In this post, I am going to highlight, describe and analyse three different magazines which are aimed at the male audience, female audience and mixed audience. I will analysing and identifying the characteristics and techniques used to help tagret and market the three different gender categories (male, female and mixed).
The techniques I will look at are title, typography, colours, images, content, gifts/offers (promotional material) and language.
I will just be analysing the front cover of the magazines and the content included on it to help attract and market to the potential customers.
Introduction - Food Magazine (1)
The Food Magazine is a monthly edition magazine which bases it's content on recipes, food equipment, seasonal foods (e.g. fruits), festival food ideas (e.g. christmas or picnics) etc. This magazine is aimed at both the male and female population as it is applicable to both gender. Although in the past it was stereotypically viewed within a society that food preparation and cooking was aimed at females, in the 21st century, there are more well known male chefs, rather that women.
The issue that i am going to be analysing in this assignment will be the May 2012 issue.
Statistics
Title
The title of the Food Magazine is placed on the top center position of the page and it is in bold capital letters to help grasp the attention of its target market. The font has been carefully selected to ensure that the style of font does not favour any of the genders.
Usually the female population are more attracted to fonts which are more "curved" or designed, whereas predominatly masculine fonts are more bold, strong and thick. This represents the stature of the two genders, and it appeals to their psychological thinking of men wanting to be strong and women having more curvy interests/figure.
The font of the Food magazine title is in a font which represents boldness and thickness, aswell as including thin strokes where the curves lay in. This font is appealing to both the male and female mindset.
Typography
The typography used around the page to help highlight what information is included within the magazine have been placed in poritions around the main image, so it catches peoples attention easily.
The fonts that have been used have been carefully selected to help appeal to both the male and female target market. Different sections of the information on the front cover has been written in different fonts, colours, sizes, styles, etc. This is so the reader can understand which information links to another.
It also helps reduce the sense ov overwhelming or boring the target consumers because the information does not look like a big bulk of writing and customers are attracted to look/explore the different sections. Also, with the use of different fonts, colours, etc. it helps represent and highlight the information which is of higher importance and what is most likely to attract the customers.
Colours
The colours selected on the Food magazine title varys depending on the season/theme of the monthly issue. On version that I am analysing, the colour that they have chosen is of an orange hue, which shows it is based around the summer time, as the colour represents the summer/heated season. The colour of orange is also a colour which is not favoured by males or female, because it's not based within the hues of "pink" or "blue".
For this May 2012 issue of Food Magazine, the predominate colours that appear on the front cover are yellows, greens, browns, oranges, whites and blacks. This is to help represent the summer time season, which is when consumers are out in their parks/gardens enjoying food outdoors, where the weather is bright and hot.
These colours have been carefully selected to help attract the male and female population into buying the magazine and satisfying their hunger for luscious looking summertime food.
The colours that have been used usually represent;
- Yellow - to represent summer/sunshine, relating to the season
- Green - to represent freshness and hygiene, which is a serious issue around food
- Browns - to help represent cooked food and the sense of strong smoked aromas (relating to the predominate image of barbequed meat)
- Oranges - to help represent juicyness/flavour in the summertime (orange fruits)
- Whites - to represent day and pureness (having fun/innocence)
- Blacks - to represent night (24 hour fun)
Images
The only image that has been used on the front cover of the May 2012 Food Magazine is a cut of meat, which is cooked on a barbeque rack and in the background (slightly blurred to help reduce significance) is a bright and strongly lit fire.
This image has been used on the cover of this issue to help represent the season of summer, when the male and female population go outside with family and friends to help celebrate the season of summer using barbeques and having picnics.
This is appealing to both the male and female population as it is applicable to both genders, which will attract more consumers and boost sales of the magazine.
Content and language
The content and language included within the magazine is highlighted on the front cover, which whill help entice readers to come and purchase it. To help attract customers into buying the magazine, they have used captions which will make them eager to read/find out what information is included, e.g. "Secrets to the grill revealed".
It also attracts potential customers of all demographics, regardless of gender, because it includes the phrases "Stress-free" and "No-fuss". This type of language and phrasing is appealing to a wide range of customers as in the 21st century, people wish to save time and effort in preparing as they may have a large family or busy work schedule/social life. So by writing these phrases, it is attracting both sets of genders, without alienating the other.
Promotional material
Although within the magazine there are no gifts/offers (promotional material) with the magazine, the front cover fools the consumers into thinking that they are getting some sort of promotional material because they have included the words "Free 4 week menu guide inside".
This shows that the consumers are getting something extra for their money, when the information will be included within the magazine content anyway.
Appendices
(1) http://i38.fastpic.ru/big/2012/0508/e6/269ed31ed8e17a371cc96829075af0e6.jpg (02/07/2012)
http://classic.mediatel.co.uk/abcroundup/ (01/11/2012)
http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/magazine (01/11/2012)
http://www.oft.gov.uk/shared_oft/reports/comp_policy/oft1028.pdf (01/11/2012)
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