Unique Selling Point

I have decided that my unique selling point will be that the exclusive will be focused on current occasions or issues that effects everyone for example: Christmas theme, Fireworks, Thanksgiving, Halloween, Easter, Summer, Eurovision, World Cup, Formula 1, Autumn, Spring, Red Nose Day, Children in Need, May Day, these will all be done with a twist of R&B for example blowing chewing gum, ripped clothes, ganster chain, photographed in alleys, graffiti ect.

My Target Audience Specific Outline

My Target Audience Outline

My Target Audience is for older teenagers/young adults 16-24 years old because I am currently that age and I will be able to relfect their interests well.

The Target audience enjoy having a good time; like to go clubbing; listen to music; watch festivals; go shopping; not much responsiblity; like fast cars; are upto date with the mainstream culture; wear the lastest trends; and love to hang out with their mates.

My genre is stereotypically portrayed to be listened to my people living in urban cultures however it is not the case and a wide selection to R&B.

Feeback from Proposal

Overall my presentention and initial ideas were linked by my target audience.

They liked the name however one person said that it was more hip-hop than R&B which the class had mixed opinions on, I think this name will work well as my magazine and it portrays the fiesty, fierce, attitude vibe which I want my magazine too.

They also liked the how I had a clear plan of what I was going to do, they liked the Christmas Theme as it was unique and different from the other proposals suggested.

They also liked the images used and is showed how I pieced together my ideas. A possible suggestion made was that If I did the christmas themed one then I should do it in the snow if possible as it reflects the time of year and would emphasis this, I liked this idea and if possible will take my photo shoot in the snow.

Mood Board - Voice recording

My Media Proposal

 

Survey for Music Magazine

I interviewed 5 people of my target audience to answer a short questionaire to help me come up with a proposal to what my music magazine will look like as well as the content.
Underneath the questions are the ideas that the 5 people raised.
On a R&B magazine what kind of star/celebrity would you like to see?

• Two famous woman singers having fun e.g Katy Perry and Rihanna
• A well known band - JLS for example
• A Girl Celebrity like Beyonce
• A Boy singer - Iyaz, Tinchy Stryder, Taio Cruz
• Guest Star with their journey so far - Alexandra Burke and what she has done since the X Factor
• Dress them up in a theme - Easter bunnies, Halloween, Christmas ect

What kind of competitions would make you buy a music magazine?

• Tickets to a big festival like the V festival or T4 on the beach
• Wining the chance to meet a celebrity
• Trip to New York
• Shopping Trip to London
• Concert Tickets - The Script 2010
• Money prize
• Technology prize - New Phone/Laptop/Camera
• Chance to be in a Singers Music Video
• Photoshoot

Which out of the following names would appeal to your moe and why?
-Swagger -Candy -Alive -Beep -System -Raindrops -Mission -Remix -Twist -Wire -Tune - Exchange - Inspire
-Race -Vacancy -Live -Fusion - loud

Person one: Swagger - because it reminds me of a club, sounds upbeat and lively it also sounds quite a fierce magazine.

Person two: Fusion because it makes me think of the charts, quite mysterious, its also a easy name to remember and is very catchy.

Person three: Raindrops because it sounds similar to Cheryl Coles new album title "Messy Little Raindrops" it also makes it sounds fresh.

Person four: Swagger because it reminds me of the sound "Turn my swag on" that Cher sung on the X Factor, and she is individual and unique.

Person Five: Alive or Swagger because it sounds fiesty and inspiring, they do not sound similar to any magazine already out there so would be more unique.

My Music Magazine Interview

Spider Diagram of initial ideas for music magazine based on research

This is a spider diagram of all my initial thoughts that could be included in my magazine. For the name of my magazine I scrolled through my i-pod and looked at song tracks in order to give me inspiration. An example of this is "Swagger" which was triggered by the sound: "Turn my swag on", "Twist" is from the song "Twist and Shake". I then decided to include what competitions my magazine could have in order to attract my target audience of teenage/young adult.  I thought of tickets and trips and winning technology. The background on the front cover is an important aspect when designing my front cover, I thought of possible themes - Christmas, New Years and also symbols such as a starry background in order to give a mysterious vibe.  For the main image I thought of music videos that interested me such as Chery Cole Fight for this love - I could get screen shots of her during this and be inspired by her outfit and pose. The star on the front of my magazine is very important and in order to generate a R&B vibe I listed some artists of this genre to give me an idea of there overall style and message they put accross.

