DISCUSS THE DIFFERENT METHODSBLISS MAGAZINE USES TO TARGET ITSAUDIENCE AND EVALUATE THEIREFFECTIVENESS

Ellen Silvey

DISCUSS THE DIFFERENT METHODS

BLISS MAGAZINE USES TO TARGET ITS

AUDIENCE AND EVALUATE THEIR

EFFECTIVENESS

Bliss magazine has a number of different methods which they use to target their audience. Their target audiences are girls aged from ten to fourteen years old. This target audience is generally interested in hairstyles, make-up, fashion tips, and other aspects of how they look. They are also interested in famous people, and in trying to act older than they are, and be ‘cool’. They generally like pop music, and enjoy playing on their mobile telephones. They also enjoy the thought of boyfriends This means that the ideal magazine that these people would want to read will include all of these things, and will have to present it in a way which is easily accessible to all levels of the target audience. They will have to make every aspect of the magazine suitable for the target audience in ways which are quite subtle, so that the readers do not feel in any way patronised. This essay will deal with some of the main ways in which Bliss magazine targets its audience, and how successful they are in doing this.

The first aspect of the magazine that targets the audience is the front cover. There are several major features on the cover; the main feature is the model. The other features are the colours of the cover, the lettering and shapes that are used, the title, and the language that is used on the front cover. The model is a very pretty young actress called Hilary Duff. She looks about eighteen years old; she is wearing a pink dress, has her hair down and has neutral make-up on. The fact that the model looks about eighteen years old targets the audience. It makes them think that this is a magazine that is read by people the age of the model, and therefore they want to buy it. The fact that Hilary Duff is obviously older than the target audience trys to bring the magazine to the attention of potential readers. They would be unlikely to read a magazine with a twelve or thirteen year old on the front, but if it has a much older model, they will be tempted to read it to see what ‘older girls’ read. They may feel that reading the magazine with a sophisticated model on the front will make them sophisticated. The model sets the age for the magazine, but not at her own age, she attracts readers from the target audience. The pink dress is simple, but sophisticated. It is quite low cut, so it adds an adult edge to a dress that may of the target audience would favour, as pink is a popular colour in that age group. There are also many connotations attatched to the colour pink, such as love, being ‘girlie’, happiness and friendship. It is also a pleasant colour to look at, and attracts attention while the magazine is on the shelf in the newsagents. This makes the readers feel that if they read the magazine then they would learn to dress in such a nice way, in an adult way. The way that the model has her hair down in a natural style ties in with the natural make-up. It is trying to give the impression that she took very little time to get ready for the photo. This could lead the readers to think that if they read the magazine then they would learn how to have a naturally pretty face, and

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how it would become easier for them to be naturally pretty like the model. The readers will aspire to be Hilary Duff when they are older, and will think that Bliss magazine will help them to do this.

This is a preview of the whole essay

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how it would become easier for them to be naturally pretty like the model. The readers will aspire to be Hilary Duff when they are older, and will think that Bliss magazine will help them to do this.

The next detail on the cover is the colours that have been used. There is a light, plain turquoise background to rest the eye, and to allow the rest of the cover to stand out. The colour is darker in the background where there is the least text. The writing is in contrasting colours, but in colours that complement each other. There is a lot of pink used on the cover to promote the fact that it is a ‘girlie’ magazine. There is a yellow corner flash with the title of one of the quizzes on it. This draws attention to the corner, and leads the reader to think about the direct question. There is also a yellow circle used to look like a sticker to give the impression that the titled article was a late edition, and that the magazine is ‘hot off the press’. This colour scheme of pink and yellow is quite girlie, which will appeal to the target audience. There is a large white banner reading ‘love your body’ across the magazine about two-thirds down the page. This is to draw the eye to this, and as many readers will not feel secure about their bodies, it will make them want to read it to find out how they can be more confident with their figures.

The shape of the lettering that is used gives an impression of the story it is describing. The title that reads ‘knife attack’ is in a sharp, pointed font. This seems to describe the nature of the article, short, sharp and to the point, and allows the reader to form a picture in their head of what happened. On the other hand, the font that says ‘love your body’ is smooth and rounded. It seems to promote the rounder body that they are trying to promote. It is also quite a light-hearted article, so they have used a fun, bubble-like font.

The title of the magazine is in a large pink font, all in lower case. It is pink to attract the attention of girls to the magazine. There are also the connotations of the colour pink to think of, pink represents love, girls, and happiness. If you thought a magazine included these things, then it would be a good thing to read to keep you happy or to cheer you up.

