Monday 17 October 2011
Task 5 : Skills Audit
Today we just did a quick over view on our skills on the mac, so that we know that we have all the knowledge to go on with our design tasks.
task 4 - IPC Case study
The types of magazine and target audiences IPC have been associated with, have been
Other reasons are because they are so practised and are very strong competitors, so they would instantly be successful, as they are very sturdy and serious about the campaigns they provide/support that they would let you down, as well as having many existing connections to include celebrities/bands that can be in your magazine to make it look popular and well known attracting needed audience to buy the magazine, which you would need to advertise, so would need strong advertising companies, that all want to be involved in the IPC.
IPC would be likely to publish mainstream music, as there is a global market for that, as its so well know, as well as strong genres like rock, pop, dance, that can easily be recognised and have a strong audience.
Publishers like Bauer may be appropriate because they own more than eighty influential media brands spanning a wide range of interests , including heat, GRAZIA, Closer, MCN, FHM, as well as radio, tv and online brands, and have very strong advertisers to their name to help you with connections, which would mean they have a very sturdy platform for a new music magazine as they already provide successful magazines, and that already own a large amount of audience, that will be easily introduced to a new music magazine.
A helpful website - http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/
- men (up-market and young)
- women (mass-market and up-market),
- television
- music
- home
- garden
- sports
- hobbies
- cooking
- celebrity
- cars
- fashion and makeup
Other reasons are because they are so practised and are very strong competitors, so they would instantly be successful, as they are very sturdy and serious about the campaigns they provide/support that they would let you down, as well as having many existing connections to include celebrities/bands that can be in your magazine to make it look popular and well known attracting needed audience to buy the magazine, which you would need to advertise, so would need strong advertising companies, that all want to be involved in the IPC.
IPC would be likely to publish mainstream music, as there is a global market for that, as its so well know, as well as strong genres like rock, pop, dance, that can easily be recognised and have a strong audience.
Publishers like Bauer may be appropriate because they own more than eighty influential media brands spanning a wide range of interests , including heat, GRAZIA, Closer, MCN, FHM, as well as radio, tv and online brands, and have very strong advertisers to their name to help you with connections, which would mean they have a very sturdy platform for a new music magazine as they already provide successful magazines, and that already own a large amount of audience, that will be easily introduced to a new music magazine.
A helpful website - http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/
Sunday 16 October 2011
Task 4: IPC research
Helpful websites about IPC:
IPC media produces over 60 iconic media brands, with print alone reaching almost two thirds of UK women and 42% of UK men which brings that to a total of 26 million UK adults, but if you included websites that collectively reaches over 20 million users every month.
IPC's diverse print and digital portfoloio offers something for everyone. Their main focus is on the three core audiences: men, mass market women and upmarket men.
IPC's men portfolio (IPC Inspire) comprises a wealth of leisure brands including:
For every interest sector, there is a highly respected editorial team that produce the authoritative content empowering readers to fully indulge and enjoy their passion.
All throughout this advertisers benefit, as they can have specialist messages placed within the most relevant editorial environment, so that it engages the reader.
As well as the upmarket men, they also cater for young men, such men that are media-elusive individuals, who take their media n their own terms. IPC is a leading content provider for today's man, as they offer big brands, and adverts that 18-34 year old males want.
The mass markets women division (IPC Connect) includes many famous women's weeklies:
IPC is the leading consumer publisher for mass market women, as they provide weekly magazines and websites that are packed with inspiration, entertainment, information, advice, celebrity and real-life, which appeal to women and mums of all ages and attitudes.
Advertisers access these powerful communication platforms predominantly through IPC Connect, which represents IPC's portfolio of women's weeklies.
The up markets women division (IPC South bank) compromises luxury fashion brands including:
IPC Southbank and Connect, provides the portfolio with high quality imagery and high quality editorial - fashion and beauty trends and advice, home styling, celebrity, environment, business and real world news.
