Ibrahim Rangel

Qualitative Audience Profiles and Focus Group Research

Target Audience Profile No.1 General Background Information Name: Tamera Tammy Lall Age: 16 Ethnicity: British Indian Utilizing of Music She attends concerts on a fairly regular basis within her free time because of the atmosphere it provides as and she also likes the fact it is a social gathering where she can meet other people with the same interests i.e. hip-hop. She listens to music everyday throughout her daily routine out of enjoyment as well as passing time during activities and work. Magazine Preferences Despite the causal content of a normal music magazine she likes to see the opposite gender presented as quite sexy characters as well as her own gender so she can aspire to them as well seeing as exercise is an ideal lifestyle to look good like hip hop artists. Interests Spending time with friends Shopping Keeping up to date with style Listening to music Going out Eating Out Feelings towards Music Magazines Tamera doesnt buys music magazines but buys other magazines to do with fashion as keeping up to date with fashion is very evident in other forms of media. She finds the seductive women upon the magazines admirable as well as the men but mainly doesnt buy the music magazine because the content is too much compared to a very evidential fashion magazine. Target Audience Profile No.2 General Background Information Name: Bernice Bunny Lall Age: 20 Ethnicity: British Indian Utilizing of Music Bernice listens to music a lot of the time in the background on a normal basis and also listens to it whilst completing work. She also think it acts as a socially desirable aspect to this generation as conversations consist of banter regarding new songs and artists which leads to other aspects for example the clothes the hip hop artists wear.

Ibrahim Rangel

Magazine Preferences She would like to hear about the latest news regarding the upcoming as well as new artists or groups within the genre so she can listen to their songs and get a preview of what their music is like. She would also like to hear about the latest fashion trends which relate to that genre as well as the normal fashion trends so she can blend them in to make a norm. Interests Computers Fashion Eating Out Feelings towards Music Magazines Bernice doesnt buy music magazines but buys a monthly fashion magazine called Glamour Magazine without fail. She finds that the music magazines dont really appeal to her since she can get music news and gossip online. Target Audience Profile No.3 General Background Information Name: Layal Temrawi Age: 18 Ethnicity: Afro Caribbean Utilizing of Music Layal attends concerts throughout the year with her friends and family and follows the charts to ensure she has the latest music on her iPod and has the latest news regarding artists. She also listens to music everyday whenever she can; doing her work, walking to college, gym, and even in the car. Magazine Preferences The most important thing for Layal is the gossip provided regarding the artists and their personal life so she is able to talk to her friends who follow the same people, about it. She also would want to hear about the latest fashion and what the artists are wearing and if they have their own brands so she can follow them as a fan by purchasing them. Interests Fashion Shopping Eating out Listening to music Reading

Ibrahim Rangel Feelings towards Music Magazines Layal buys music magazines but not on a regular basis dues to the simple fact there are now other forms of media conveying the same thing but with easier access so she wants to know thats shes buying a magazine which provides exclusive content where you cant find anywhere else.

Focus Group
For my focus group I asked a multi-ethnic group of both genders with an interest within the genre of Hip-Hop, what they would like in a hip hop magazine. I then concluded the results in order to make a clear set of guidelines as to how to make my magazine most appealing form my target audience. THE FRONT COVER What Images would you most prefer to take up the cover? The front cover should consist of one dominant of image considering the rule of thirds to get the most out of it in order to appeal to the audience. Seduction is no longer an issue within this genre as the most common reason for people buying the magazine is for the magazines contents and they would much rather the artists to be portrayed as what they really are hence natural images being preferred such as laughter and not looking at the camera but then again they wouldnt mind a seductive picture as long as its representative of the artists individuality. What kind of attractions would you like to see e.g. pugs? The cover should have if any, sell lines which consist of the kinds of things the target audience find appealing such as artists they know or incentives. If only one sell line was used they would prefer it to be the best content the magazine has to offer which would more than often relate to the main image upon the front cover. What are your colour preferences? The colours used should be both dark as well as bright due to the simple fact they contrast which can catch the audiences eyes on the shelves. Nevertheless the colours should be carefully picked out so they complement each other and go well alongside each other so a nice layout can be formed in order to look professional. What kind of language do you expect upon the cover? Language that of which the target audience can relate to should be used as it would make it more personal when they are reading the contents which in turn will end up with them enjoying the magazine more and may lead to them buying the magazine more consistently. Colloquial terms should also be used to make the magazine less formal since they will be reading it in a presumably relaxing state and this will help to create the at ease atmosphere they want with loose terms they are used to. THE CONTENTS PAGE What is your image preference considering amount and context?

Ibrahim Rangel

There should be one dominant image which is preferred to one dominant image and several other images on the cover because it clusters up the cover which makes it unclear, furthermore the one main image makes it more professional and graphical objects can be used to make the cover more appealing. Also since this is going to be the first magazine, they think the magazine should be clear the first time to establish the name on the shelves. What contents would you like within the magazine? All aspects of the genre should be considered because they relate to many trends where the majority follows them. In doing this, the magazine will then attract a wider audience since other featured trends will be in the magazine such as fashion, gigs and gossip and the more exclusive they are the better the content which in turn keeps the readers interested and also increases the amount of readers. How much text and images would you expect? The text should be kept to a minimum but on exclusive articles a little more text should be used to attract the reader more. Therefore more images should be used in order to keep the reader interested in the content and also graphical objects are preferred to provide a good aesthetic look. What type of language? The language should be in accordance to the genre despite its lack of formality so the readers can relate to the colloquial term they are used to but saying that there should still be a sense of formality when establishing the page. THE DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD ARTICLE What images do you prefer? The image should reflect the artists personality and express them for how they are especially if they are a new upcoming artist. Hipster images can be used to appeal the audiences better nature of fun so they can further relate to the artist and therefore may show a greater interest in them. The group didnt mind if there was just one single image or several images as long as they were pictures with a sense of attitude and quirkiness. What would you prefer the article to be about? The majority of the group would like to see an article about an upcoming artist who is becoming increasingly popular therefore the content upon them has be exclusive which means they are more likely to buy the magazine as they have more of an insight upon the artist compared to other magazines via the contents the interview and personal profile. What kind of language would you expect the article to be written in? The interview itself will be made up of mostly informal language and maybe some colloquial depending upon the terms the artists used when they speak, but the other features of the article would be more formal than the interview as they need to be clear in what they are saying as the artist would not appreciate providing false information to their fans if its not interpreted well.

Ibrahim Rangel Would you prefer more image or text based articles? There should be a balance between the text and images both of which must be interesting despite their differences in appeal. The text has be clear and concise so it keeps the reader interested but not go on so they get bored, furthermore they must be in accordance to some of the pictures so the reader can get an insight upon their activities and trends in order to follow them.