Question 3

QUESTION 3

What kind of Media Institution might distribute your media

product and why?

Bauer

Bauer Media Group were my chosen media institution I chose to publish my production, based on a few factors. They publish both print and online magazine, and so my audience would be able to access my magazine services both on and offline, and also ensures my magazine is up to date in these ever progressive technologic days. As well as this, radio, TV and mobile methods are used by this group, which makes sure all platforms are utilized when appropriate. The other types of magazines it publishes are also aimed at a ranged aged audience, which reflects my primary and secondary audience. Ride, Match and Empire are all young audience related magazines of theirs, that are aimed at people with a specific interest, just like rap music. Even their music magazines are more varied and diverse than IPC Media’s with rock relates Kerrang, to the more alternative Q and Mojo. This suggest Bauer always take into consideration specific audience types and lifestyles, and do not always aim for an easier, mainstream option.

If this wasn’t enough, Bauer target 16 countries with over 300 magazines as well as focusing on UK audiences. Their website is much more contemporary and up to date than IPC, indicating a passion for innovative design and production, which is exactly what I tried to accomplish. Again, there workforce is on par with the giants IPC, and thanks to the purchase of EMAP Consumer Media, they were the largest publishing group in the UK in 2008. Personally, I feel their reach, network, revenue and overall individuality is no match for any other competitor.

IPCIPC Media are known as the leading UK publisher for print and digital magazines, as they are responsible for some huge household names like NME, Look and Woman’s Weekly.

They have an impressive reach of 26 million UK adults amongst their productions, and their digital websites rack up over 25 million views each month.

This king of reach did make me consider them, however, they target mainstream audiences, and don’t cater to specific interests and modern audiences as much Bauer, with dates published titles like Ideal Home or Golf Monthly. What’s more, my magazine would have to be in the shadow of the giant NME, which covers the rock, pop and indie genre, and therefore has a much larger audience.

I feel my magazine would have the potential to really shine amongst other niché market based productions offered by Bauer.

Similar Magazine – Complex Magazine• Complex Magazine are published by the Complex Media platform, who

partially are responsible for NME, and fully responsible for all kinds of media, from websites to magazines and TV channels to radio streams. This means they offer a wide reach similar to Bauer, and would therefore benefit my magazine.

• They pride themselves on being a premier multi-media platform for the most influential male consumers. They are relevant and up to date, however they aim their products at an American audience mostly, and feature products and advertisement based at a much more prestigious and wealthy audience. I feel this would result in my magazine being overlooked for a higher end online version.

• Instead I intend to bring the rap industry to the mainstream, with young, male students with less luxury money as my audience. I feel this idea would stand out a lot more casting its own shadow in IPC media, rather than appearing being Complex magazine which focuses on American audiences.

Distribution techniques, based on target audience and their interests.

• With my audiences responses in the questionnaire and surveys, it opens up a lot of options for distribution techniques.

• Obviously it would be available in newsagents to appeal to the larger mainstream audiences that I can try and appeal to.

• However, when hobbies like skateboarding and bmx biking kept cropping up, skateparks/skate shops could also distribute the magazine for a profit.

• Youth clubs would be an option, simply for the social class my primary target audience falls under. They will be in college and have youth workers around, that could sell them copies.

• Rap gigs are another possibility. With events like Wireless Festival, the amounts of rap fans that come out are endless, and so the opportunity is there for the taking.

• As well as physically distributing the product, it can appear on all different forms of media to ensure it maintains its up to date and relevant image. Apps and Web Subscriptions are interactive ways for the audience to keep track of new developments and news on the go, if they have that busy student lifestyle that many of them do, judging by the amount of full time students that replied to the survey. Again, social media and a YouTube account could offer further services that a printed magazine couldn’t, like web links, videos and live streams of exclusive performances or interviews, which would therefore give my production as many exclusive unique selling points to it as possible.