This is all delivered to the target audience through glossy magazines and exciting websites, IPC media provides advertisers with wonderful opportunities to associate with famous media brands and connect with millions of affluent, aspirational and inspirational women.
Current news about IPC Media - is that Marie Claire and InStyle devise 'Digital watermarking' campaign for Armani code.
L'oreal luxury has partnered with Marie claire and Instyle to promote Armani Code with a multi-platform campaign that uses digital watermarking to unlock additional content.
The sturucture of the company started off in 1963, by merging three leading magazine publishers - George Newness, Odhams Press and Fleet way publications, which then cam together with the mirror group to form the IPC. The the structure stemmed off 5 years later creating a whole tree of publications, so creating a very sturdy and successful structure.
The history of IPC dates right back from the 1800's right through to now (2010).
- http://www.ipcmedia.com/
- http://www.ipcadvertising.com/
- http://www.ipcmedia.com/about/companyhistory/
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPC_Media
- http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/
IPC media produces over 60 iconic media brands, with print alone reaching almost two thirds of UK women and 42% of UK men which brings that to a total of 26 million UK adults, but if you included websites that collectively reaches over 20 million users every month.
IPC's diverse print and digital portfoloio offers something for everyone. Their main focus is on the three core audiences: men, mass market women and upmarket men.
IPC's men portfolio (IPC Inspire) comprises a wealth of leisure brands including:
- Country Life
- Horse & Hound
- Rugby World
- Decanter
- Nuts
- Mousebreaker
- NME
For every interest sector, there is a highly respected editorial team that produce the authoritative content empowering readers to fully indulge and enjoy their passion.
All throughout this advertisers benefit, as they can have specialist messages placed within the most relevant editorial environment, so that it engages the reader.
As well as the upmarket men, they also cater for young men, such men that are media-elusive individuals, who take their media n their own terms. IPC is a leading content provider for today's man, as they offer big brands, and adverts that 18-34 year old males want.
The mass markets women division (IPC Connect) includes many famous women's weeklies:
- Look
- Now
- Chat
- Women
- Whats on TV
- TV Times
- goodtoknow network.
IPC is the leading consumer publisher for mass market women, as they provide weekly magazines and websites that are packed with inspiration, entertainment, information, advice, celebrity and real-life, which appeal to women and mums of all ages and attitudes.
Advertisers access these powerful communication platforms predominantly through IPC Connect, which represents IPC's portfolio of women's weeklies.
The up markets women division (IPC South bank) compromises luxury fashion brands including:
- Marie Claie
- InStyle
- woman&home
- essentials
- Ideal Home
- Livingetc
- housetohome
IPC Southbank and Connect, provides the portfolio with high quality imagery and high quality editorial - fashion and beauty trends and advice, home styling, celebrity, environment, business and real world news.
This is all delivered to the target audience through glossy magazines and exciting websites, IPC media provides advertisers with wonderful opportunities to associate with famous media brands and connect with millions of affluent, aspirational and inspirational women.
Current news about IPC Media - is that Marie Claire and InStyle devise 'Digital watermarking' campaign for Armani code.
L'oreal luxury has partnered with Marie claire and Instyle to promote Armani Code with a multi-platform campaign that uses digital watermarking to unlock additional content.
The sturucture of the company started off in 1963, by merging three leading magazine publishers - George Newness, Odhams Press and Fleet way publications, which then cam together with the mirror group to form the IPC. The the structure stemmed off 5 years later creating a whole tree of publications, so creating a very sturdy and successful structure.
The history of IPC dates right back from the 1800's right through to now (2010).
- The first big bang went off with 'The field', leading to many other country hobbies,
- Then in the 1920's came the releases of 'Idel Home' and many other woman's magazines,
- Along came them 1950's with the release of many music and TV magazines, 'New Musical Express',
- 1990's onwards came the releases of celebrity gossip like 'Now' and 'LOOK', and also the creation of lads mags like 'Nuts' - which was backed by a £8 million marketing investment. and also develops many great new media brands such as 'housetohome'.
