researching “Your Horse” magazine, a magazine with almost exactly the same demographic as H&R. Click on the front page opposite and you will see the generic similarities straight away.much of what claire says is true of your magazine.The aim in this essay is to acquaint the examiner with the area of research and to demonstrate one's grasp of how genre "works".
One cannot, for reasons of space, offer the examiner everything one understands about genre but one can touch most of the appropriate bases.
This Claire does admirably. She demonstrates a clear grasp on the way readers (consumers), producers, institution, and advertisers interact.
Genre Considerations
'Your Horse' falls into the generic category of 'equestrian magazine'. It builds its image for the reader through the application of a clear generic formula. The generic formula employed by a particular magazine is of utmost importance in terms of audience recognition. 'Your horse' is targeted at a very specialised audience, and therefore has a relatively small circle of competitors. Still, the magazine must construct itself as something original, with its own distinct style and content, in order that it may sell to its chosen audience. We see that delicate balance of similarity, yet difference.
'Your horse' places its average reader as 32 years old , although the target audience
is of a fairly wide age group, yet clearly not inclusive of children. This is signified
by the layout and chosen fonts. They are clear and uncluttered in style, unlike
equestrian magazines aimed at younger children, who are more concerned with impressive,
eye-
This price tag correctly suggests the magazine is a glossy publication. The presentation
is of high quality, with clear, crisp printing on high-
In terms of advertising content, 'Your Horse' contains advertisements for a wide variety of equestrian products, from horse clothing and feed through to insurance and health improving supplements. An average of two advertisements per issue are for Internet websites offering advice on veterinary and general care issues, as well as mail order and horses for sale, presuming their audience have Internet access readily available.
These advertisements again reinforce the idea that the target audience of 'Your Horse' must be serious about their interest, and eager to offer their horse the best standard of care they can.
'Your Horse' has secured for itself an unusually high spending target audience . Further to this, due to the nature of the hobby, there is a definite commitment of audience to long term spending. Consequently, the selling of readership to advertisers is highly appealing and also highly lucrative.
'Your Horse' addresses its readership in a direct manner throughout the magazine. The audience is addressed as "you" in a majority of the articles, although the language used is not particularly colloquial. The direct mode of address could be attributed to the style of article included in 'Your Horse'.
The magazine's primary aim is to inform and educate, and therefore offers advice
to readers, "You may think that your horse's mouth is no different to that of his
predecessors." The lexical choice of the magazine is quite advanced. In the above
example, we see the word "predecessors" is used. This word would not appear in a
magazine aimed at a younger or lesser-
In terms of the content page, 'Your Horse' splits this double page spread into four
sub-
The overall 'look' of 'Your Horse', is simple at one level, and at another, sophisticated. In terms of the cover, chosen fonts are all simple and extremely clear, and anything other than very simple graphics and imaging are completely avoided. With such a simple and basic cover, how, then, does 'Your Horse' attract its readership (one of moderately high income and a serious equestrian)? To answer this, one must consider the other styles of equestrian magazines available.
Many of these (such as 'Pony Magazine' and 'Horse and Pony') are aimed at children
and young teens. These can be distinguished by common use of garish colours and
complex fonts, combined with more 'flashy' looking graphic effects. In terms of
generic formulae, these ingredients have come to signify to the equestrian readership
a certain type of magazine (i.e. one for the stereotypical 'pony-
They are saying to the reader, "We know that your priority lies with practical care and learning about your horse, not with what the magazine looks like. 'Your Horse' has the same priorities." Here, then, form is dictated by content, and consequently a certain sophisticated 'less is more' elegance ensues.
Average article lengths in 'Your Horse' are three single pages, where text and images take up around 50 percent of the article each. However, although the text to image split is roughly equal, the magazine is still quite text intensive, with font size being quite low, and large blocks of text not uncommon. This clearly signifies that the publication is for people who want to learn something from their magazine, rather than simply 'look at the pictures'.
It could, then, be presumed that 'Your Horse' does not have a 'pick-
The magazine contains, as previously mentioned, a 22-
This method helps to reduce the concentration of text, giving an article its full
information intensity, while the amount of text used is far less daunting. This
variation in display methods also gives the magazine a sense of 'easy reference'.
Readers feel they can keep the magazine to refer back to, like an 'equestrian encyclopaedia'.
This also explains the perfect-
We can now suggest the precise generic formula of 'Your Horse' magazine. It is an
equestrian magazine, aimed at the ABC1 social group . The magazine combines ingredients
in the following ways to create its successful formula: the use of high quality,
glossy paper to suggest quality and sophistication, direct mode of address (use of
the pronoun "you") to encourage a sense of reader-
Representation Issues
The issue of representation is central to any magazine, as it is through this that the publication builds up the “world” of its readers. 'Your Horse' is no exception. As discussed in the 'Genre' section above, the magazine is aimed at those in the ABC1 social category, who have an average household income of £29,000, therefore, the magazine's representational outlook, it stands to reason, must reflect this.
