Generating Ideas (P1,M1 U21)

Learning Outcome 1: Be able to generate ideas for an original media product based on a client brief. 

I have been approached by the London Magazine to produce the first edition (explicit) of a new music magazine which will be available in print and online (explicit), I will need to focus on ensuring this magazine has a clear and easy to read layout- including appropriate fonts, colours and images- so customers can access and understand the magazine both online and in print with ease. I will need to plan, deliver a pitch and use planning documentation (explicit) to achieve my client's criteria.  The London Magazine has asked me to target the North London area (implicit) so I can complete thorough research to find what area of North London has an up and coming music scene. For instance, a new artist or a popular venue which I am able to promote through the use of articles and reviews. Furthermore, I will need to ensure the content is enticing and unique (open to interpretation). Achieving this will mean, researching common content so I am able to break away from the norms and put a new spin on the way magazines present information as well as the information presented. 

Initial thoughts

One idea might be a review-based magazine where readers can learn and shape opinions on a variety of different artists, genres, concerts and venues. Many find themselves looking to the media to form -or gain a sense of validation on- an opinion therefore I believe a review-based magazine could be extremely successful. Moreover, reviews can often be controversial and this could create a buzz and reputation for the magazine, minimising the cost of self-advertisement and saving large sums of money. Thinking about colours and font styles for the magazine I would say, based upon research, that reviews are often to the point so designs are minimalistic and clean. For this reason, I would keep stickers and puffs to a minimum as well as using more neutral colours. 

Another idea could be a genre-based magazine, allowing for a wide range of readers to enjoy the content of the pre-existing, beloved genre. Additionally, due to the pre-existing genre, it will already have accumulated a mass appeal amongst a particular demographic and therefore I will be able to better understand this pre-existing target audience. I could speak about new artists, trends and looks within the genre as well as what some of the more classic and older artists are up to now so interested readers can stay informed. As my unique selling point, I could include QR codes that will take customers to recorded videos of interviews, allowing people to feel like the interview is more personal as well as giving them the choice to watch and listen instead of reading.

An idea could be to produce a venue based magazine, this can focus on local and other music venues where peoples favourite artists might be performing, the magazine will inform people about events occurring at these venues as well as promoting them. Using cross-promotion will allow both the magazine and venue to coordinate and boost their sales, one example of this could be including a QR code that takes readers to a website where they can enter contests to win tickets to upcoming shows. Interestingly, this allows the magazine to gain customers and beat competitors as they use this as an incentive to attract more customers. The venue can use this to sell more tickets and get more people in the venue to boost their reputation. Venues often host a variety of different artists from all genres and therefore there would be no specific target audience to this magazine, leading to a mass appeal and thus more sales.

3 key ideas.

Review

A review based magazine would include a variety of different articles, for instance; artist interviews, review articles based on albums and concerts as well as trending genres and topics within the music world. Interestingly, many people enjoy reading about their favourite artists' albums and concerts to fill the gap in their knowledge, perhaps they missed the concert and want to read unbiased reviews to feel like a part of the experience. Review magazines often have a variety of content which can differ between magazine issues and therefore can appeal to a wide range of people. Consequently, there would be no specific target audience. However, often a younger audience -ages 18-26- are more likely to read review articles due to the help it provides when forming opinions. 

Subsequently, review magazines' main focus is on the article itself and therefore they use simplistic designs to ensure readers aren't distracted from the article. Additionally, more natural and light colours are used to send a reassuring message, this encourages readers that the review is more positive and less controversial, often when the review is about a particular album magazines will incorporate the colours from this. Serif typefaces are more likely to be used for review articles/ front covers as they imply a more serious tone and allows customers to better trust the information provided. Serif fonts such as Times New Roman, Georgia and Arial would be good choices for a review magazine due to their sharp and strict edges. 

Based upon research, the average music magazine sells for £5-£9. I would likely price this magazine in the middle of this price range at £7 so I am able to appeal to the middle class. Doing this will help to beat out competition by undercutting their prices and those with lower prices can be considered a step-down, making my magazine more high-end.

An idea for a unique selling point might be to include a link on the online magazine which will lead customers to video clips and images from the review topic. For instance, clips of the concert which has been reviewed so customers are able to better experience it. Interestingly, while this is a unique selling point that will help beat competitors it will also encourage readers to subscribe to the online version of the magazine, therefore, increasing website traffic and overall profit. 

Strengths

Weaknesses

·        People nowadays find themselves turning to the media to help them fully form opinions on a variety of topics. This magazine provides this service for them and will ultimately increase the customer base for the magazine. ·        Reviews often cause controversy and make it into other forms of media where people will comment their opinions on how the review makes them feel. Interestingly, this will reduce costs of marketing as it will be gaining publicity from the controversy it has caused. ·        People who miss out on events can learn about them from these articles and therefore feel they have still experienced the event.

·        Many online social media platforms can provide this service for free, and it might occur more convenient to a large majority of readers. ·        Sometimes people prefer to form their own opinions on events and will therefore rather not be swayed by potentially biased articles. ·        Due to the range of different content within the magazine people might not remain loyal and often only buy the magazine if there is an article of interest, not guaranteeing a regular income for the magazine.