- 2010 and the IPC Media restructured around the three key audience groups: men, mass market women and up market women.
Monday 3 October 2011
Task 3: Essay
To what extent should magazines be held responsible for the social ramifications of the representations they offer ?
Teenage girl magazines include a very materialistic content, which is either stereotypical or influential towards the target audience, of which i am going to investigate.
This certain type of magazine include such things as;
The magazines do not seem to ever include interests such as politics, environmental issues, or any kind of music that ventures beyond the 'popularity', these could be included, with cleverly placed items between all the materialistic pages, to remind and teach them of reality.
This means the teenage girl, by the power of teen magazine, have been heavily stereotyped, and their interpretation of society might depend on the personal knowledge that magazines have presented to them, the articles expects her to be interested in boys, sex, fashion, beauty and fame. The magazine is therefore a "powerful ideological force" of image and behavioural traits presented within the magazines that become the stereotypical norm for the teenage girl. All this taken into consideration shows that magazines should be taking a healthy amount of responsibility.
However i feel that this is something that teenagers enjoy and use this as their past time activities to escape from reality, which i feel is very reasonable.. IF, magazines would include a number of things such as;
making a little logo that shows that what they are seeing is real or photo shopped etc, also a back page explaining that these images and stories are all for entertainment purposes and should not be taken so literally, and then if they need any guidance they should include helpful pages and/or contact details to guide them through various difficult situations. This would all provide professional advice. Then if this is all included, the parents take on the role of authority and responsibility, by letting their daughters buy them, and read them, as long as they understand that what they are seeing is not real and does not have realistic goals.
It is also not all about the parents, or the magazines taking the whole responsibility, as its also the actual products in the magazine such as fashion and makeup, that are wanting to advertise their clothes and marketing campaigns, which are being viewed by young girls, and this is all being authorised to be distributed to the public. If they have a problem or a concern about any issue they should stop it and discuss changes, causing no conflicts to the general public.
Overall magazines should be hold the majority of responsibility for the social ramifications of the representations they offer, because they are ignoring obvious rule breakers, that include quite strong content, but i do believe that with a few tweaks of the magazines, they could be resolved of some of the responsibility, but as it stands at the moment they are very much curve balling around rules and regulations causing conflict and disagreements throughout, which i feel can be easily fixed. Giving some authority and responsibility back to the magazine editors, by not having to be dictated to, by the advertising companies.
Teenage girl magazines include a very materialistic content, which is either stereotypical or influential towards the target audience, of which i am going to investigate.
This certain type of magazine include such things as;
- skinny models,
- unrealistic/airbrushed skin,
- makeup,
- fashion,
- adult content e.g boyfriend tips etc.
The magazines do not seem to ever include interests such as politics, environmental issues, or any kind of music that ventures beyond the 'popularity', these could be included, with cleverly placed items between all the materialistic pages, to remind and teach them of reality.
This means the teenage girl, by the power of teen magazine, have been heavily stereotyped, and their interpretation of society might depend on the personal knowledge that magazines have presented to them, the articles expects her to be interested in boys, sex, fashion, beauty and fame. The magazine is therefore a "powerful ideological force" of image and behavioural traits presented within the magazines that become the stereotypical norm for the teenage girl. All this taken into consideration shows that magazines should be taking a healthy amount of responsibility.
However i feel that this is something that teenagers enjoy and use this as their past time activities to escape from reality, which i feel is very reasonable.. IF, magazines would include a number of things such as;
making a little logo that shows that what they are seeing is real or photo shopped etc, also a back page explaining that these images and stories are all for entertainment purposes and should not be taken so literally, and then if they need any guidance they should include helpful pages and/or contact details to guide them through various difficult situations. This would all provide professional advice. Then if this is all included, the parents take on the role of authority and responsibility, by letting their daughters buy them, and read them, as long as they understand that what they are seeing is not real and does not have realistic goals.