The magazine features pictures that are a mix of posed models, and 'real' people. The models featured are 'made down' to look as if they spend their time 'on the yard' tending to their animals. However, as many horse owners will testify, these images are not those of real horsewomen.
All this aside, though, the magazine could not realistically feature unkempt and filthy women, who look like they've never seen a hairbrush. This is for the simple reason that images of such women would break the norms of magazine publishing; “You do not publish images of untidy/dirty people in your magazine, unless the article is about such issues."
The images of 'real' people in the magazine are in the form of competition winners
or those in the “Private Lessons” feature of the magazine, where three readers are
given a problem-
The other photographic images to consider, of course, are those of the horses. Needless
to say, they are all of well groomed, shiny-
To assess the representational content of 'Your Horse', one must also look at what
is not there. There is no mention of fox hunting at all, and through this omission,
the publication expresses its lack of support for this activity. However, by choosing
to take an 'impartial' approach (i.e. not included anti-
It can also be noted that there is a distinct lack of males featured in the magazine. This is actually highlighted by a reader in the letters section of one issue. Here the reader correctly points out that there are no images of men other than those of vets, and a regular feature by Ross Simpson (“The Parelli Natural Horsemanship System”). He then goes on to acknowledge that a female on the front cover may sell more issues, and also that there are more female riders than male. However, as there are male riders out there (this letter proves this), perhaps 'Your Horse' should consider using male images more consistently within their publication.
In terms of age representation, there seems to be a lower age limit on those featured in the magazine. There is no evidence of anyone unde the age of 20 years being featured, although (and I am an example at the age of 18) there are readers under this age. 20 years is also a reasonable distance from the magazine's average reader age of 32 years.
The upper age limit is less easy to see, although there is certainly nobody above
the age of 40 in the magazine, although one could be quite sure there are readers
above this age. So, then, it would seem that 'Your Horse' is, through its selection
of (roughly) a 20 year age bracket, discriminating against those outside of this
age group. However, this could be counter-
Like all hobby magazines, 'Your Horse' takes it as normal for a reader to go out at the weekend and spend £150 on a rug for their horse. However, to anyone outside of the 'hobby' this may seem like a huge sum of money to part with for something, which is, at the end of the day, a glorified raincoat. This allows for advertisers to move in and place advertisements for expensive items such as this. It is also seen within the magazine, that the horse is subject to fragmentation. He is broken down into a number of parts, and the items required for this part of the horse are targeted upon the reader. For example, 'the head' may be one part, and for this, the rider requires a bridle (cue bridlework companies), a headcollar (cue headcollar manufacturers), and leadrope. Further to this, the bridle is made up of six individual pieces, four of which offer the reader a selection of choices, depending both upon needs and also taste. So we see how the gap for advertisers is quickly widened. And all the while, the reader has it suggested to them that this type of extravagant spending is 'the norm'. This could be seen to connect to the commonly seen fragmentation of the female body in women's magazines.
This is even more justifiable when you consider that the target readership for 'Your Horse' are female, and so the concept of fragmentation (whether they realise it or not) is not alien to them.
In terms of selling to the reader, it could be felt that 'Your Horse' pushes grooming
strongly. Featured horses have gleaming coats, and a whole feature is dedicated
to testing grooming kit boxes. While domesticated horses are endlessly groomed,
their semi-
Overall, then, 'Your Horse' constructs a world for its reader in which her friends
are majority female, she buys for herself an athletic horse, with stamina and the
ability to jump. This reader has a relatively large disposable income with which
to indulge her horse, she is aged 20-
According to the 'Your Horse' ideology, a good horsewoman (note woman, not 'man' or 'person') takes her 'hobby' seriously, her horse is the most important thing in her life. She is prepared to spend if it means a better quality of life for her horse, and, perhaps more importantly, considers this as 'normal'.
The magazine's ideology also stretches to include the 'good horse' as well. This
horse is one that is athletically built, muscular, with a shiny coat. The animal
is well schooled, but by no means perfect. The pair live in a world that is clearly
idealistic, with the optimum care routine a requirement, not a possibility for only
the lucky ones. In reality this cannot be true, as, for example, not everyone has
a flat, surfaced, well-
Audience Considerations
It would seem that the audience most likely read 'Your Horse' because they get something out of it. It meets their 'needs' in some way.
This would illustrate 'Uses and Gratification Theory', in that the audience are an active (not passive) group of consumers.
The audience chooses to buy the magazine, and do not buy it purely because the media tells them to. Although the audience is a group, they are not clones behaving in the same way.
There are a huge number of individual, varied repertoires of reception.
After brief but intensive research into the methods by which people read their copy of 'Your Horse', I have found that, while some read the magazine thoroughly from cover to cover, others begin at the back, and some 'pick' their way through, selecting things from the contents page that they find interesting.
