Focus Group Questions

1. How often do you read magazines?
Sejal: 'Very rarely.'
Euan: ‘Never.’
Maisy: 'Not very often, maybe once a month.'
Ash: Never

2. If you do read a magazine, what topic does it cover?
Sejal: 'Celebrities, films or TV.'
Euan: ‘It would probably be sport-related if I did.’
Maisy: 'Fashion.'
Ash: ‘Politics or Science.’

3. Do you think there is a large selection of magazines (print and online) aimed at your demographic?
Sejal: ' 'Not a large selection, it doesn't seem to interest my demographic much.'
Euan: ‘No.’
Maisy: 'No, I don't think there is.'
Ash: ‘I think there is, but they’re not advertised to us very well.’

4. Do you think there should be more serious topics included in magazines (e.g. social, political and environmental issues)?
Sejal: ' Yes, definitely.'
Euan: ‘No.’
Maisy: 'No, I don't think magazines should, as they should be relaxing and newspapers should provide information on wider issues.'
Ash: ‘Yes, they’re important to talk about, but they’ve got to be put in the right setting.’

5. Which platform, out of print, digital and online, do you use most frequently?
Sejal: 'Online.'
Euan: ‘Online.’
Maisy: 'Online.'
Ash: ‘Online.’

6. What is your favourite magazine brand currently on the market?
Sejal: 'I don't have a favourite, in particular.'
Euan: ‘Golf World.’
Maisy: 'Vogue.'
Ash: ‘New Scientist.’

Audience Research: Audience Behaviour

Audience Behaviour from Candidate 6110

Generic Research: Textual Analysis 2

Textual Analysis 2 from Candidate 6110

Focus Group

Generic Research: Textual Analysis 1

Textual Analysis 1 from Candidate 6110

Audience Research: Feedback on Pitch

I began my audience research by conducting a questionnaire; asking my target audience questions about my pitch to see how they think a wider audience would respond. 83% of respondents said that my pitch fit the brief 'extremely well', while 17% of respondents said that it fits 'somewhat well'.

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The second question I asked was whether respondents thought that my pitch would be appealing to the target audience of a socially conscious, 16-25, middle to upmarket target demographic. All respondents said that my brief would appeal to the target demographic and some gave helpful answers, showing how current and important this topic is.

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I wanted to know if the target audience would be interested to read about topics other than the environment in the magazine, such as gender, sexuality, etc. Most respondents said it was a good idea, however from some longer answers, I would need to orchestrate this very carefully since some were confused about how I would incorporate this. I would use a cover star, conduct an interview and ask a wide range of questions about their life as an environmental activist/campaigner, so I would be able to incorporate other social issues in this way.

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I asked peoples' opinions on shooting locations. I already have some locations in mind, however, by asking this I could see what locations people were drawn to and what they would like to see in the magazine. There are so many different environmental elements to choose from (oceans, forests, plastic pollution, air pollution, etc.), so I have lots of options and have many unique locations available to use.

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I wanted to know whether the participants thought that this would be a successful pitch. 100% said yes, mainly because it is not something that many have seen before in the mainstream media. I hope this would be successful since more and more young people are becoming increasingly more concerned over the environment and its decline, however, there are not many mainstream magazines that focus on the environment, so it seems to be a more serious topic that is not as light-hearted as soft news (celebrity news, fashion, art, etc.)

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Lastly, I asked if any improvements could be made, to increase appeal to the target audience. Most people liked my pitch and gave some improvements and advice such as using impactful images, links to social media pages and websites and competitions.