It is also not all about the parents, or the magazines taking the whole responsibility, as its also the actual products in the magazine such as fashion and makeup, that are wanting to advertise their clothes and marketing campaigns, which are being viewed by young girls, and this is all being authorised to be distributed to the public. If they have a problem or a concern about any issue they should stop it and discuss changes, causing no conflicts to the general public.
Overall magazines should be hold the majority of responsibility for the social ramifications of the representations they offer, because they are ignoring obvious rule breakers, that include quite strong content, but i do believe that with a few tweaks of the magazines, they could be resolved of some of the responsibility, but as it stands at the moment they are very much curve balling around rules and regulations causing conflict and disagreements throughout, which i feel can be easily fixed. Giving some authority and responsibility back to the magazine editors, by not having to be dictated to, by the advertising companies.
task 3: articles
- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturenews/4990907/Teen-magazines-are-sexualising-readers-says-watchdog.html
- http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/30544/popular_teen_magazines_and_their_possible.html
- http://www.christian.org.uk/news/teen-mags-blamed-for-sexualising-girls/
These links are very insightful views about the sexualisation of young girls reading teen magazines, and are very useful to help understand the genre representation provided in magazines.
- http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/30544/popular_teen_magazines_and_their_possible.html
- http://www.christian.org.uk/news/teen-mags-blamed-for-sexualising-girls/
These links are very insightful views about the sexualisation of young girls reading teen magazines, and are very useful to help understand the genre representation provided in magazines.
task 3: 5 magazine examples
Having looked at these teenage magazine covers i have noticed that they all have the same generic conventions;
- Well known and iconic female celebrities, this will draw the audience in as is showing well known stars.
- Bright colours including pinks, blues, yellows - all of which are very eye catching.
- All including ways to look good, including fashion, make-up, as thats what teenage girls want to know about so they are up to date and 'fit in'.
- They all include relevant gossips of the times, to be included in popular conversations.
- They all have a quiz or competition, to entice the audience as its always a bit of fun, and potentially win a good prize, and can enjoy it with friends.
- They all include a free gift / poster etc, to again, feel they are getting more for their money and its exciting and fun, as teenage girls will be persuaded with free make-up.
- The titles are very short and snappy, and easy to understand the meanings of the magazine, which sets the overall tone, while being big bold and brightly coloured to attract their eyes.
Sunday 2 October 2011
task 2 part 2
This is the cover of a vogue magazine, showing a well known actress, Jennifer Anniston, as the main image, the target audience for this magazine will be females from the age of 16 - 50, as it covers many female interests.
I am firstly going to comment about the main image of Jennifer Anniston, as this is what you first see. Jennifer is in a very dominant pose, showing that she is a successful woman, which many females look up to, and will find this intriguing. She is also in a very flattering, long red dress, which makes her look very young and attractive, so that it makes the younger audience interested, as well as the older audience, as they would like to know her tips and secrets!
The background of the main image will defiantly appeal, because everyone wants to be in the sun, on a luxurious beach, and it just sets an expensive feel to the whole magazine that will make the readers come out of their own reality for a while and enjoy the gossip.
Next is all about the left third, model credit and cover lines. All the themes of the information given, is about beauty, fashion, holidays, romance, Angelina gossip, and as its Christmas, gifts! This will appeal to the target audience because, the most recent gossip at the time of release was about the Brad Pitt saga, this will entice the audience as they want to know all the details, for their own conversations with friends to be in the loop, and what better for it to be from one of the main people, Jennifer Anniston herself !, and as its a well known and successful actress, the magazine as a whole will just have a popular and genuine look. Everyone knows women always want to be up to date with fashion and accessories, and be the talk of the town, so letting secrets out about 'smart investments' and the must haves about clothes and jewelry, that will go with 'everything'!, will make woman everywhere want to buy it, especially as its from a respected fashion magazine which you can always trust to make you look good, with virtually no effort at all. The selling line to this magazine is how to get a 'three minute freeze for younger looking skin', this will appeal to the busy, working woman, when she hasn't got much time, and there is a quick way to look good, she will do anything for it. The main cover line for this magazine is 'holiday romance' with snippets of attracting looking stories underneath, about love stories, prettiest portrait, and America's most glamorous bed room. This will appeal to females who are either looking for love, or wanting to know how pretty other women are, or even to get tips for their own bedroom.
