Jude White

Upon seeing the results of my survey, I realised that I would need to narrow down my target audience, as no magazine could appeal fully even to the eight individuals who filled in the questionnaire. I decided to attempt to narrow down my magazine’s key elements by examining proportional interest in my target audience.

 

Four people who responded to the questionnaire reported listening to older rock music such as Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and Nirvana fairly frequently, with scores out of five between three and five for the amount of time for which they listen to classics. The average score for frequency of listening out of five was 2.375. Therefore, I will include a section about older bands. Two suggestions were made to me, by the same person; one is that older albums are reviewed and compared to new ones, another being a section about what older bands are doing today. Another suggested that I feature reviews of new artists influenced by classic oldies. Because I know the former is included with regularity in Kerrang!, I will likely choose something akin to the second or third suggestion to include in my magazine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All but one person who reported enjoying classic rock also said they enjoy modern rock, however. Bands they reported enjoying included Linkin Park, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Asking Alexandria and You Me At Six, fairly varied modern bands, all of whom frequently feature in other magazines such as Kerrang! It is clear that these bands peak interest across my target audience, as similar bands were listed by the other three people who filled in the questionnaire as well. By featuring classic rock prominently in my magazine, without it overpowering modern bands, I will ensure my magazine appeals to the majority of my target audience to some degree.

 

The average score out of five was 3.75 (discounting two blank fields for this question) for how frequently members of my target audience listen to rock music, and this was mostly so I could see their own perceptions of how frequently they listened, when they compared rock to other music. It seems to be common ground that rock fans listen fairly obsessively to rock music, and as such I will try to convey a sense of passion in my magazine. I included another question regarding how long they listened to rock for each week, because combined these questions gave me insight into two things; how frequently they listened to rock compared to other music, and also literally how long they listened to it for. The latter is important because it varies greatly, even though people’s proportional scores were similar. By asking both, I have ascertained that whilst some people listen to rock for only a few hours a week, they share the same passion as those who listen to it for a few hours every day. Therefore, such passion appeals to the majority of my target audience.

 

Some people who filled out the questionnaire said they did not prioritise finding new music at all, or neglected to comment, but four people, fifty per cent of the survey, said differently. One said he would embrace the opportunity if he was given recommendations, but would not prioritise it. Another said there were some cool new bands but did not elaborate further. One gave a simple ‘yes.’ Only one person said that he often goes to gigs to show new bands support. Therefore, I have come to the conclusion that I should include an article on the subject, as it will please 50% of my survey.

 

As far as clothing and brands go, my target audience tended to choose similar, often mainstream brands. This surprised me, given that even the Bauer Media Group sees Kerrang!’s target audience as very expressive through what they wear. However, there was a distinct lack of enthusiasm for brands altogether, with one person saying they didn’t know what brands they liked except Burton, and one could only think of two brand names. Another person reported not having any favourite brands. The brands that were given, with the exception of one person, tended to be fairly mainstream, such as Primark and H&M. So did the shops, such as Superdry, Uniqlo and Topman. Confirming my previous suspicions about the Scene Kids tribe, the one person particularly enthusiastic about brand identity reported being a fan of the brand ‘Drop Dead Clothing.’ This leads me to believe that had I asked a different question, such as ‘do you like to be expressive through clothing,’ I could have gained a better idea of how my target audience regards fashion in general. I may go on to ask this question. Seeing as at least fifty per cent of my survey did not show enthusiasm towards brands, I will not place a central focus on them anywhere in my magazine, but it is important to understand how my target audience shops.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The magazines my target audience listed as their favourites varied greatly, and I will look into each in depth to ascertain which elements I can draw from them to appeal to a wider young audience. One person said Kerrang! was their favourite magazine, because it explored the human side of the artists, including their struggles with issues such as drug abuse. One person said Classic Rock magazine but did not give a reason, but this relates to my prior point about classics remaining popular. One person said Uncut magazine was their favourite, but gave a generic reason, that the articles were 'interesting' and covered musicians that they liked. One person forgot the name of the magazine they liked, but noted that it focused on developing artists, which relates to my prior point about interest in new bands being fairly high. One person said NME due to its wide range of music, something I am aiming to acheive within the genre of Rock. One person simply said the cost and initial appearance determines what magazine they buy. The rest of the survey, three out of five people. said they did not read music magazines, or failed to list any favourites. Therefore, I need to try and win a fraction of my target audience over by providing a magazine that genuinely interests them, and a gap in the market clearly exists for such a magazine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was given advice through my survey about what I could include in my magazine to appeal to each person. I have created a separate page to show this information, and analyse it in more depth. 

 

With regards to playing an instrument and writing original music, there was a definite decreasing trend going down from playing an instrument through to hoping to enter the industry. In fact, seven out of eight people reported playing an instrument, four reported writing original music, but only two said they aspired to enter the industry. However, others commented that whilst they would like to enter the industry, they did not expect it to happen, possibly due to their ability. However, seeing as most people showed an interest, even if they did not expect it to happen, I should include an article about writing original music and also about entering the industry.

 

My target audience’s average social media usage was 3.75/5, a fairly high number. However, TV usage was far less, at only 2.375, and video games were only an incredibly low 1 out of five. It seems that the more time-consuming an activity, the less it is engaged in by my target audience. Outreach to this audience would be easiest-achieved through social media, something to consider when thinking about articles in my magazine. I could perhaps advertise the magazine’s social media pages.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The amount my target audience visited live performances varied greatly, but with two exceptions every person said they went to live performances multiple times per year. Therefore, there should be an emphasis on advertising these in my magazine, just as other successful magazines such as Kerrang! do.

 

With two exceptions, the people who took my survey said they purchase their music mainly on CDs. One of those exceptions also noted that he mainly buys CDs, but uses online fixed-fee services such as Spotify also. Therefore, I could advertise CDs in my magazine, prioritising those above downloads or online services, or even use a CD as a free giveaway.