Focus Group 2

Today in my lesson we did another focus group which was recorded. We got given particular types of question topic and they had to come up with 3 questions to ask to the year 13’s in the class next door. My topic of question was any other question that I could come up with, so these are my questions and the answers that were given by the year 13’s:

What colours would you find affective when looking at a magazine?

One of the year 13’s said that it depends on the genre if you was going for a heavy metal magazine you would want to see dark colours like black but if you was looking at a pop magazine you would want to see more bright colours like pink and purple.  

How much would you be willing to pay for a magazine?

One of the students in the class said that the most they are willing to pay for a magazine would be £2.99 and another student mentioned that they would only pay £1.99 because of the recession.

Would a having unique selling point on the magazine make you more interested in buying it? (CD, posters etc)

The whole class agreed that a unique selling point would make them more interested in buying the magazine as you would generally be getting a free item. One boy then went on to say that stickers or posters would be cool as you would be able to stick them where ever you want and it would make the magazine more interesting. One student said that a CD would be more interesting and would attract the audience well as that way you would have something to listen to like and that maybe a track of there latest song would be interesting.

 

This is the video that was recoreded whilest everyone ask there questions to the class:

Audiences

Today in my media class we learnt about audiences. Audience is an individual or collective group of people who read or consume any media text for example radio listeners.

Why is the audience important?

1. Without a audience there would be no media
2. Media organisations produce media text to make profit and without the audience there would be no profit made.

The mass media is becoming more competitive than ever to attract more audience in different ways to stay profitable.

Impact of new technologies on audiences

Old media such as TV, print and radio used to have a high audience numbers now they have to work hard to maintain the high audience numbers. Digital technology has also lead to an increasing uncertainty over how we define an audience, with general agreement that a large group of people reading the same thing is seen as the audience as being “fragmented”.  

Fragmented: The division of audiences into smaller groups due to the variety of media E.g. news > online and hardcopy

Aim to it many people

With magazines they aim to print less so by putting there magazines online not only does it give a wider audience it also reduce the amount of printing.

Type of audience

Mass audience: Media and communication that targets a very large group of people (women, men, children etc)

E.g. friends, heat magazine, top gear, Disney films

Niche audience:  Much smaller audience but very influential and has a unique interest that would only appeal to a small audience.

E.g. Birds magazine, aimed at people who like bird watching.

Categories

Categories are divided by social class.

Psychographics

Every advertiser wants a particular type of audience. In terms of commercial media, much of fundraising is generated by advertising.

In society there are different types of class, the class ranks would generally generate what type of media they would watch or buy.   

Group A

• Lawyer
• Doctor
• Scientist
• Well Paid Professionals

Group B

• Teachers
• Middle Management
• Fairly Well Paid Professionals

Group C1

• Junior management
• Bank Clark
• Nurses
• White Collar Professional

Group C2

• Electricians
• Plumbers
• Carpenters
• Blue Collar

Group D

• Manual
• Drivers
• Post Sorters

Group E

• Students
• Unemployment
• Pensioners

Research Methods

How do you measure audiences?

• Sales
• Subscriptions
• Ratings
• Figures

Who measures audiences?

• NRS
• ABC
• BARB
• Booksellers

New Media

Facebook and social networks

Online forums

Views on YouTube

Twitter trends

Quantitative research is to do with questionnaires, numbers, closed questions and factual. These type of questionnaires not that wide range and very factual but t the same time they are not specific enough. Qualitative research is doing focus groups or interviews, analysis of existing products, open questions this is for open interpretations and individual preferences.

Format Research Magazine 3 - Q

The third magazine that i looked at was Q magazine. i started by looking at the front cover and analyzing it:

 On the front cover of Q magazine there is only one image and that is the main image, this is of the band Arctic Monkeys. This image covers the whole page and is big and bold. It then has writing to the left side of the image this clearly shows that it is the main article of the issue this week and that it is an important part to the magazine. Part of one of the band members head covers part of the masthead, although you can still clearly see the masthead this shows that the band is an significant part of the magazine and they are trying to make it more eye catching so that the viewer will read the article inside.

