Critical Approaches - Magazine Case Study
In this case study, I will be comparing and contrasting two different magazines and pointing out their similarities, as well as their differences and how they affect each other. The magazines that I will be studying are 'Nikon Photo Mag/ Nphoto' and 'Empire Magazine'.
Empire and Nikon Photo are two magazines which are constructed in an entirely different way and are presented for two different target audiences.
Empire Magazine
It's quite interesting, as we look at the contrasting magazines, more similarities keep popping up. As we can observe from the collection of covers from Empire mag, we see that they have used photographs of actors in nearly every article. However, unlike Nikon Photo mag the majority of photos contain males. This is maybe because the magazine is aimed towards a younger male target audience and the characters portrayed on these covers can relate to readers as a role model for them or maybe there are just more male actors playing main roles in films.
Target Audience:
I've done some research on Empire's demographic audience and I've come to the conclusion that their target audience is B,C males, from ages 17-30 and middle to upper class.
The price for a printed copy of Empire is £4.50, which is relatively expensive for a younger audience. The potential buyers would probably have to be financially, not the poorest, but not the richest and have a fair amount of disposable income, as it is also aimed at people who go to the cinema often.
Magazine Cover Analysis:
I've had a look at many magazine covers from Empire mag. I have chosen a cover that appeals to me and then broken it down to visually represent how the front cover was constructed and how it will appeal to their chosen target audience to pull in the biggest amount of potential buyers as possible.
Nikon Photo Magazine
As previously mentioned, it's noticeable that Nikon Photo use mainly female models for their magazine covers. This is probably to attract their larger male target audience, however females are seen as being more elegant than men and their image may appeal to a larger audience. Since it's a magazine about photography, the images are obviously all taken professionally, in well lit conditions and constructed well to show the full potential of the cameras they are selling. Every issue of magazine has a very different cover, which also demonstrates the full range of their product to potential buyers, before they have even opened a page.
Target Audience:
I have also done some research on Nikon and Nikon Photo's audience profile. Nikon's demographic segmentation shows that 55% of consumers are males and 33% of people who buy their cameras are 35-49 years old. Therefore, I believe the target audience for this magazine will be male, from ages 30-50 and for people who are middle to upper class, with a decent amount of disposable income.
Magazine Cover Analysis:
Similarly, as I did with Empire magazine, I had a look at many magazine covers from Nikon Photo and have chosen a cover that appeals to me, which I then broke down to visually represent how the front cover was constructed and how it will appeal to their chosen target audience to pull in the biggest amount of potential buyers as possible.