Target Audience Research Video

Identifying Competitor Front Cover & Contents page

This magazine is one of the main competitors of the style of magazine I wish to do. The main image is of Cheryl Cole a celebrity that appeals to me which attracts me to buy this. I specifically like that this magazine not only is about music but also lifestyle such as the music stars hair and the latest fashion trends. The magazine has one exclusive story with one main image, the name"CHERYL" is in capitals which draws the readers attention. The writing is in white and is clear to read, it also contrasts well to the background making your eyes be drawn to it.  The logo and sub-story of One Direction are fairly big in size on the front cover which makes this be the second stories we are attracted too. The band along the top saying "Music, Stars, Style" is a cluster of three which is easy to read because if the magazines were stacked in front of each other they would notice this band because of it being at the top. The whole front cover uses colours that correlate well to each other. They have chosen to colour code the important exclusive stories with a yellow background this is bright which captures the readers attention. The magazine also includes lots of smaller images which gives an insight into what the magazine includes. Cheryl Coles lipstick colour is pink and the magazine has used pink as a background for some of the stories this makes the colours contrast and correlate well together so that the magazine isn't too distracting   . "YOU MUST OWN" The writing being in capitals, and the "must" being underlined is a key device that makes the reader especially aimed at girls have to see what they "must" own. The bar code is placed on the right hand side - sideways which follows the conventions of a music magazine but it also doesn't draw away any attention from the key stories. The magazine also includes a chance to "Win tickets to the live shows" this would appeal to the target audience as its a chance to go to a concert and by buying this magazine they have the chance to win this.  The colours are mainly pinks and purples were are stereotypically associated with girls as its an icon of girliness which would attract them to buy the magazine.

The contents page uses different colours to identify the different sections of the magazine I like this because its clear to read and the sections are clearly outlined. The background of the contents page is white which is simple, this is good because it doesn't distract the reader from the content however in my magazine I would want the contents page to relate to the front cover house style which I don't think this does because if I put them next to each other the only similarities are the logo and content itself.  I like how there is a friendly welcome with "Hello!" in a written style front, in a different colour and bigger than the other writing this would attract me to read the magazine because it shows they are friendly and is welcoming. The page numbers and the content of each page are coloured differently so it can be easily read. The layout is slightly titled I like this because it is similar to the style of the music business not everything is perfect. There are also a total of 7 images which aren't distracting but relives the contents page from just being writing which wouldn't attract the target audience.  I like how the logo is included on this page as well because it constantly reminds you who the magazine has been created by. 

Research - My Target Audience

I have decided to aim my magazine at people my age (16-18) because I can ask people aorund me more easily and because I am that age it is easier for me to know what content to put in it to attract their attention.
I decided to make a questionaire to find out what this target audiene already read and what music they liked so I had a better idea about what my magazine should be. I asked 20 students in year 12 to answer this.

I firstly asked whether or not they read a music magazine this was important because the aim of my magazine is to make people want to read it, and by asking this and which music they are into I am able to look for the gap in the market. The result was 14 people said they do not read a magazine and 6 people do.

I then asked the 6 people which magazine they did read in order to find out my main competitor. From the results. The main competitor is Q magazine followed by the X factor magazine I think this is because the X factor magazine is aimed at 14-16 year olds and Q is designed more for young adults.

I then thought it was important to know how often my target audience by any style of magazine to see how much they would spend on avergae on a magazine and how often my magazine should be published.

The final question of my questionnaire was to see what is the best genre to aim my magazine at and therefore attract more of my target audience to buy it. I found out that RnB was the favourite style by close to 50% and pop was a close second, therefore I shall make my magazine genre RnB/Pop.

Overall the questionnaire has helped me to find out that Q magazine is my main competitor, and that the genre of my magazine shall be RnB/Pop as I believe there is a gap in the market to make more people of my target audience to purchase a music magazine. It will be produced monthly as that is when most people buy their magazines.