Genre

Magazines based on a genre often include a wide range of different articles because there is a variety of topics to discuss within the vast genre. My magazine would likely follow this and include a range of articles such as; review pieces, celebrity interviews, new trends, gossip and general information relevant to the genre. It is likely that customers would enjoy this variety as they could learn new information and therefore gain knowledge on topics which interest them. 

The target audience for a genre-based magazine would be those who enjoy the specific genre, for instance if I were to base the magazine on pop music then young girls between the ages of 16-25 would likely be the primary target audience as they enjoy pop culture and would be the most interested. They would gain quick entertainment from reading about their favourite celebrity's, pop was specifically designed for this younger generation so they can explore different types of music until they mature and their music taste becomes more sophisticated. However, the secondary target audience might be a slightly older generation such as people ages 35-45 who also enjoy the music and perhaps want to stay in time with new developments within the culture. 

Design ideas for this type of magazine would yet again correspond to the genre it is based upon so pop would include bright colours, perhaps pinks, yellows and blues as well as sans serif or script fonts as this is what appeals to the target demographic. Pop culture is seen to be more relaxed and fun, colours and fonts which are associated with these qualities can be used and are therefore good choices for a pop magazine.  I would price this magazine at £5.50, additionally it will be a fortnightly magazine. Pricing this magazine at £5.50 is towards the cheaper end of the spectrum which allows the younger target audience to be able to afford it with their possibly limited income. 

A possible unique selling point for a genre-based magazine could be a QR code next to celebrity interviews. These QR codes will take readers to a recorded version of the interview to allow them to see and hear their favourite celebrities answering interesting and informative questions, allowing the customer to feel a more personal connection and ultimately enjoy the interview on a different level. This generation has grown up in a world full of technology and is therefore likely to be more comfortable watching on their devices rather than reading a long tedious transcript. 

Strengths

Weaknesses

·        There are large target markets for every genre, whichever genre you pick to base a magazine on will automatically guarantee you a customer base. ·        Articles can vary, allowing customers to find themselves time and again coming back for more original and new content. ·        People gain self-identification from learning about their idols’ lives and therefore are unlikely to ever get bored of the content offered in a genre-focused magazine.

·        An increasing number of customers can access similar information from online blogs and videos which are often free and therefore will choose these over a magazine they need to pay for. ·        While there is a large number of people who listen to and enjoy a specific genre of music, there is no guarantee that they will enjoy also reading about it and learning what goes on behind the scenes.

Venue

For a venue based magazine, the content will be limited however still interesting to clientele. Venue content might cover; events occurring within the venue, history behind the venue and possibly behind the scenes pieces about how the venue is run/ the business side of things. While this content can be majorly interesting and informative, it is likely that it will only be this way for a select few people and therefore might not become a profitable magazine. 

The target audience for a magazine on this topic is likely to be music professionals who are interested in the business of a music venue and enjoy learning how it runs, yet again displaying the limited consumer base for the magazine. 

A venue magazine is likely to use a wide selection of images with vibrant colours from the venue and will often differ in fonts to correspond to the particular venue written about within the article. The images however are the most important factor within the magazine due to the visual representation they provide readers with, it is difficult to put into words the atmosphere of a building but images can easily depict this, making them essential for a venue focused magazine. I would price this magazine at around the £7-£9 mark, it would be a monthly subscription due to the slightly higher price as it'll prove more affordable to consumers. 

Finally, an idea for a unique selling point that will entice customers might be QR codes which lead readers to a page where they are able to enter contests to win free tickets to upcoming shows at the featured venue. I believe this will drive customers to our magazine and keep them loyal to the brand as many people enjoy the chance to win something free, furthermore this cross-promotion will benefit the magazine as well as the venue. 

Strengths	Weaknesses
·        Easy to come up with original content due to the unlimited history a venue will have. ·        Little to no competition so it will be easy to keep customers loyal to your magazine. ·         Keeps customers regularly informed of upcoming events within a variety of venues and can therefore slowly build a level of trust and respect between readers and writers.	·        Content might be considered boring and unappealing to most of the potential buyers. ·        Cost to make the magazine is relatively high, photoshoots of the venue can often be quite pricy and difficult to capture.   ·        Lack of interest from the public, only a select few are likely to purchase this type of magazine.

Conclusion

Having researched three key ideas, I have decided to create a genre-based magazine for the London Magazine (my client). A genre-based magazine allows for a wide range of articulate content that readers are likely to enjoy. Interestingly, genre magazines can cover the large majority of content that is covered within other magazines such as; relevant artists, albums, concerts, reviews and Q&A's however it will purely be focused on the one particular genre thus leaving fans well informed about the entire world of the specific genre. Subsequently, I didn't choose a review or venue-based magazine due to the lack of interest and content. For example, a venue based magazine only caters to a select audience and contains very specific content, only focusing on venues within North London - due to the brief- thus displaying the lack of content. Furthermore, there is a lack of interest due to these events often being advertised within other magazines and online on social media, proving a magazine about venues to be unnecessary. 

Additionally, I also didn't choose to pursue a review based magazine. Although it would be interesting and has a large target market, it might not be able to keep customers loyal, reviews are very focused upon a specific event or artist and if the readers are uninterested with that artist or event then its unlikely they will enjoy reading the article leading to a loss of profit. 

Overall this has lead to my decision to produce a genre magazine where all of the above content can be used and appreciated by the large target audience this particular magazine would have.