The title is very big and bold and takes up the width of the page while being very subtle, this gives them an expensive edge as its not coloured and tacky, also it means that because they are such a well known company, they don't have to highlight there name, they can just rest on it and concentrate the attention to the celebrity and stories. The titles text is written in a quite a old fashioned type writers font, in white, which in a way blends into the background, but stands out because its sharp against the unfocused background.
The use of colours on this magazines are very strong against the blues and whites, the left third is written in black which looks tidy and bold, where as the main cover line matches the title and contrasts with the background making it standout. the model credit matches the red dress, to show there is a direct link from the celebrity to the gossip.
Overall this is a very strong front cover as it has allot of very successful, and eye catching techniques and subjects. this it because the target audience is very obviously portrayed and covers quite a wide range of interests for all ages of women.
I am firstly going to comment about the main image of Jennifer Anniston, as this is what you first see. Jennifer is in a very dominant pose, showing that she is a successful woman, which many females look up to, and will find this intriguing. She is also in a very flattering, long red dress, which makes her look very young and attractive, so that it makes the younger audience interested, as well as the older audience, as they would like to know her tips and secrets!
The background of the main image will defiantly appeal, because everyone wants to be in the sun, on a luxurious beach, and it just sets an expensive feel to the whole magazine that will make the readers come out of their own reality for a while and enjoy the gossip.
Next is all about the left third, model credit and cover lines. All the themes of the information given, is about beauty, fashion, holidays, romance, Angelina gossip, and as its Christmas, gifts! This will appeal to the target audience because, the most recent gossip at the time of release was about the Brad Pitt saga, this will entice the audience as they want to know all the details, for their own conversations with friends to be in the loop, and what better for it to be from one of the main people, Jennifer Anniston herself !, and as its a well known and successful actress, the magazine as a whole will just have a popular and genuine look. Everyone knows women always want to be up to date with fashion and accessories, and be the talk of the town, so letting secrets out about 'smart investments' and the must haves about clothes and jewelry, that will go with 'everything'!, will make woman everywhere want to buy it, especially as its from a respected fashion magazine which you can always trust to make you look good, with virtually no effort at all. The selling line to this magazine is how to get a 'three minute freeze for younger looking skin', this will appeal to the busy, working woman, when she hasn't got much time, and there is a quick way to look good, she will do anything for it. The main cover line for this magazine is 'holiday romance' with snippets of attracting looking stories underneath, about love stories, prettiest portrait, and America's most glamorous bed room. This will appeal to females who are either looking for love, or wanting to know how pretty other women are, or even to get tips for their own bedroom.
The title is very big and bold and takes up the width of the page while being very subtle, this gives them an expensive edge as its not coloured and tacky, also it means that because they are such a well known company, they don't have to highlight there name, they can just rest on it and concentrate the attention to the celebrity and stories. The titles text is written in a quite a old fashioned type writers font, in white, which in a way blends into the background, but stands out because its sharp against the unfocused background.
The use of colours on this magazines are very strong against the blues and whites, the left third is written in black which looks tidy and bold, where as the main cover line matches the title and contrasts with the background making it standout. the model credit matches the red dress, to show there is a direct link from the celebrity to the gossip.
Overall this is a very strong front cover as it has allot of very successful, and eye catching techniques and subjects. this it because the target audience is very obviously portrayed and covers quite a wide range of interests for all ages of women.
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