My focus group was very useful as it enabled me to know
exactly what my target audience is looking for in a pop magazine. My focus
group told me that they prefer buying magazines weekly; however I had intended
to make it a monthly magazine as it allows the magazine to cover more areas and
that also means that it won’t be rushed if it was a weekly edition. They also
stated that they preferred to have a physical copy of the magazine; this links
into my research of my social class. My social class are the working class and
lower middle class and they might not be able to afford iPad’s to read them on.
My focus group also said that they would like to see features such as celebrity
inside stories and new music. One of peers also says that she would pay
£2.50-£3 maximum on a magazine, this will attract them to my magazine as it is
cheap compared to others, yet it is good quality. They also told me that as a
prize they would want the opportunity to win prizes such as concert tickets;
this will pull in the readers. Another of my peers suggested that she would
include a lot of pictures, this helps give a visual interpretation of what the
features mean and are about. One of the main things I didn’t expect to find out
from my focus group was that they were willing to spend so much on a magazine.
This surprised me as personally, as I would never spend that much on a magazine.
The focus group hasn’t made me completely change my initial ideas. This focus
group has given me inspiration of what features to include and to use picture
to attract the reader. However, I am still planning on having my magazine as
monthly publication and will cost £2.20.
These are the questions that i will be asking my focus group. The responses will help me when i am producing my magazine as i will know what readers are looking for.
I have decided to aim my music magazine at costumers who fit the C2/C1 category. I believe that this would be the ideal group as they are expecting a good quality magazine but a reasonable price. It also shows that they will be interested in purchasing artists merchandise, that is at a reasonable price. I think i chose the right social class audience as the middle and upper middle class, will be able to afford products such as iPads which will let read downloadable magazine; which include interactive activities, such as videos. I will also fit the features around this target audience. I have chosen to make my magazine a monthly magazine. This enables me to include the most popular feature stories and have the most relevant artists on the cover. If the magazine were a weekly publication, it would run out of things to use a feature stories. Also, my target audience are skilled manual works and lower middle class and i don't think they will be able to purchase it as it isn't a priority, when they are most likely working full time. The average lower middle class/working class Briton earns around £25,000 a year. This means that the magazine should not be that expensive as they have other things to pay for, which is also why the magazine is a monthly publication. I have also looked at existing music magazines at their price range as competition. NME sells at £2.20 and is a weekly publication, Q magazine sells at £3.70 and is a monthly publication and Vibe sells at around £1.70 and is a weekly publication. Taking this account, i don't want my magazine to be expensive like Q, which is targeted at the middle class however, i do not want it to be as cheap at Vibe as i want it to be a good quality magazine. I have decided that it will sell at £2.20 a month, this beats the magazine's competitor NME by 5p, this should bring in more profit as people will be most likely to buy it as it is cheaper. In regard to my target audience, i will be giving away expensive prizes that they might not necessarily be able to afford, such as apple products (iPads, iPods, Macbooks), concert tickets, relevant to the pop genre, and festival tickets. These products are expensive and are seen as a luxury, so many people would enter the competition. I will also have competition's to win VIP tickets to a concert and they will have the chance to meet the artist, usually whoever appears on the front cover. My magazine has competitions for these expensive prizes as my target audience might not be able to afford it. By looking at my target audience, i can assume that it will be young people purchasing the magazine who are interested in music and the popular culture that surrounds it. I think teenagers/young adults from the age 16-22. This people in this age range are usually students who do not have a lot of money; they will be able to afford this magazine as it is £2.20 and a monthly publication. My features will be about relevant artists of the pop genre, concert reviews, personal lives surround the artists. However, they will include other popular culture such as films, books and fashion reviews.
