Magazine Adverts
What are the research techniques that would be used to find out about magazine adverts?
Secondary and Quantitative Research- Finding out the readership figures for different magazines by looking online in order to find out which are the more popular ones
For a magazine advert probably one of the most important piece of information to find out is which magazines themselves have the higher readership figures as this can be an indication of the amount of popularity the magazine has and at the same time can determine how many people will see that ad being put out for an album. This information can be researched using online sources such as the official websites for the magazines but also websites that specifically look at statistics for magazines. One example of a website that does this is Press Gazette- http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/category/media_metrics/ - The more popular the magazine, the more people are going to see the advert but however at the same time it might be more expensive to get an ad in the more popular magazines meaning this will have to be taken into account also. Rolling stones magazine for example has around 1.4 million current subscriptions meaning it is one of the more popular music magazines that could be considered for an artist. Another thing that should be taken note of is the fact that these magazines also heavily utilise their websites and a lot of their readership would also come from there. A good example of this is Billboard magazine whose website has 15.2 million new unique users per month. The magazines the ad would be in wouldn't just be limited to music magazines however as adverts for a new music album may appear in other magazine genres that have a similar target audience.
Pros
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Information is readily available on the internet
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It can give an idea of the amount of popularity music magazines possess
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Retadership figures are a good indication of how many people might see the ad
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This is a fast method of research and is easier than having to call people up to find out this information
Cons
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Viewing figures are just a number, just because a lot of people read something it might not always mean they pay attention or take into account everything they read. An ad in a magazine has to stand out to make people remember it
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Depending on where the information is found on the internet it might be hard to trust the validity of the information unless it comes from a verified website
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Information might be outdated or incorrect
Primary, Secondary and Production research- Looking at the amount of space available on the page of a magazine which will allow the people producing the ad to know how much they can put into it
It would be incredibly useful especially in the pre-production stages of research to know what kind of availability of space there is inside of a magazine so that when producing the ad, both during the photoshoot and editing stages the producers know what can and can't be included as well as what will and won't work given the limited availability of space. i feel that this could be done in two different ways. Firstly it could be done through actually getting a physical copy of a magazine/selection of magazines in order to observe and note down the kinds of measurements and spacings that are used. Another method might to be to go online or call the people from the magazine you are working with in order to find out the actual measurements and get more accurate information. When making my own magazine pages I had to look at actual physical copies to get an idea of what was viable and what wasn't.
Pros
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Gives the producer an idea of the amount of space they will have on a magazine page
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Allows the producer to get to know the layout of a magazine
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If done during the pre-production stage it gives the producers time to change/edit things if need be
Cons
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Not all magazines are the same, some might differ from others making it harder to come to a full conclusion of how to actually do things
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It might not always be easy to keep within the margins/layout that is recommended or set for you because every ad and photoshoot is different meaning the layout may have to be changed later on
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Just because there are set guidelines and measurements for a layout might not mean that they are useful and could end up making the overall product look worse
Primary, Market, Audience and Qualitative research- Finding out from the fans of the magazine you plan to put the ad in and the fans of the artist, what kinds of things they do and do not like. This could be done through postal/online surveys
This is important as the producers of the ad need to ensure that the ad itself is suitable for the magazine(s) that it will be displayed in. The ad itself has to match the genre of the magazine itself and demographic of the magazines readers. I feel that it is useful to ask the readers questions about their likes and dislikes concerning the magazine and the types of conventions that appeal to them. Surveys could either be done online on the website or sent in with new issues for readers to fill out. As a result the producers would start to be able to get opinions and begin to plan out an ad that will appeal to a target audience of the magazine. In addition to this the ad will also have to match the target audience of the artist who made the album, so therefore the target audiences for the artist and for the magazine should be similar. It might not make sense for example putting an ad for a new rock album in a pop music magazine so therefore the producers of the ad will have to make sure they are always taking into account the target audience. A very useful website for creating surveys is survey monkey- https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/ - which is a free to use survey creation website that allows users to create free, online surveys. This could be emailed to the subscribers of the magazines with the information coming straight back to the moderator who made it.
Pros
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Wide variety of opinions and ideas giving you a wide variety of options of how to make the ad
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The fact that it is an actual target audiences opinion being given it will mean the overall end product will satisfy them as it is what they wanted rather than what the producers assumed they wanted
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Different questions can really begin to help the producers formulate an idea and also meet their aims and objectives that they would have set for themselves
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A good ad that satisfy's the target audience would overall lead to more sales as it would entice fans to buy the album
Cons
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Answers that might lack in detail make it harder to come to an overall conclusion of what the best of course action to take is in terms of content within the ad
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There could be a lack of willingness for people to fill out a questionnaire/survey if they have a disinterest in what is being discussed
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Some people could give incorrect or a lack of information because they just want to get through the questions as quickly as possible or might not take it seriously. Overall others might not have time to do a survey period.
Secondary and Audience research- Knowing the target audience of the magazine the producers plan to have the ad in
Knowing the target audience is extremely useful in making sure the advert being created is suitable for the magazine(s) that the ad is planned to be within. This ensures that the ad is suitable and ensures that it will attract the right people. Putting an older artist with an older target audience within a magazine that is aimed specifically at young people might not be the best idea for example as the target audience will therefore be less likely to actually take notice of who the singer is and vice versa for singers with a younger target audience. As for how an ad can be suitable if for example the magazine is aimed at pre-teens or people who are quite young it might not be a good idea to put an ad for an artist whose lyrics or image is related to sex and drugs. Likewise if an artist is trying to appeal to a younger fan base, someone like Rebecca Black or Carly Rae Jepson, then an ad for their music might not fit in within a magazine that has a mainly older fanbase.
Pros
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Useful for knowing if the ad is suitable
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Lets you know if the ad you are creating will actually be seen/taken note of within the magazine
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You know what kind of content to put into an ad and how to format it as it will be tailored towards a specific fanbase
Cons
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Quite difficult if a magazine has a mixed fan-base. It can make it harder to come to a conclusion of what to include
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Just because a magazine or an artist has traditionally had one type of fanbase, they might be open to trying to attract newer people. This could make things confusing
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Just because an ad is right for a target audience that doesn't always guarantee that people are even going to take note/remember the ad
