Pitch your ideas (P4, M3: U21)

 Learning Outcome 3 (U21): Be able to pitch ideas on a proposed media product and respond to questions.

Feedback (from the client) and what I understood by it

1. Good justifications for the entire presentation.

The reasons behind each element of the magazine were well-thought-out and accurate. Each factor had an additional reason for choosing that particular option which was clear and relevant, making the final product better.

2. The brief is for a local magazine, this presentation seems more like a national magazine.

My magazine featured big, popular artists who are known on a global scale (e.g. Taylor Swift). These artists are too big for local magazine content and therefore I should try to focus on smaller, more locally-based artists to better fit the brief. These artists will be less known, perhaps my magazine will be able to 'discover' them.

3.The logo: the black and the pink clash a little, it gets lost in the logo.

The black on the disco ball image is dark and overbearing which takes the focus off of my title, which is brighter and potentially gets lost in the overall logo.

4. Can you do 80 pages a month? Try to do 30-40 as a start.

80 pages is a large amount for a locally based magazine each month, once the magazine grows to a more national scale it will be easier to fill up the magazine with more interesting and relevant content. However, in the beginning, it might be more realistic to do 30-40 pages so all the content is relevant and interesting to readers.

5. The limited-time links on the online magazine were a smart idea.

One of the unique selling points of the magazine, specifically the limited time links on the online magazine are clever and would appeal well to my audiences. The idea was something new that hadn't yet been thought of and would be a good way to entice customers to subscribe to the online copy.

6. Target audience was well researched.

The reasons behind having these target audiences were well thought out and worked well for my magazine, especially in a world of increasing diversity where genders norms are becoming less relevant to products and marketing.

7. Colours and fonts work well.

The colours I chose to use in my magazine were appropriate for the target audience and were also eye-catching. Additionally, the fonts were fitting for the magazine and complimented the colours and content well.

8. How do you create it locally? Where will you find relevant artists?

The magazine which I created seems to be bigger than just the North London area. How do I plan on basing it more locally on a smaller scale? In addition, there are very few small pop artists so where will I go to find these artists and how will I convince them to take part in my magazine.

9. Use icons for social media, not words.

Too many words might be unappealing or complicated for my target audience and can often take up too much space on the front cover so I should consider using icons with one username in the skyline of the cover to make it easier to see and simpler to read.

10. You have the journey, focus a bit more on how to start.

I have explained where I want my magazine to end up, I should try focusing on how to start it. Focus more on building it rather than what it could be once it has been built.

11. Your competition has an abundance of cover lines and stickers, shouldn't you try to replicate this?

The competing magazines have busy front covers with lots of text and images, I have less so I should try to fill up the front cover more in order to continue the trend.

What I could do differently and my response

The brief is for a local magazine, this presentation seems more like a national magazine.

Yes, although it wasn't mentioned in the presentation, I will initially find local artists to be featured in the magazine. These artists will be featured in articles such as interviews and 'how to' articles as well as the more popular ones being featured as a prominent figure on the front cover. I believe this will entice customers within the area and therefore will mean the magazine is more local. Additionally, the magazine displayed in the presentation is where I hope to end up and therefore when I reach this stage, North London talent will remain featured in the magazine with articles, however these articles might not be promoted as much due to our target audience being more concerned with the bigger artists at this point.

The logo: the black and the pink clash a little, it gets lost in the logo.

To adapt and take on board what the client said, I will edit my logo to make the disco ball lighter and perhaps have a more grey tone. I feel this will allow the pink to pop more and not distract too much from the title itself, allowing my customers to easily spot the magazine in even the most crowded of displays. 

Can you do 80 pages a month? Try to do 30-40 as a start.

I will take this critique on board when moving forward with the production of my magazine, 80 pages might be tough to fill at the beginning when focusing on local talent and events and therefore I will aim to produce 30-40 pages to begin as it's more realistic. However, when I reach a national scale for my magazine I will aim to fill 80 pages to give my audience the most information possible for their money. 

How do you create it locally? Where will you find relevant artists?

I will aim to distribute the magazine in local areas where North London readers will be able to easily access it, such as supermarkets, newsagents and possibly teen clothing stores. These clothing stores will create and produce products which appeal primarily to young teenaged girls and seeing as though they're my primary audience I believe selling our magazine here will help to achieve their business. Additionally, there often aren't magazines being sold in these stores which directly reduces our competition and allows our product to stand out over the rest.

Use icons for social media, not words.

The words are slightly unnecessary, all the social media names are the same and therefore it is a waste of space to re-write them out multiple times and therefore I will concede with the client and replace these extra words with icons. Additionally, this will make it more eye-catching and easy to identify on the page without disturbing from the rest of the cover, such as the artist photo. 

You have the journey, focus a bit more on how to start.

To begin the production and distribution of my magazine I will need to firstly advertise and a good way to attract an audience is to receive an endorsement from a popular celebrity, although my magazine will be relatively small and unheard of at this time so I might approach a more local artist to endorse my magazine. For instance, a good place to find small pop artists might be local talent shows or even bigger ones. What do I mean by this? Imagine this scenario for instance, a pop artist performs on the voice or X-factor but doesn't make it through, they are still talented and now they have made a name for themselves. My magazine will approach them for an interview about their time on the show and speak about the possibility of an endorsement, allowing the magazine to attract customers and due to the small reputation of the artist this will be relatively cheap. 

Your competition has an abundance of cover lines and stickers, shouldn't you try to replicate this?

I understand that my competitors have busy front covers to show the abundance of information within the magazine and showcase it well to readers. However I disagree, I think that the less information on the front cover gives the magazine more of a high-end and sleek look. Additionally, the lack of over-crowding text and images allow a sense of mystery to the content which will allow consumers to purchase the magazine in order to find out more.