I did find that one particularly common thing amongst readers was to store copies
of the magazine for the long-
As the main selling point for the magazine (especially for new readers) is its front
cover, it is no surprise that the first pages turned to are those of the featured
articles advertised upon the glossy sleeve. Another popular page given first priority
by many readers is page 30. As I mentioned in the 'Genre' section of this essay,
this is where the '22 Pages of Horse Answers' begins in every issue. This would
indicate some sort of co-
'Your Horse' magazine is offered with some sort of 'freebie' in all three of my selected issues. This could be an incentive to the audience to buy, but as the majority of 'Your Horse' buyers (96%) are regular readers of the magazine, perhaps this is not such an important issue for the publishers. However, it could be that these 'freebies' (often a mail order catalogue) are what some readers feel they need, whether consciously or not, and these are therefore a contributing factor as to why a consumer chooses to buy.
As I mentioned in the 'representation' section of this essay, there is a complete lack of racial variety within the magazine.
Is it that there aren't equestrian people who are not Caucasian (a highly unlikely prospect), or that the magazine simply chooses not to represent them. Either way, the lack of inclusion of members of other racial denominations is probably reflected quite clearly in the magazine's audience, although I cannot prove this. If this is true, the cause is probably a mixture of both a real lack of Asian or black riders (I myself know of only one black professional show jumper), and a lack of interest due to no representation of themselves within the pages of the magazine.
If you were to look in a mirror and not see yourself, would you bother to look in it again?
The audience of 'Your Horse' then, is, like many audiences, an example of the 'Uses and Gratification Theory'. They purchase for a reason, individual to themselves, and are therefore an active group. It is only with this established that we can begin to understand why the publication does some of the things it does, and why it does them in the ways it does.
This is clearly an excellent analysis it touches the bases demanded by the board,it is clearly structured and well "evidenced". It is often eloquent and always academically "correct" and suffers from no lapses from the logic of a clear "reading" of the evidence. Her use of Media Studies language is confident and appropriate. This adoption of an appropriate discourse is something Claire had to learn and familiarise herself with. It comes with reading Media Studies texts and practice
Claire knows her mag; Claire knows her media studies theory and puts forward a cogent and insightful argument.
This is an excellent summary and a useful model for your revision and consolidation of material in readiness for the exam. You should all attempt something like this for each of the three magazines you are researching as an invitation to compare genre is a likely exam question....
Claire’s inverted commas caution around the word real is to be praised.The same caution should be exercised around natural as often people use natural when they mean learned
EXCELLENT point, absence is a huge signifier or you could even say “Absence is as much a signifier as presence”
Where are the ordinary pot bellied spotty balding un hygienic, spindly legged, un sporty blokes in MH?
Another perceptive section
Body fragmentation is at the centre of MH where every portion of the anatomy presents as a problem so the mag or the advertisers can offer/sell a solution
A nice aside here from Claire aimed at women’s mags that invented total fragmentation of a woman’s body parts.Below you will find a brief critique of body fragmentation.It relates to a girl’s mag but could it relate just as well to MH?
Claire never had any time for hypodermic syringe models of communication,she prefers to insist on an active model and a repertoire of possible readings. Students must be familiar with this basic divide between the silly passive model and the more likely active model of media effects and affects.What people do with media rather than what it does to them.
An interesting article here on lad mags in general, very useful quotations Click the theory logo
The text and photographs found in “19” also seem to emphasise a woman's appearance. By putting a large accent on an image “19” magazine eclipses other parts of femininity. There is nothing in “19” to suggest that intelligence is important. The language is simple, the articles relatively small and the topics of debate limited to the superficial and shallow, such as " The #1 sex trick" and " How to look cool when you've been stood up". There is no mention of politics, education, careers or environmental issues. “19” breaks down the female body into parts to be looked after and maintained. By fragmenting the body in this way “19” is helping the cosmetic and fashion industries to sell products.
In one issue they had a “Hair special”, advertising “the hottest hair products on the high street”, from which the reader could buy the “best”, conditioners, hairsprays, mousses, serums, shampoos, hair masks, curl developers, smoothing milks, waxes, relaxers, gels and straightners for everything that might be wrong with their hair, such as needing it smoother, curlier, fuller, thicker, softer, straighter or wavier and that perhaps it “needs” correcting, shaping, moisturising, protecting and repairing.
Readers may feel insecure about their appearance, the adverts are there selling beauty and fashion products, offering them relatively cheap ways to improve their looks. (See Appendix 3) Occasionally there might be an article that contradicts “19”'s body maintenance ideology such as an article in last Octobers issue called “Could you live without your beauty routine?”. Of course, the answer was no!!!
The magazine plays on its readers' insecurities and then offers to help in the shape of products. They sell the idea that if you improve yourself you can become more like this mythic ideal and therefore be happier. Notions of lifestyle and culture link representation to ideology, as they are formed by values, beliefs and attitudes. The dominant ideology found in "19" magazine promotes self adornment and body maintenance consumerism.
Another excellent summary her intro line “A good horsewoman is”
might be used to outline the man in MH. A man is under 35 usually white.......etc...etc
| Chosen Advertising |
| Chosen film 2014, Broken |
| Chosen Film 2014 The Hunger Games |
| Little Miss Sunshine |
| Textual Analysis |
| magazine front covers |
| gender |
| representation essays |
| varying demographics |