Comparing Front cover magazines

Effective selling points of this magazine is that the outfit which Beyonce is wearing is white and the text is also white so gives a consistent house design on the magazine but also the use of white writing attracts the readers attention against the background. Her costume is also quite skimpy with her legs on show this  creates the impression of sexual desire which would attract males as well as females because they want to be like their role model. The writing is easy to read and is fits the conventions of a music magazine because the writing is on the left hand side of the magazine. The red circle also fits the house style because its the same colours as the logo of Q, the golden background also matches Beyonces hair colour so there is no clashing colours and they all work well together. The main image is a huge american star and this would attract the reader particularly if they are interested in her. The shallow focus of the front image makes her stand out, and means the reader doesn't get distracted with the background which would also appeal to the costumer.  The magazine also includes a chart of the '20 greatest albums and tracks of Q's Life' this would attract the reader because its interesting to see these charts.

Effective selling points of this addition of Q magazine is the simple use of colours, Lady Gagas outfit is black and the border of the magazine is black so they contrast well together which makes the magazine more attractive. Q magazine has used its logo colours, and the outfit colour to frame the colour of the strap lines. The mode of address presented by the magazine, is that the star is being quite promiscuous with flesh on show, the magazine is being presented as sexual by her being half naked which would attract males. The name of the artist is positioned behind her which gives her a 3D effect which is attracting as its unusual, the image of her also cover the corner of the logo. Its interesting that the magazine is done with a plain grey/silver background because it puts emphasis on Lady Gaga which the magazine has done, it also correlates to her personality of raunchy, and not afraid of the public opinion which is clearly presented on this cover. I like how the magazine as captured the personality of the star as it makes it more realistic. 

Effective selling points of this edition is how the magazines mode of address is rocky, dark and sinister. A appealing part of the magazine is the rain dripping of the star and raining around her. The magazine also has a sexual feel created by her having her mouth open which her tongue out and being drenched this makes her seem sexy which would attract males but also females because she is a style icon. The magazine again uses the colour of the logo to colour the strap lines giving a consistent style of this magazine but it also isn't too distracting for the reader. A common convention of Q magazine is too include a circle on the the right hand side which an interesting guest star, chart of piece of information. The use of makeup on Cheryl Cole is emphasizing the tone which the magazine wants.  It also includes a chart which attracts readers. The strap line saying "THE UK'S BIGGEST MUSIC MAGAZINE" is in white writing with black background this is effective because it doesn't withdraw any attention from the exclusive story  as its in a different colour and in a smaller size but it also would make people more likely to buy the magazine and its showing it is popular. This is also useful when they are being stocked in a store as if they were stacked on top of each other they would see this top part and pick it up. The star is Cheryl Cole which is also a unique selling point because the star usually makes the reader buy the magazine, and buy choosing a massive UK star more people would purchase it.

The effective selling points of the X factor magazine is that it appeals to teenagers who watch the show and want to find out more information. The magazine as used many images on the front cover this is a good selling point for the target audience because they want to know what the magazine contains without having to read too much information. The images of the celebrities also makes the magazine more likely to be purchased because it attracts people. There is no specific house style and does look too busy for adults too read. The colour used behind the logo is used for the colour of the main article, the magazine has also used different colours for different exclusives in order to show they are different. The text is also placed on a coloured background which is clear to read this is good because it catches the readers attention. 

The effective selling point of this magazine is that all the attention is on Megan Fox the cover girl, she is placed in front of the logo of the magazine which emphasizes the importance of her, the mode of address of the magazine is promiscuous because they have "Americans sexiest bad girl" featured in it. They have set this mood by her wearing a seducing outfit and the way she is positioned this would appeal to males. The Logo is still easily recognized as its in a different colour to the rest of the magazine. The writing is in black on an white background which is plain and simple to read as well as correlating to her outfit which would again attract males.  The magazine doesn't fit the conventions of a magazine though as the writing is on the right hand side rather than the left this is interesting because it still looks appealing, and this could be because they want their target audience to see the image of their exclusive interview with Megan Fox. 

Conventions of a music magazine

• The masthead is at the top of the magazine.
• Strap line occasionally appears over the masthead
• up to 12 lines of writing giving an insight into what the magazine contains.
• Clashing colours of masthead attract readers attention. 
• The writing is in a range of colours and fonts.
• Usually contains a star/artist/band to make people want to buy the magazine.
• Bar code and price
• Chart of music is commonly used.