For my media case study I have chosen a British music magazine called ‘Q’. ‘Q’ is a music channel and in this specific magazine cover, portrays the band ‘COLDPLAY’. This magazine ‘Q’ was published monthly in the United Kingdom by the Bauer media group publishing company situated in Hamburg. The first issue of the magazine was in 1986 with a genre consisting of music. The main genre focuses are indie, rock, new rave and any bands, which may have a different sound.
The founders of the magazine, Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were disappointed by the music press who were ignoring the generation of older music fanatics who were buying CDs. Since ‘Q’ was published in 1986 it set itself high standards and drifted apart from other reading material, as it obtained a better quality of printing and photography. When ‘Q’ arrived in society, the magazine was called Cue. However, this had to be altered as this suggested the ‘Q’ magazine to be about snooker.
‘Q’ magazine has a target audience of the older generation, such as 25+. This can be compared to the NME magazine where their target audiences are for people aged between 15-25. This is because most new music is created for teenagers who are more likely to go to concerts in their later teens. Furthermore, the front cover portrays a masculine image that will influence different types of people to read it. As the magazine consists of large bold lettering with four male individuals behind the title, this indicates that the target more males are more likely to read it
The magazine is in the category of music. As you can see from the front cover, ‘Coldplay’ which are a band would advertise in it. Also, the cover suggests that the magazine will advertise and feature all the month’s albums, gigs, films and reviews. This information is presented at the bottom of the cover inn white print.
What does the website look like?
The ‘Q’ website portrays itself as being very busy, colorful and lots of content. The layout is clear with each specific content obtaining its’ own particular space. In addition, the website consists of many advertisements, such as an O2 and Yahoo ads. Also the website has a clear menu features with an appealing and consistent design. As a result the layout differentiates the different contents, such as news, features and adverts from each other, making it easier to understand as these items are in a column form.
How easily accessible is it?
The website is very accessible to individuals with modern technology, such as computers, laptops, iphones, mainly electronic mechanisms that include the Internet. This can be examined as a factor of technological convergence.
How does it differ in appearance to the magazine?
The magazine shares similar design themes, such as the colours, which are mainly red, black and whit. This may suggest that a more masculine dominated target market, considering the bold colour.
What features, downloads, links and extras does it have?
The website consists of normal menu links and external links leading to the main article of various news in the music business. It also provides features that include data of the ’50 best albums of the year’, in addition to the ‘best lyric of the decade’. This enters the viewer with a feeling of involvement, as these features are also internal links.
Does it present itself as up- to- date/ cutting edge? How?
‘Q’ website has new and popular technology, such as flash. Furthermore, it has a large section for news, which means that’s it is always up- to- date considering the technology and the design The design is always very modern and stylish that contributes to the present day.
How does it incorporate advertising?
The website advertises certain things in several ad columns, which are also animated. Some advertisements are in shapes of long columns and boxes, this conveys a more neat and tidy effect and provides a certain bodily structure to the website.
Did magazine sales rise or fall when the website launched?
Magazine sales did rise when the website launched. The reason for this was more people became aware of the website, therefore having the brand name of ‘Q’ being publicised by the media. The different types of media may come from music games, television adverts or even in actual magazines and websites in this case. Also, Q radio is currently a digital radio station with 282,000 listeners, which may contribute to the rise in magazine sales, as more individuals became used to it considering the advertisement of it.
Are adverts/ advertisers different from those in the magazine?
Yes, adverts are different from those in the magazine because the advertisements on the website are very interactive and well animated. As well interactive, the adverts are internal and external links, which may prove beneficial to the user.
However, the magazine consists of advertisements that are mush more simple and more of a visual purpose, as they are mostly images which include a little text in some cases.
Is there a price difference between advertising in the magazine and online?
Yes, there is a price difference between advertising on the website than in the magazine. This is because you will pay the same price every month to advertise in the magazine.
On the other hand, advertising online depends vitally on how many times the advertisement (ad links) would be clicked on by the consumer or even how many individuals have visited the website.
How does the consumer experience differ from reading the magazine?
The website is a dynamic piece of media, making it seem more interactive and feeling more involved. Furthermore, this may provide the consumer with a more visual experience, which may benefit the consumer’s way of thinking and understanding. This will entertain the viewer, which makes it more likely they will revisit the site again or even find great interest in a specific advert. However, the magazine depends more on the article and writings but the website is about short articles and creating a two- way situation with the user, which is known as interactivity. Also, the website obtains a ‘Q daily vote’ that will always encourage users to click their favourite icon. Therefore the website might be the best approachable way for the user, making sure that the consumer achieves the best experience.
Several magazines consider online and alternative publishing methods. I too, also think it is crucial for different magazines to consider various publishing techniques and which may lead to success.
Frequently, many people often spend most time worrying how their publication would be portrayed at the end product, not how well it would sell. In order to achieve the best outcome for magazine publishers is to a variety of options and ideas.
Many inexperienced publishers lock themselves into a single strategy and they fall apart when their circumstances change. Magazines should always be prepared for change in terms of publishing as some resources that publishers use may run out. Furthermore, I strongly agree that articles should bear in mind numerous substitute strategies. This is because of new competitors who will come challenge magazines, with addition to that readers will change their reading structure. This will then cause an organisation to continually evolve and adapt to the large and unpredictable media industry.
By magazines that are taking into account alternative publishing methods, they are creating a knock on effect that will lead to broadening their target market. For example, if magazines are to consider online publishing this will convey a very large target audience. This will expand the number of viewers and consumers, mainly by people who have access to online equipment, such as a computer or iphones. Therefore magazines are targeting a wide range of audiences in order to receive a beneficial and profitable income.
As some magazines acquire different techniques towards their publishing strategies, this may lead to an issue of narrowing the accessibility. Similarly in the previous example of target audience, considering the publication online may limit the viewers, since not everyone has availability online.
This may prove unbeneficial, as fewer individuals will visit the magazine online, but overall, still a necessity.
However, the changes and improvements I would make if I were a magazine publisher would be making sure that my magazine would be more interactive with the reader. I would also consider pre planning in terms of knowing who are my target audience are to attract them to read my original and interesting content. Furthermore, I would also improve the availability of my magazine I would receive a maximum share of profit. In order for me to accomplish this greater access of my magazine I would act on numerous things. This entails actions, such as online use; the magazine would be attained in local shops or even advertising it on the radio, television or on billboards. I think this will help improve the publicity of my magazine significantly.
