analysing media
language in magazines
Whichever A Level
As a Media student, you This article aims to
Audience theory Investigating the
will by now be aware of help you understand the
spec you’re studying,
Lifestyle magazine
theory
the importance of media codes, conventions and
publishing is a very
Compare your ideas
you’ll be analysing
language in the creation of connotations of magazine
competitive industry. Like
about the ways in which
texts in the light
media products and their design and how it works
newspapers, commercial
media producers target and
meanings. to target a particular
magazines need to make
construct their audiences
of theory; and if
Media language is readership. To get started
a profit. Because the
to those of the theorists.
you’re looking at
made of visual, written select two recent magazine
cover price alone will
If like Ien Ang, you believe
and technical elements titles and consider the
finance only a fraction
magazines for OCR
magazine publishers and
carefully selected to following questions:
of all the publishing
editorial teams make huge
at A2, exploring the
represent different types of • Who do you believe
expenses, magazines
assumptions about their
products and their target to be the reader or
magazine industry
need to ‘sell’ space for
audiences, you might do
audiences. For example, target audience for the
companies to advertise
some online research to
for WJEC, or doing an
magazines use different magazine?
their products; and indeed
prove your point. Most
combinations of images, • How does the title
independent research
product information
major publishers of lifestyle
titles and content to create address the reader as
and availability is one
and consumer magazines
study for AQA, this
generic formulas aimed at a specific gender, age
important reason why
now publish their audience
different readerships and or having a preferred
article will give you a
people buy magazines.
profiles on the web. These
audiences. Men’s magazines lifestyle, hobby, interest?
The relationship
media kits or fact files are
head start.
are typically designed • What type of content
between publisher and
available for downloading
according to a formula of do you expect to find in
advertiser is equally
by potential advertisers
either lads or gadgets. the magazine (reviews,
strong as the magazine
and they are a mine of
Women’s glossies on the interviews, tips, fashion
must identify a market
information for Media
other hand can be broken spreads, food features)?
of readers to potential
students. Take a close look
down into three types; the • Why is the colour and
advertisers. To do this,
at the following three
all-age general, the over- font important to your
publishers will complete
media kits:
18 glamour and the teen understanding of the
detailed research into
mag. magazine’s content, style
Cosmopolitan at
their target audience. This
and audience?
www.hearst.com
research includes surveys
to collect demographic
NME at
data such as age, gender,
www.ipcmedia.com
income and professional FHM at
roles of their readership.
www.ucm.co.za/brands
Additionally magazines
Cosmopolitan, for
and advertisers will use
example, describes itself as
consumer questionnaires
‘the life-stylist for millions
to gather lifestyle profiles
of fun, fearless females
about the leisure activities
who want to be the best
and buying habits of their
they can be in every area
target audience. Once these
of their lives’; whilst FHM
are complete, audience
is ‘for regular guys aged
researchers will build a
21-34’. NME’s imaginary
profile of the average
entity on the other hand
readership. Media theorist
is not gender-specific,
Ien Ang (1991) calls
summarising its readers by
these profiles ‘imaginary
lifestyle; predictably, ‘they
entities’ as they are more
go to gigs and live events’.
like prototypes than real
people.
52 MediaMagazine | February 2008 | english and media centre
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