The Bar-Code of this magazine is in the right hand bottom corner, this is good because it means that it is out the way and it will not interrupt anything else on the magazine front cover. The bar-code also has the price right next to it in really small writing, this is also good as it means that it is out of the way. This could also be seen as a bad quality of the magazine though as you need to be able to see the price quite clearly and the writing is too small and it blends in with the bar-code to much so you struggle to find it when taking a first glance. People want to be able to see the price so they know how much they will be paying for the magazine.

I then went on to analyzing the contents page of Q:

After that i then finished by analyzing one of the double page spreads from the magazine: 

This article from Q magazine is about Rizzle Kicks and how they challenged Andrew Perry to a go karting competition, it also talks about there music that they have being doing and a bit about them. This article is very different compared to the rest of the magazine as from the front cover you get the idea that the magazines genre is punk rock and music like that but actually this magazine clearly has a wider range and audience as they have pop rap Rizzle Kicks article inside.

The layout of this double page spread is one big picture. It has a main image that covers the whole double page spread. This picture is of the two boys in there go carting outfits the image is so big so that it catches the viewer’s eye and would make them want to read on. The article also has a small amount of text which is written in a small serif font the reason that the font is small is so that they can fit more writing on the page and then even more writing on the second double page spread that they have wrote more on. The masthead of this article is very different as it is scattered on both of the pages on the left side it says “Top “ and on the right side it says “Gear” this is quite quirky. The writing is in a san-serif font and is really large this is quite informal and it stands out a lot more. The subheading of the article is in a white text box and has black writing this is so it stands out more as it is in a text box. The subheading is there to give more information about the article to the reader and it also makes them want to read on more. The colour scheme is still held well with this article. They have use red white and black, black is for the background colour and some of the writing. The white is used for the masthead as it is the house style and it is also used for most of the text then you have bits of red which is used as text boxes so that they stand out more. It is good that they are carrying on with the colour scheme as this matches the brand of the Q magazine really well.   

In all I feel that this article is an informal article as it is aimed at the younger reader. It uses simple lexis so that it is an easy read for the reader. It also uses large images and small amounts of writing on the first page. Although the font is quite formal, because the masthead is so large I feel that it is more informal as it that is the main font that you see first giving you the instant idea that it is an informal article.

Format Research Magazine 2 - Kerrang

The second magazine that i analysed was Kerrang magazine. i started by analyzing the front cover: 

On the Kerrang magazine they have a big main image of the band “sleeping with sirens” this main image over laps the masthead, this shows the main image of the band must be an important part of the magazine as the lead singer is covering the middle of the masthead. The masthead is important on a magazine as it tells you want the magazine is called but as the main image is covering that this suggests that it’s not as important in this occasion. The main image also covers most of the page, giving just enough room for small images and text around it, this also suggest that the main image is the main article in the magazine as it’s one of the first things that you see on the page. The main image has the colour scheme within it too, this is good as it shows that there is a link between the brand and this would carry on throughout the magazine. The genre of Kerrang magazine is rock and having the main image as a rock band on the front shows the audience what the genre of the magazine is, the band are also dressed to look like a rock band which works really well as it shows a clear link in the magazine and that the genre would carry on through out the magazine. This will appeal to a younger audience who is interested in rock as the main image makes the front cover look informal and also everything is linked with the genre and brand.

The colour scheme of the magazine is red, white, yellow and black. White is the house style in this magazine so it will be carried on throughout most of the magazine when using masthead and subheading etc this is good as it works with the brand as they will always be using there house style. then the background colour of the magazine front cover is red, this makes the white masthead stand out against everything which is good as it means that it is easy to see and will attract peoples attention more. The colours black and yellow vary between text box colour and text. This makes the magazine more colourful, quirky and interesting it also give the feel that it is aimed at a younger audience as they have used 4 contrasting colours to catch the viewer attention toward the text and not just the pictures.

The Puff on the Kerrang magazine is in the top right hand corner of the front cover this isn’t very good as it is out of the way so people don’t see it as much because it is up in the corner rather than in a random place of the magazine to catch attention. It also does not really stand out much to the reader as it isn’t in your face and it doesn’t pop out at you as it is too hidden in the corner and isn’t bold enough to catch someone’s attention this is a bad puff as it doesn’t do what a puff should do because you can see it that well it doesn’t interest you as much. The puff has got the colour scheme of black and yellow which is good as it works well in with the rest of the magazine but it also blend into the corner slightly which isn’t good because then you tend not to notice it as much.

