How is the mode of address used to target an audience and create a sense of shared identity in magazine articles?

Different magazine articles apply to different people, and they attract their target audience with tone/register, dialect how formal/informal it is etc. I have chosen 3 articles from 3 different types of magazines to use to display the different ways they attract their target audience.

The first magazine article i chose was a childrens article from a Dr.Who magazine. Firstly, the length of text determines that it might be for a young reading age, as there isnt alot of text. The writer of the article has also used lots of exclamation marks to express excitement, which suggests the article is for children, which is their target audience. The title of the article is simply 'Meeting Monsters!', which applies to the target audience. Throughout the article, words such as 'top-secret', 'stomped' and 'scoffed' are used. These words are clearly very informal and are used to appeal to their target audience of children, as the children wouldnt have a very wide range of vocabulary. The article makes use of simple sentences to also appeal to the current lesser-academic target audience of children.

My second audience i chose was an article from a magazine about cars, mainly directed at a male audience. The article talks about car races and the cars which took part. The article consists of many car names, such as 'Carrera Abarth' and 'Ferrari 330 GTO' which instantly attracts its target audience of men and anyone who has a high interest in cars. Lots of names of races and trophies like 'RAC trophy for historic cars' are mentioned throughout the article, again attracting the target audience and creating a sense of shared indentity. Later in the article it says '...Falcons and galaxies battling it out...' The use of the word 'battling' shows masculinity and generally appeals to competitive men and the target audience.

My last article was an article from LOOK magazine on Cheryl Cole. The article talks about Cheryls image and latest hairstyles. The fact that the article is about hairstyles instantly attracts the target audience of teenage girls and women and creates a sense of shared identity of hair and Cheryl Cole. The article straight away uses hair terminology; "Forget straight and sleek... curls and side sweep..." This clearly applies to their target audience of girls. The article describes exactly what her hair was like e.g. "Tight curls in an 80's style" and "corkscrew curl swept". This appeals to and attracts the audience; they can even copy the hairstyle of the famous Cheryl Cole. The article states Cheryl "arrived in a low-cut green dress" which also attracts the audience as they might like to copy Cheryl Cole's style or just be interested in her. The article mentions how Cole turned up with two of her band mates; insinuating and attracting fans of her band, which could be another target audience of this article. At the end of th article it says "Get sweeping girls!" The effect of putting 'girls' insinuates the magazine article was intended for girls.

Analysing Magazine Covers

Intended Audience;

From the front cover I can infer that the intended audience is most likely teenagers and women of about 20 or 30 years of age. This is because the images of high heels and dresses attract women/teenager readers because these are generally the ages of women that are highly interested in fashion. The main focus of this LOOK magazine is a cover story about Kristen Stewart. Her image on the cover takes up majority of the cover and is an eye-level, medium shot. The image being eye-level creates a link between her and the intended audience, therefore encouraging them to buy it. The medium shot of her allows everyone to see what she is wearing, hence the reason it is called ‘LOOK’ magazine. Fans of Kristen Stewart would also see her on the front and buy the magazine; or people who admire her in a fashion sense. The shot of Kristen is also a red carpet shot that has been airbrushed. The reason for using a red carpet shot is to show that women are supposed to be glamorous and elegant.

Font and Text;

The font used on the cover is mainly a very standard, legible font for the intended audience to see. The bright orange colours of the writing stand out against the duller colour on the background to catch the readers eye. The use of big, bold capital letters such as the phrase ‘KRISTEN DEVASTATED’ entices readers to believing something really bad has happened to her, therefore encouraging buyers. In the top right hand corner the single word ‘Shoe’ has been made bold and bigger, as has the word ‘FREE!’ in the bottom right hand corner. This is done to catch the eye of the audience on these specific, attractive words.

Selling and Magazine name;

The selling name for LOOK is ‘Britain’s best-selling fashion weekly!’ By stating that LOOK is ‘Britain’s best’ encourages buyers and the intended audience. The magazine name of LOOK suggests that the magazine displays the look of the week and will therefore attract people with a high fashion interest.

Framing;

The clear framing between different articles inside shows and indicates different sections of the magazine clearly with thick, bright pink or bright white frames, attracting an audience for whatever article on the front catches their eye.

