Industrial context: history of magazines

 Magazines although not taking the form that they do today, were launched in the early 17th century in forms of pamphlet, booklet etc. The earliest examples of a magazine named 'Erbauliche Monthas Unterredungen" was launched in Germany in 1663, as a literary and philosophy magazine. The move towards more lifestyle magazines would be The Gentlemans magazine published in London in 1731. 

Magazines have come a long way not only in terms of content and target audience, but also in their appearance and house style. Modern magazines such as Cosmopolitan and Vogue, are prime examples of the modern appearance of magazines, a great contrast to the early magazines of the 17th century. 

Cosmopolitan as an example, bright colours, bold lines and house style typography, displaying the key conventions of the modern magazine. 

Contrasted with the early lifestyle magazine "Gentleman's magazine' from 1771, the appearances are very different. The colours are muted, and instead of having posed photography of models, the covers centre around illustrations of events or places. 

18th/ 19th century: 

Mass circulation of magazines became evident at the start of the 19th century, and the prices of said magazines were heavily affected by social factors such as politics and social class. In the transition between the 18th and 19th century there is an evident change in the content focus of magazines, to enlightenment and new political ideas, family based content and gradually the progression to housewife tips and advice. The development of these different content categories has developed into what we now know as categories of magazines, for example lifestyle magazines. 

Lifestyle magazines: 

As mentioned before, the late 19th century saw the introduction of the early woman and lifestyle magazine, which especially as time moved on, gradually showed the changes to women's roles and the attitudes and aspirations of women in society. Magazines such as The Godey's Lady's Book and Harpers Bazzar were intended for an exclusively female audience, focusing primarily on consumerism, beauty, fashion and other lifestyle ideas. Although the change in magazines does show the change in womens roles and the stereotypes surrounding them in society, but it also shows that at the time that magazines target their audience purely for aesthetic purposes. 

It’s evident that lifestyle magazines developed into being the most popular form of magazine media, especially into the 21st century. 

Advertising in magazines: 

With the new found materialistic target audience of women, magazines became a very important source of advertising for companies and businesses, the earliest examples of advertising being in the 18th century. The advancements in technology meant that magazines could be readily and more efficiently printed, due to inventions such as the rotary press. The rotary press meant that magazines were higher in circulation and due to the less time consuming method of production - were cheaper in nature. The higher circulation also made them accessible for all social classes, unlike the previously targeted middle and upper classes. 

Developments of the camera and image capturing technology meant that magazines could now feature more clear, and eye catching images, later on which would be developed into colour. The technological development means that magazines became a primary source of revenue for advertising companies in a difficult climate. 

Contemporary context

Despite the major developments in how media is consumed in contemporary society, magazines are still a poignant form of advertising in the media market. Although magazines started targeting specific target audience of middle aged women, the stream and desire for magazines has expanded to reach not only the mass target audiences, but also now reaches niche audiences and different psychometrics and audience types. Although the amount and types of magazines have diversified in modern society, the majority of magazine houses are owned by major conglomerates, the most well known being Conde Nast and Hearst, which is applicable to this brief. Alongside the major owning conglomerates however, there are notable independent magazines that have made breakthroughs in the industry - such as the Big Issue and others. 

But as with many other media forms, like the news industry, as society moves into a more contemporary form the dependence and use of online forms of consuming media forms online. The rapid move away from print forms of media is reflective of the way that audiences prefer to consume their media. This change is representative of the development of technology and social media that occurred in the 90s and 2000s. Although its evident that print magazines on the whole are in decline, there is still a market for print magazines with younger target audiences (16-25) who by print magazines purely for gratification and aesthetic purposes. 

Audience research moodboard 2

Audience research profile

Target audience: 16-25 middle market aspirational audience. 

This generation, also known as Generation Z, are the first generation to grow and develop surrounded by social media culture. Their general interests are more applicable to mainstream trends, and they are likely to desire aspects of an aspirational nature - things that they see as 'in' or what they want to see themselves reflected in. They are the first to grow up in a world of curated false reality, where people base representations of themselves physically on social media, making it hard for them to form relationships and connections with brands. 

Generation Z (or the target audience) are generally more morally and ethically progressive, more diverse in interests and representations, and are likely to be the best educated generation so far - meaning they are more politically and socially aware than previous generations. When it comes to identity they steer away from labelling themselves, either in regards to gender sexuality or other, and are more likely to engage with brands or materials that they identify with. 

In relation to magazines and other media forms, the target audience are more likely to be attracted to eye catching and aesthetically pleasing products, as well as products that offer immersive and interactive content. They typically value brands that make their values and beliefs known, and brands that align with their political identity are essential to their willing to engage. 

Ages 16-25 is the critical moment in a persons development when the foundation for their personality and personal identification is formed, but the introduction and dependence on social media means that at least 45% of this age group feel their identity online is not a true representation of themselves. 

Middle market: 

Neither expensive or poor/ cheap, the middle market audience often seek higher ways of life via compromise or cheaper options. This group is known as BC1 in demographics and makes up just over 51% of the Uks population. 

Aspirers:

-      seek status 

-      orientated to image and appearance

-      persona and fashion

-      consider themselves stylish and trendy

-    easily influenced by celebrity culture

Reformers:         

-      seeks enlightenment 

-      social awareness and independent judgment 

The target audience will have developed cultural competency and will understand intertextual references when added. The target audience will be predominantly sourced from social media apps such as Tiktok, Instagram and Snapchat due to its fast paced and quick nature, meaning an online presence is essential to engaging the target audience. 

There is an appreciation for realism within media forms for this generation in magazine, for example unedited skin in photos, and realistic and diverse body types and representation, but there is still a hyperfixation on celebrity culture – preferably more progressive and socially aware figures. 

                                                                                                                      

There is an evident shift in the methods of consumption that this target audience prefer, mainly moving towards online publications to fulfil gratifications, but print magazines are still bought mainly for aesthetic purposes. In regards to my brief many magazine brands and houses have already accumulated a following based on popular culture and cultural competence, they are often in search of authentic and representative media forms, that engage and resonate with them personally.