In the research, planning and production stage

1. AUDIENCE FEEDBACK IN THE
RESEARCH , PLANNING AND
CONSTRUCTION STAGES

2. SURVEY MONKEY AND FOCUS GROUP -KEY
RESPONSES THAT INFLUENCED MY
DECISIONS
 5 key areas of how the audience research affected my decisions
 Clothing and styling of models
 Price of the product and clothing within the product
 Colour scheme
 Body image and female stereotypes
 Celebrity endorsement

3. WHAT I LEARNT FROM THE AUDIENCES
PREFERRED STYLE TRENDS
 One thing that was crucial when analysing my audience feedback for a fashion magazine ( which is the dominant genre of my
product) is the types of clothing that members in my target audience are going to purchase as this is perhaps the unique selling
point which will attract or draw audiences in as clothing is something that defines your identity so it needed to be suitable to
my target audience. Therefore, in my survey, I asked the audience where they prefer to shop and the most popular was
‘Topshop’ this tells me that the audience like to be creative in what they wear and also follow the latest trends, thus, it also told
me that the audience are ‘aspirers’ ( to use Rubicam and Young’s term) which suggests that they want to purchase glamorous
products and feel as though they have a high status. Therefore, this is why I sourced my products from this shop and also made
it clear with a caption of where the clothing is from in the double page spread which means that the audience can be informed
but also advertised their clothing in a post on the fashion hyperlink of my webpage. Therefore, the effect of this is that the
reader will want to engage with my products to feel as though they are gaining ‘exclusive’ access of the latest trends which will
mean that a large demographic can be achieved as this is a popular shop among young women. Additionally, in the ‘focus
group’ I also used observation to find out what the audiences style was like as all of the girls were wearing casual clothing such
as ‘hoodies’ so this suggested that when sourcing clothing from ‘Topshop’ comfort was a key aspect, especially in the colder
moves and this is emphasized when the girls commented that they want to wear clothes that ‘you can where all of the time’
suggesting that they will buy clothing that is diverse, hence, this is why I dressed my model in a fur coat as this is both a
comfortable, warm item of clothing whilst at the same time connoting glamour and wealth which is essential to make the reader
feel as though the clothing is suitable and relatable to their lifestyle. Additionally, the fact that the audience want to wear
‘boots’ ( as mentioned in my focus group) this is why I featured images of boots on the contents page, to convey that the
audience can meet their needs ( such as finding the perfect pair of winter boots) the effects of this may mean that the audience
will return and repurchase the product in order to find the perfect items in the future, thus producing a loyal fan base.

4. WHAT I LEARNED FROM THE
AUDIENCES PRICE RANGES
 In my focus group, the girls commented that they will spend between ‘£50-100’ on clothes a month which
perhaps implies that my younger target audience will have few responsibilities so most of their money will be
on clothing, however, this was given by girls that were doing their a levels who perhaps live with parents so will
not have to pay rent. However, the survey revealed that most young women spent between ‘£20-£50’ on
clothes monthly, thus as this was a larger demographic, I decided to aim my clothing price ranges due to this
response. Therefore, I learnt that the audience would want to purchase clothing that is perhaps more
affordable and from clothing websites that provide discounts, for example, I decided to source clothing/
promote clothing from Topshop (as it allows student discount), similarly do online shops such as Asos ,
Missguided and Pretty Little Thing. Therefore, Marxists would argue that making clothing affordable means
that nobody will feel excluded and the effects of this has meant that my product can grow in popularity
because it shows an acknowledgement of the audiences financial needs. Arguably, this means that the aims of
‘Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs’ can be reached as the audience can still build self-esteem through following
styles and trends which are relevant and up to date. Additionally, the audience research affected my decision of
the magazine price as the majority of the people within the survey agreed that they would spent ‘£2’ on a
product which allowed me to unconventionally price my regional magazine ( as most regional magazines are
free) hence, the benefits of this is that I am able to make a profit which makes the institution appear more
established and developed whilst also being accessible as it is affordable to the target audience, thus, allowing
the magazine to result in ‘proffered reading’ as the audience has been valued.

5. COLOUR SCHEME- HOW AUDIENCE
RESEARCH INFLUENCED THIS
 I learnt from the audience research that most people want to stick to conventions and
arguably this is because it is familiar and therefore gives them assurance that they are
going to like and feel rewarded when they read the product. Therefore, in my survey, the
most popular colour scheme voted for was ‘pastel colours’ perhaps because they connote
femininity so it allows the uses and gratifications theory as the product serves to INFORM
the audience by making them aware that the magazine aims at women. Additionally,
pastel colours are also used in high quality magazines such as Glamour, therefore, I learnt
that the audience will want to feel as though they are reading a high quality product, thus,
through sticking to the conventions of using lighter colours, this allowed my product to
appear professional due to meeting the audiences expectations of a feminine colour
scheme. The effects of this is that people will instantly see my product of a higher quality
which can allow the institution to become more respected. This can essentially lead to the
two step flow effect as opinion leaders perhaps of social groups will share this notion with
their friends and then others will follow the hegemony, thus a wider demographic can be
reached.