Analysing Contents Pages

This contents page I have selected is from NME magazine which is considered an indie/rock magazine; the same genre of magazine I will be doing. The eye-catching, bold title clearly lets the audience know this page is the contents page. The main story here is ‘THE END OF THE ASTORIA’ and has a large picture of London Astoria standing out and taking up majority of the page for the audience to see and get a rough understanding of what the story is about, attracting their audience. To the left, there is a band index of bands that are featured in NME and if they are in this particular issue, the page number they are on. This attracts NME’s target audience as if their audience are to see a favourite band of theirs, it will capture their attention and they will look further into the magazine. In the bottom right hand corner, there is an arrow that says ‘The UK’S No1 Gig guide!’ It is in a bright red arrow, with a white contrasting text to make it stand out to the public. It will attract the target audience of NME as if they stereotypically consider themselves of the indie genre and have a hobby of going to gigs, they will like majority of bands in NME, and therefore be interested in finding out about upcoming gigs. The different sub headings of ‘News’ and ‘Reviews’ breaks down what is in the magazine for the audience to be able to read it more easily. The headings are contrasting with the black background, and therefore jump out of the page at the audience at first glance. The contents page of NME is colour coordinated with the 3 main colours of black, white and red. This appears to make it looks neat and eye-catching and much easier to read, which will attract the public. Also, the language used throughout the contents page is formal and doesn’t use any form of slang; attracting the target audience of mainly ABC1.

This contents page I have selected is from Kerrang! magazine. The genre of Kerrang! magazine is rock/metal. Firstly, the image of a member of Dragonforce is taking up exactly half of the contents page, and this is very eye-catching and bold and will instantly attract the target audience of the magazine. Next to and on top of the image is screenshots of some double page spreads that are further in the magazine. Kerrang! are hoping that the audience will see these screenshots and take an interest, if it involves an artist/band they are fond of, again attracting their target audience. They are bold, colourful screenshots with a bright white border around them to make them stand out even further. Just like other magazines, Kerrang! has laid out the contents into sections e.g. news, swag, feedback etc. This makes the contents page much more legible and attractive for the audience, because the readers of magazines prefer things which are easy to read, as magazines are seen as a form of entertainment and shouldn’t be a struggle. The small but striking, bold images of two guitars in the bottom left corner attract peoples attention, and the bright yellow banner next to them saying ‘WIN!’ is just as eye-catching. The audience will see these select few items and as Kerrang! readers, should be interested in guitars, which will again attract their target audience. Also, the small but outstanding pictures of bands within the contents list attract the eye, and will attract fans of these artists. The overall language throughout the contents page is fairly formal, attracting their main target audience of ABC1. However, there are words such as ‘swag’ that are used, which will attract their other target audience of teenagers and the younger generation who use more slang.

This magazine contents page I have selected is from Vibe magazine. Vibe magazine is of R&B/Hip Hop genre. Firstly, the image of the scarcely dressed artist is covering the whole page, and is very bold. If seen by the Vibe readers and target audience of Vibe, it will instantly attract their attention. The artist represents everything that is stereotypically R&B and Hip Hop; sleek, sexual, skimpy, majority of focus is drawn to his body, the amount of jewellery he is wearing shows his wealth and power, the tattoos he has shows him to be tough and marks experience etc. This then encourages and attracts the target audience of Vibe magazine. The bold, contrasting white text on the red background firstly attracts the attention of the audience, but the also bold text of certain words throughout the contents, such as the artist’s names, draws attention to those specific words, and yet again draws attention to the magazine. Under the ‘fashion’ section of the contents page, there is an article called ‘Nice & Naughty’. The use of the word naughty yet again represents the idea that the genre of R&B/Hip Hop is ‘naughty’ and, in that sense, sexual. They also use the word skimpy, which sends out the message that the genre is skimpy and bare. The use of these words will also be another cause of attraction for the target audience. The language throughout the contents page is fairly formal, but at some points uses slang and informal terms. For example ‘Ryan Leslie gets his RSVP on’. This attracts Vibe’s target audience of the younger generation: teenagers, who use slang, but also the standard ABC1.

Media Questionnaire

1).What gender are you?

Male (  )

Female (  )

2).How old are you?

12-18 (  )

19-25 (  )

26-30 (  )

3). What is your average weekly expendable income?

£5-£20 (  )

£21-£40 (  )

£41-£60 (  )

£61+ (  )

4). How often do you use the internet?

Never (  )

Rarely (  )

Sometimes (  )

Often (  )

Very often (  )

5). List 5 of your favourite shops:

   1.

   2.

   3.

   4.

   5.

6). What games console do you own?

Don’t own games console (  )

Xbox (  )

PS3 (  )

PS2 (  )

Wii (  )

7). How often do you use your games console? (if you have one)

Never (  )

Rarely (  )

Sometimes (  )

Often (  )

Very often (  )

8). How do you listen to music?

Internet (  )

Radio (  )

TV (  )

CD’s (  )

Mp3/ iPod (  )

9). Do you buy or download your music?

Buy (  )

Download (  )

10). How often do you drink alcohol?

Never (  )

Rarely (  )

Sometimes (  )

Often (  )

Very often (  )

11). What do you consider yourself;

Working class (  )

Middle class (  )

Upper Class (  )

12). Are you;

In employment (  )

Unemployed (  )

Self – employed (  )

Student (  )

13). If you ticked ‘in employment’ for Q12, please specify;

                                                                                                         

14). How many times in the past year have you been to a gig/concert?