This magazine also has a footer at the bottom of the page which gives you more information on the magazine as it lists different band names. This works with the genre as people who are interested in those bands and the genre would by the magazine as those bands that are mentioned are more than likely to be featured inside the magazine at some point. It is also uses just one word which is each band to try and catch attention, this works well as because it is just a band name the band would interest people who like that genre.

I then went on to look at the contents page of this magazine:

The contents page of Kerrang magazine still mentions about there USP which is the green day posters, it does this by showing another image of green day which could be a poster this makes the audience more interested and wants to look at the posters it also give you more information about the USP.

  

I then went on to look at the article of the magazine and i analyzed that :

In the corner of the Kerrang article there is a quote form one of the members of the fall out boy band. This quote gives an insight as to what is coming up in the text of the article. This is an effective way of making the reader intrigued as to what all of the article says because it only give a little bit of information but enough information for the reader to want to read on. The Quote uses the white house style so that the colour scheme can be linked with the article and so that it looks more professional.

In the middle of the text there is a text box give you information about fall out boy but it isn’t on the same topic as the secret album. This is wrote here so that the reader gets given that little bit more information about fall out boy and so that it will get them excited about the things that fall out boy has to offer for there fans.

I find that this article is an informal article. This is due to the fact that the entire font on this article is a san-serif font which is seen as an informal font as it has no smooth edges to keep everything in line. The way that the layout is presented this also shows that this is informal as everything on the double page spread is edgy and quirky and would appeal to a younger audience. The lexis on the page is also informal as there is small non-complicated words that makes the article an easy read for the target audience.

Format Research Magazine 1 - NME

For my first format research i have looked at NME magazine. For starters i started by looking at the NME front cover and this is what i analysed from it:

Most of the information on the front cover is to do with the Band “Franz Ferdinand” and the free CD that is by them. The main image of NME magazine is a large image of the band “Franz Ferdinand” that is mentioned throughout the whole of the front cover. It is bold and covers all of the front cover as it is the main story that is being portrayed on the front of the magazine cover. The main image is the only image that is on the front cover, this presents the importance of the band as they are the only picture on the front cover they must be the main article in the magazine. All the text that is around the image is also to do with the band this shows that they are trying to promote there article inside and the Free CD that come with the magazine.

The Colour scheme for NME is red, white and yellow. The Red is there house style this is used for there masthead and any other important writing, the red is part of the brand and will be used throughout the whole of the magazine and every issue that NME produce. They then have a dirty white background with some white and some yellow writing, the colours that are used for the writing stand out on the front over and contrast well with the red. It is effective that they have more than one colour to write with because it makes it look more interesting to the eye.

The price of the magazine is located by the masthead, it is very small and out of the way. It is good that it is out of the way and small as it means that it doesn't distract you and get in the way of any of the other text or images that is on the front cover. But the writing is so small that it is hard to find and people with poor eye sight would not be able to see it that easily.            

I then went on to look at the Contents page of the magazine:                                      

The NME magazine contents page still talks out the USP which is the free CD by “Franz Ferdinand” this is so that the person who purchased the magazine would get to know a tiny bit more information on the USP before they read the article.

The contents page also has a text box which talks about subscribing to NME magazine. This includes the red house style this will attract attention as it is bright and it is also part of the colour scheme. It is also there to advertise subscribing for there magazine so by using bright colours it will attract the viewers attention.   

After looking at the contents page i then went on to looking at the double page spread:

The text that the magazine has used is a small serif font so it looks quite formal, it is a small font so that they can fit enough on the page and so that it doesn’t get boring with massive writing as you would finish reading it very quickly. At the start of each paragraph they have put the first letter bold and in the colour blue this is so that there is a contrast between colours and also so they show the start of a new paragraph that the viewers don’t think that they can there isn’t breaks in the text.

                                                                                    

The article also has a quote in the middle of the text, this quote is bold and is in a San-serif font, this stands out to the reader as it is in the middle of the text so it one of the first things you see when you look at the text. The quote also gives you a bit of an insight as to what’s written in the text this will catch the peoples attention the viewer will want to know a little bit more as to what’s inside.

