Which company produces the magazine?
The Bauer Media Group
What is the target audience according to the publisher's website?
13-20 year olds
How much does it cost?
£2.20
How often is it published?
Weekly
What is its circulation?
Approx 52000
Work out the approximate monthly revenue streams from advertising and circulation.
Circulation = 52,000 x £2.20 = £114,400
Advertising= £2999 per page
There are 17 pages of adverts
£2999 X 17 = £50,983
£114,400 + £50,983 = £165,383
What does this tell us?
This tells us that over double of the monthly revenue streams are made through circulation rather than advertising. The magazine relies more on the magazine selling than people wanting their products advertised.
Analysis of the Front Page
Title- why is it called that and what does the title connote?
The magazine is called "Kerrang". This makes use of onomatopoeia to imply the sound of music that would be discussed in the magazine. "Kerrang" connotates the sound of an electric guitar, which is an instrument often featured in the magazine.
Analyze the masthead/ title logo
The title is shattered and looks smashed, which agrees with the title "Kerrang"; it is almost as if the sound that the electric guitar which is a subject of onomatopoeia in the title has smashed the title due to its loudness. This introduces the genre of music that will be discussed throughout the magazine (probably rock and indie styles, and any music that can be played loud in order to smash the title. The typeface of the title suggests rebellion and outrage, agreeing with the cover lines on the front page, such as "My Chemical Romance... Rebelling" and "Green Day" causing "anarchy".
What is the main image?
Analyse the facial expression, direction of gaze, body language, clothing etc. How does this reach out to the reader?
The main image is a head shot of "rock icon" Dave Grohl. He is looking towards the camera with his head slightly turned. He is half smiling, baring his teeth. This draws in the reader as they want to see what is behind this unusual facial expression. He is wearing a black top which is quite plain but also mysterious. The fact that he is wearing black and his facial expression promote the reader to want to learn more about him due to the enigmatic effect that these features provide. Black is quite plain and the reader is intrested to discover what makes him contrary to this. Not alot is revealed by the main image, so people want to read in more. He is almost making eye contact with the reader which again, captures and reaches out towards the reader.
What other images appear on the front cover and why?
The other pictures are of a singer from Green Day, put there to introduce the "anarchy" article about them. The lead singer, Billie Joe Armstrong, is singing into a michrophone which introduces the article of Green Day. It appears to be fastened on with a picture of a paperclip, which gives a personal feel to the magazine. There is also a picture of My Chemical Romance (MCR) singer Gerard singing into a microphone, with his mouth wide open and face scrunched up, which is an action shot. together with the title "we're rebelling", the picture works to enforce the reader to wonder what MCR are doing as a rebellion. It also lnks with rock, and as it is an action shot of Gerard singing, the power of the music is conveyed through him.
Explain the connotations of typefaces, graphics, colours etc.
The main colours are yellow, red, white and black. These complement each other as the black and white make the yellow and red stand out more. The text introducing Dave Grohl is yellow and it looks like black paint is splattered onto it, adding to the personal effect. Bands featured are down the side and this text appears handwritten, as if it was written on a board. The splattered pen and the safety pin which appears to attach a picture to the paper give the magazine an arty feel and it seems more personal- as if somebody had made the magazine specifically for each reader. This makes it seem less manufactured and lets the genre of music apply to each reader; making it more personal and readable.
How does the cover "talk" to its reader?
It uses alot of quotes from bands, such as "none of them have brains!" from the All-American Rejects, talking about "groupies". This is a direct speech from the band and hence, the magazine to the reader.
What sort of language/ language features/ language devices can you identify?
There is a constant reference to rebellion and madness through the front cover, making it seem more exciteing. Green Day is suggested to be causing "anarchy", MCR are "rebelling" and All-American Rejects are having "trouble with groupies". The language promotes excitement and the reader wants to discover the stories behind each feature of the cover. MCR are also prompted to be on a "return", something that their fans would inevitably be intrested in. Dave Grohl's "rise" is said to be "incredibel", something that people would enjoy reading about it. A lot of quotes from bands are used, which invited people to hear what they say instantly.
Does the cover look similar to other magazines? If so, why?
Similarities between Kerrang! and NME
As these conventions are present in both products, I will have to ensure that my magazine contains these features.
What does this magazine offer which it's rivals don't?
it is of a more specific genre of magazine; it has more rock and indie styles of music than others. Therefore, it offers more in depth interviews of this genre.
Is there anything distinctive about the cover/ format, eg. size?
It is normal A4 size.
Analysis of inside the magazine.
How many pages are there?
63
How many pages of adverts?
17
Categorise the products advertised into types
7 pages of little adverts for different bands
5 pages of big adverts for band albums or concert dates
3 pages of independent non music related item adverts
2 pages of small ads readers can send into Kerrang
How many double page spreads are there? What are they about?
Page 7- "we're being the rest MCR"
Page 27 - Dave Grohl "rock icon"
Page 41- Muse "origin and evolution"
Page 44- Fight to win "death punch"
Page 46- All American Rejects "a life less ordinary"
Are there any "advertorials" where it is not clear if something is an advert or article, or a mixture of both?
Page 42- the diploma advertorial
How does the magazine achieve a unified "house style"?
It uses the same basic font throughout. The colours are quite varying throughout the magazine but house style is still implied through the font. Bright colours are always used to contrast to black and white.
Why is this house style appropriate to the target audience?
It is easy to read and attracts the reader, who is less likely to want to read alot of text. The bright colours attract it furthermore.
What assumptions does it imply about the TA?
The adverts are mainly about band concerts and products. They also involve clothing, hair care, drinks and phones. This implies that the TA is quite young, someone concerned about their clothes, hair and general appearance. They would also be young to appreciate a new smart phone advertised; however, they would have to be old enough to buy a phone, so the target audience is conveyed as people in their late teens- early twenties. It assumes that they listen to a specific genre of music, which is quite obvious as they have bought the magazine! Therefore many of the adverts are based on music. Someone would have to be fashion concious and streetwise, therefore promoting the age group of about 18-25. The magazine is stereotyping the TA as people who want good hair, good fashion and the latest technology; which is true for many people of this age.
Analysis of Inside the magazine
How does the magazine achieve a unified “house style”?
It uses the same font throughout, most with a patchy, bruised effect. This adds to the rock feel as the text itself is almost bruised and affected by the music. This effect of font has been introduced on the front with the introduction of “Dave Grohl”. Most pages are black and these are used with contrasting light or bright colours. The black could represent night and mystery, when music is played. The bright colours are used throughout, giving a house style. The bright colours could illustrate the loud music played, which is spoke about throughout the magazine. However, some varying colours and pictures are used throughout the magazine, which represents the variety of topics covered in the magazine.
Why is this style appropriate to the target audience?
The style seems dark and mysterious, something that the reader’s age group crave. The bright colours could represent bright lights at a gig, something that the target audience would want to go to. Lots of pictures are used as visual aids. The reader is less likely to want to read lots of text than older people, and would prefer easy to read with lots of pictures and different colours. The bright colours are attractive and draw the reader in.
What assumptions does it imply about the target audience?
The magazine implies that the target audience is stereotypically of a rock style, which is represented in the magazine as it is about rock. It implies that people are generally young, as it uses bright colours and contrasts these with the dark background. The bright colours, which scream at the reader, could represent the loud music, as the colours are similarly loud. It is stereotypically young people who enjoy bright colours and loud music, as they represent teenage rebellion. This is also shown in the bruised, damaged looking writing, which is often used throughout the magazine. Therefore, the house style implies that the target audience is teenagers to people in their early twenties and are rebellious.
No comments:
Post a Comment