0 (  )                4 (  )                  8 (  )

1 (  )                5 (  )                  9 (  )

2 (  )                6 (  )                10+ (  )

3 (  )                7 (  )

15). Have you ever been to a festival? If you have please specify.

Yes (  )

No (  )

16). How often do you update your mobile phone?

Don’t have a mobile phone (  )

Every 3 months (  )

Every six months (  )

Every year (  )

Every few years (  )

17). Do you play an instrument? If yes, please specify which instrument(s) you play.

Yes (  )                                                                    

No (  )

18). Do you have any hobbies or regular activities? If yes, please specify.

Yes (  )                                                                       

No (  )

Reader Profile for 'E Minor' Music Magazine

E Minor readers are a bunch of gig attending, Topshop/Topman shopping teenagers who love the idea of quirky. They admit to sitting in front of screens far too often; whether it is a computer screen, browsing the latest fashions and scanning every social networking site available, or a TV screen, playing the latest Wii and Xbox games.

The median age of E Minor readers is 16 years of age - 2 in every 10 of our readers are male, and 63% of readers have a small expendable average weekly income of £21 to £40.

They’re the best informed students on upcoming bands and know the tubes and trains like the back of their hands, thanks to a collection of photo-friendly nights at various gigs around the UK. 72% of readers have said to have been to at least 3 or more gigs within the past year and 13% have claimed to have a slight addiction to their camera and the art of photography.

Negus Magazine Contents Page

Negus Magazine Front Cover

For my Heavy Metal magazine, i used alot of black to comply with the dark, gloomy, stereotype of metal. The bright red, bold title stands out against the duller background image to catch the public's attention. The image fits in with the stereotypical image of heavy metal as she is wearing dark, black clothes and has a guitar. The striking black banner i have placed across the magazine stands out with the bright white text over it. It says 'Guitars, fans and the devil...' which is eye catching to the target audience of heavy metal listeners and slightly stereotypical. The ghoulish, horror style text ('LYN-Z') has been used to represent the artist in the image to demonstrate the heavy metal style, and has been made into a dark green colour to comply with the stereotypical view of a heavy metal listener. I have included other band names on the front such as Evanescence and Trivium to attract the target audience as they may like these bands. The bright colours i have placed on black backgrounds, like the 'TOUR UPDATE!' in bright yellow and 'Extreme hard rock and metal reviews!' in bright red, stand out to the public as they are contrasting colours. The alternating fonts and text sizes, such as the 'Gets the HAMMER seal of APPROVAL' makes certain words on the cover stand out so the audience will instantly, unintentionally see those select words at first glance and attract their attention. I have used formal language throughtout the cover to attract my target audience; ABC1 and students.  

For my R&B magazine i chose one image which complied with the stereotypical view of the R&B genre. The image is very sleek, clean cut and slightly sexual, demonstrating the R&B genre. The image covers the whole front page to clearly capture the audiences attention. The title of the magazine shows the audience instantly that it is an R&B magazine, and the clear, bold font is easily legible. I used red, black and white colours only on the cover because it keeps the cover looking neat and colour coordinated; like R&B is sleek and clean cut. Also, the use of the colour black demonstrates the origins of R&B music. The bright white, large text displaying the headline artist (CIARA) captures the attention of the audience as the white text contrasts with the black background. The use of a quote on the cover insinuates that it was said in the interview inside the magazine, which will also encourage the audience to buy the magazine, as the quote is quite intrguing. Other magazines use this technique and strategically place the eye-catching, outrageous quote that has been taken out of context to capture the attention of their audiences. On the right hand side, i have included the names of two popular artists in an eye-catching red and enlarged the font on only certain words to catch the intended audiences attention. On the bottom of the magazine i have used informal language ('Rihanna gets nasty'), to target a specific audience; students and teenagers.

For my Indie magazine i have chosen to use two images which comply with the stereotypical view of the music genre 'Indie'; shy, vunerable, skinny jeans, preppy, intentionally messy hair etc. My simple magazine title of 'INDIE' is in big, bold, legible font for the audience to see clearly, and is also a bright white colour, to contrast with the darker background of the image behind. The transparency banner with the tilted headline over the top helps the headline to stand out and be more clearly read by the audience. The colour i have chosen for the headline is a pastel, pale green, which is a colour that generally represents this music genre; people who comply with the stereotype of 'indie' tend to wear paler colours instead of bright, bold colours. The font i used to capture the target audience's attention, as i think it represents the very elegant, feminine style of Indie. The vintage style background i have used in the bottom half of the magazine is also used to target the audience of Indie people, as the style of indie is generally associated with vintage. I included a front cover advetisement to show there is 'exclusive posters' inside, to capture the audiences attention; the use of the word exclusive will capture their attention and encourage them to buy the magazine. I have put black, bold borders around the 'posters' to make them stand out more to the audience and to show a clear difference between the main article image and the littler images. The language i have used throughout the front cover is kept very formal to attract the target audience; students and ABC1.