EVALUATION: QUESTION 6

EVALUATION:

QUESTION 6: WHAT KIND OF MEDIA INSTITUTION WILL DISTRIBUTE YOUR PRODUCT?

 

IPC Media is a upmarket group that produces over 85 iconic magazine brands, one of them being NME which is my inspiration magazine for my product. Therefore I will use IPC Media to publish my magazine making it a sister publication because my magazine and NME are working together.

NME is published weekly and costs around £2.40, however my magazine will be published every month for £1.50. I decided to do a monthly issue because it shows the quality of the magazine will be better because there will be more to write about and publish to the audience. However I would need to boost the price of my magazine if there were special gifts each month therefore making some profit for the magazine. It will be more likely that my target audience will buy my magazine due to the price of the magazine compared to NME. However the distribution of my magazine needs to be huge for people to recognise my magazine from NME and to show that it is cheaper and has a wider range of music for people who like rock and indie genres therefore combining Kerrang!'s target audience and NME's target audience in one.

 

I will distribute my magazine as a print and online version so I will include a website on the print version to show a symbiotic relationship between both of them and also by having a online version it is more accessible to read the magazine as the online version can be downloaded onto phones or iPads creating the whole idea that the reader can read the magazine at their own leisure. The online version because it is on the web it means it will be more up to date than the print based version because it will updated constantly, therefore the online version will keep the reader completely up to date with the latest news.

Also to increase the popularity of the magazine, if more people are using the website for the magazine than buying the monthly version an app can be made and downloaded on these devices so the audience have all time access to the magazine. The app will be a replica of the website, however it will have more features and more information and videos on the app. This is because I will put a charge for the app for about £1.00 a month therefore the magazine will still be making money but for the app version. It will be cheaper than the print version due to the fact that there will be no free gift with the app. I will let the audience have 1 month free for the app so they know what it will include and then the charge will start after the month has ended. The whole idea of having an app made for my product is because it appeals to more people as they will prefer to have it on their electronic devices so they don't need to carry around the print version. Also it keeps them up to date with all the latest news on music and they can also sign up for notifications to the phone if a band they like is touring or if tickets are on sale. It creates synergy because the magazine will be linked to websites such as iTunes and Ticketmaster.

Also on the website and app I will advertise a radio and TV station relating the magazine to create an immersive world making the magazine more accessible meaning the reader can get involved in many different media platforms. This will appeal to the audience because if they want to listen to the music that is in the magazine this does it for them. It creates the idea that they can listen to the music or watch the music videos that will be played on the website whenever they like. It also creates another distribution as if the audience like the music being played and shown they will recommend it to their friends and then they can simply flick to the TV channel or turn on the radio to listen. This then gets more listeners and if it appeals to them they will go online and found out about the magazine and then perhaps pick up a print version in the shop.

Social networking is good to promote and distribute my product because the majority of my target audience will have access to the internet and have one or more social networking accounts. Therefore if my magazine has an account for these sites and updates it regularly it will make the audience follow and keep up to date with the latest news and new music. To make the accounts known popular the competitions that are in the magazine will be promoted on these accounts and there will be a weblink to the website therefore promoting the website as well as the social networking site in one.  On the instagram account there will be pictures of the magazine and different tours and bands that feature in the magazine. Also it will include times when different bands are being interviewed the picture of them in the studio so the audience know that the contents in the magazine is real. Also there will be special videos of new songs or teasers for the audience to listen to so they know when something new is coming out so they can keep up to date with the website or app.

One of the features on the website will be Merchandise. This will be very popular with my target audience because they are more likely to wear band t-shirts than normal shirts. By having this option for the audience gives them another place to buy their clothing from. By having a large range of merchandise for the audience to buy from will appeal to them so they are likely to go back to the magazine website and buy clothes from there. Also I will advertise the magazine on the merchandise by having the logo of the magazine on all of the clothing and other items. By doing this it makes the buyer more aware of where they are buying it from but also promotes it to other people. There will also be a batch of merchandise that have an image of the front cover of the magazine on the clothing so if the audience really like the magazine they can show it off to other people by having it on their clothing, this shows audience participation because they are getting involved with the magazine and then promoting it themselves to others.

Another great way to distribute my product would be to have a MTR festival stage which is what NME do. This means that the magazine has their own tent where different bands that are playing at the festival sign autographs and take photos for the fans. This would be a good way to promote my magazine because the festival appeals to a wide range of people who like similar music therefore my magazine will be in the right festival if it goes to a rock or indie festival. This makes the audience more aware of the magazine and it shows it is good for them because it has the bands they like there. Also festivals are normally shown on the TV therefore it will be shown to everyone at home as well therefore promoting the magazine even more. This appeals to people who like this type of music but it is also shown to people who might not necessarily like it but recommend it to others.