6. BODY IMAGE AND FEMALE STEREOTYPES
 Conventionally in the fashion industry women are only presented in one way, for all to fit
the ‘size 0’ shape, have tanned skin and long beautiful hair, take a ‘Victoria’s Secret
Model’ for example, this is a prime example of stereotypical model in the fashion industry.
Although, there is absolutely nothing wrong with women looking this way, the problem is
that the media ONLY presents women this way and ignores the diverse appearances, sizes
and shapes of women in our postmodern society as this can make women have a low self
esteem, affecting their emotional needs as part of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.
Therefore, when I asked questions in my focus group such as ‘How would you like young
women to be presented in the media? There is an uproar over how women are presented
so do you think that there are any issues around that? As in like fat shaming’ and all
members of my focus group agreed, commenting that ‘ a lot of models are really skinny’
and another commented ‘they don’t represent what normal people look like’. Of course
the term ‘normal’ is subjective however I think what the focus group meant that models
are unrealistic so what I learnt from this is that younger people want to see more natural
looking models that seem ‘down to earth’ opposed to superficial and simply role models
due to having lots of cosmetic surgery. This notion was expressed in my survey too when
85.71% of people believed that young women are put under pressure to look a certain
way, emphasizing the impact and seriousness of this issue. Therefore, in my production, I
decided to use models that fitted this natural look, for example, I applied little makeup to
my models which does not put young women under pressure to change their look with
makeup. Also, I used models that drifted from the stereotype, for example, my model
Kaitlyn has short blue hair which is less feminine due to the boyish hair cut and the colour
has connotations to rebellion which is usually associated with rock music. Therefore, the
effect of drifting from female stereotypes will perhaps create greater self-esteem among
women as they will as though they do not have to look a particular way to fit the female
stereotype, thus, influencing more people to get involved as they will not feel as though
the fashion industry is only for the ‘skinny’ and ‘beautiful’ and my product challenges
these conventions to show that ‘being beautiful’ is diverse and unique.

7. CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENT
 One thing that I learnt from my audience research is that the use of celebrity endorsement is key, for
example, in my focus group, I asked the audience ‘what features would you want in my magazine/
website’ and members of the focus group commented ‘what celebrities are wearing’ and also one of
the audience participants added that they like to follow the ‘Kardashians’ fashion sense which indicates
to me that by using celebrity endorsement, it not only makes the product appear of a higher status
due to having links with the industry but also it allows the dyer star theory to take place as the
audience will idolize the celebrity and their style, thus seeing them as a ‘commodity’, hence purchase a
magazine that includes these celebrities in order to feel as though they can live the life of a star
themselves. Therefore, as people repurchase due to wanting to keep up with the latest trends it will
produce consumer loyalty, therefore, this is why I presented the model on the front page ‘Kaitlyn’ as a
celebrity and ‘Heather, Leicester’s toughest fashion critic’ as a celebrity in order to make the audience
look up to them and will essentially lead to the dyer star theory as explained above. However,
although my audience research told me that research and planning was essential to include in my
product(s) however I wanted to ensure that they were regional as although they may not be exciting, it
prevents my product from being imperialized by celebrities that have no relevance to Leicester,
therefore it maintains a niche, communal feel which is essential in order for the Uses and Gratifications
Theory to take place as social solidarity takes place as the audience come together to share their
mutual interests.

8. CONSTRUCTION STAGES- EMAILING OTHERS FOR OPINION
ON THE COLOUR OF MY MASTHEAD ( THE LOGO OF MY
PRODUCT)

9. From sending out this email, the research back told me that most people proffered
white, for example, Hayden commented that
‘White as it makes the magazine look more professional. Many other
professional magazines such as Vogue use a similar font and colour so it
connotes professionalism and quality.’
Therefore, this told me that the audience wanted to see products that were familiar to what they have already seen as
it makes the product feel more realistic and professional therefore, this is why I have tried to follow conventions such
as using white and serif fonts to connote the conventional elegance and femininity that we see in real media products.
Therefore, this is effective to also reach Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs which will meet the audiences emotional needs
through making them feel valued, as their expectations and hopes have been fulfilled.
However, another participant responded:
‘Personally i think that the white design looks the best. I just feel like it suits the whole
colour scheme better. I also think though, that it might be a good idea to make it
stand out slightly more by adding a tiny outline or something to it’
From this audience research it told me that the aim of being ‘educated; as part of the
Uses and Gratifications Theory is extremely important as the fact that the audience
wanted to make it ‘stand out’ implies that they seek products that are clear, organised
and informative, perhaps so that it can reach the aim of the Uses and Gratifications
Theory of ‘escapism’ which means that the audience can unwind and relax with a legible
structure. Hence, this is why I actually added a slightly opaque, black blur behind the
masthead so that it would stand out, be more prominent and therefore make the product
more identifiable.