I would say that the magazine article is informal this is all because the genre and they way that everything the layout is set up it looks like it attracts a younger audience so the article would have to look more informal that formal. This is because there is a big image and images attract younger audiences and also some of the masthead is jagged so the text is also informal and it looks “cool” this would also appeal to a younger audience as it is more edgy and really stands out. There is a contrast in informal and formal fonts that has been used in the text and the use of lexis isn't that big and complicated so this make the article look like it is for a younger audience such as a teenager so it would be seen as informal. The magazine has also used direct address to engage the reader in there article by using the words like “you” this also suggest that it is informal and for a younger reader as it is talking directly to you rather than telling you about something. 

Focus Group

Today in my media class, we were told that we were going to have a focus group session and it was going to be recorded. So we all got into a circle and started to discuss the positives and negatives of each person’s school magazine front cover. I think that it is good that we discussed the positives and negatives in a group as it give you an indication of where you have gone wrong and will help you improve on our actual music magazine front cover. We started by discussing the positives of the front covers and how effective some of the things that people have done was to the cover of the magazine. One of the things that we discussed in the focus group was left thirds, the majority of the class had used left third on there magazine as they found it a good technique to use, we found that this was a positive aspect to our school magazine as when on a shelf the left thirds is the main thing you can see so you get to know about what’s inside the cover and get and insight to what the magazine is all about. We then went on to discuss the logos of our magazines. We all agreed that it is a good thing to have a logo on a magazine front cover so that people know what they are reading and also it will give them a little bit of an idea as to what the magazine involves. We also said that having the logo fairly bold and eye catching will help the magazine as it will look more interesting and the people will want to pick it up and read it. I used a logo on my magazine so that readers knew what the main genre of the magazine was about and tried to present a link to the school. This is good as it would have given a bigger impact on the reader when looking at the magazine front cover. After we had discussed all of the positive aspects to our magazine front covers we then when on to discuss the negatives and why we probably shouldn't use them on our magazine front cover and how we had used them incorrectly on our magazine and made it look unprofessional. One of the negatives that we discussed was having a bar-code on the front cover. A lot of people had put a bar-code on the front cover of there magazine which we realized that it was not needed as the magazine was a school magazine so a bar-code had no relevance to the magazine as the children at the school wouldn't be paying for it as it was free. This is where other people went wrong as well as they put a price on there magazine too which was also not needed and took some room which could have been filled with something else that mattered more. The price wasn't needed as the magazine was free and was suppose to be a school magazine so it wasn't needed. The bar-code and price took up a bit of space on the magazine cover when really that space could have been used for something else such as a puff.

Whilst talking in the focus group we started to talk about what we would still put in our magazines. We came to the decision on what it would be a good idea to still use left thirds on the music magazine front cover. We though that this would be ideal as left thirds are useful to find little bits of information about the front cover. As for the double page spread we though that the idea of having a bright text box to the left hand side of the double page spread like the one that we was looking at that was from an NME magazine was a creative and some people might think of using it in the magazine double page spread as it stood out because it was colourful and near to the middle of the double page spread and it also looked professional and slightly quirky.

In the focus group we also examined NME music magazine front cover, contents page and double page spread so that we could get an inspiration as to what our magazine could look like and get suggestions on what professional looks like so we could try and incorporate that when designing our music magazine. 

We started with the front cover. We all said that the NME magazine had a unique selling point which was a CD. The reason this was the USP is because when going to buy the magazine you would see the CD and think that it would be a good buy because there is a free CD on the cover. This is a good USP as people who like that genre and band they would want to have that CD to listen to. With the USP the information on the front cover is all related to the CD so that this would give the reader more information and make them more interested. They also have a small price placed on the magazine this is so that not too much attention is drawn to the price but you can still see how much it is. 

We also talked about the contents page of this magazine we said that it was like a second front page and the only difference was that it gave you more information about the articles inside. They also carry on using the house style which is red this is good as that way they show that the magazine has a colour scheme going on throughout every issue. We also discussed the double page spread this had a contrast of blue and black which stood out and we all thought that it would catch peoples attention. There was also bold text which was big and caught your eye so it would have interested people. We all thought that this magazine was a really good one as it was very detail and was a great magazine to research what a proper rock magazine would look like so that we could get an idea on what type of magazine we wanted to do and also give us ideas on what we would want our music magazine to look like.