The final factor that appeals to the target audience on the cover is the language that is used. It is all in short sentences, which are to the point about what is included in the magazine. There are lots of teenage type words. These appeal to the target audience, which makes them think that the magazine is cool, and on their level. The language is not difficult, which would appeal to the readers that were not very confident at reading. It would show them that they would be able to cope with the level of the magazine. The slogan of the magazine ‘the best feeling in the world!’ makes the readers think that they can get the feeling of ‘bliss’ from reading the magazine.

The price is also very small at the bottom of the cover to distract the reader from knowing the price until they reach the counter to pay for the magazine.

On the second page of the magazine is a letter to the readers from the editor. This is also used to target the audience. The team at bliss uses a number of methods to do this. The letter is the first thing you see when you open the magazine. The letter contains a lot of teenage words, and slang, such as ‘ain’t’ ‘whopping’ ‘bod’ celebs’ ‘faddy’ and ‘clobber’. When they first open the magazine, the readers will want to see a summary of what the magazine will

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Be like for them all the way through. By using slang, and teenage words in the editor’s letter the readers will think that the magazine will be like this all the way through. They think that the magazine is written from their point of view, and is not too complicated. The editor’s letter uses simple sentences and not very many long words. There is a lot of white space in the background, which makes it easy to read. It also covers issues that the target audiences are concerned about. It talks about body shapes, and how everyone should be happy with their ‘bod’ and it also talks about clothes (‘clobber’) and celebrities (Trinny and Susannah). The way she addresses the readers sounds like she is talking to old friends, not to teenagers that she has never met before and probably never will. She uses phrases like ‘listen up’ and ‘you lot’. The picture of the editor also says a lot about how Bliss is targeting their audience. The ‘ed’ is standing causally with her thumbs hooked in her belt hooks. She is wearing clothes that are the latest fashion, and is smiling, like she is greeting the readers like her friends. She is trying to look ‘cool’ and relaxed to the readers, and I think that her make-up is an effort to try and make her look as young as possible, so that the readers think that she is very in touch with their needs and wants when it comes to a magazine. She is wearing clothes that are very fashionable to show the readers that if they read this magazine then they will have as many ideas about what to wear as she does. The picture is also summing up the message from the letter, she has been telling the readers to be ‘comfortable’ with their bodies, and here she is standing very confidently, even showing some of her stomach. I think she is being placed here as a potential role model for the readers.

The horoscopes in a magazine also help to target the audience. There are two main features of the language of horoscopes in a magazine, positive phrases and vagueness. In bliss, a lot of positive phrases are used to ‘predict’ your horoscopes. This is to make people want to read them. If you had negative-sounding horoscopes, then you would not want to read them, and they would make you unhappy and doubtful about the next period in your life. If they are positive, like they are in Bliss, then you want to read them because they make you feel good about yourself and hopeful for the future. Positive phrases in the horoscopes in Bliss include ‘big rewards later’ ‘heaps of mates’ and ‘you’ll be loved up’. With phrases like this in their horoscopes, it makes young teenagers feel secure, and like they have a lot of good experiences and feelings to look forward to in the future. If they are told they will be ‘loved up’ then they will be hopeful they will have a boyfriend. This will make them feel older, and make them want to read the magazine again for more news like this, and also for tips on how to impress the boy they are surely going to meet.

Another feature in the horoscopes in magazines is vague phrases. The horoscopes are non-specific that the readers can apply them to almost any situation and they will be correct. For example, take the phrase ‘ a new baby’. This could mean you personally could have a new baby, your mum could have a new baby, or your auntie could. It could fit into any situation involving babies that you wanted it to fit into, and you would think that your horoscope was correct. People generally want their horoscopes to be correct because of the positive phrases that are used. It gives readers something to look forward

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to in the next month if they are told they will get ‘heaps of mates’ or have ‘big rewards later’.

Another main feature of teenage magazines are the problem pages. People tend to read them, and like them, for a number of reasons. It can be amusing to hear some of the problems in them, it can be good to know that other people have problems too, we can be relieved we aren’t these people, and these letters can secretly solve our own problems. They are written in an instructive but caring sort of way. They tell the readers what to do, but reassure them at the same time. This can be reassuring for readers, and can make them feel that the agony aunts and uncles in the magazines care for them. Many people believe that they are made up, for a number of reasons. They think that people would not write into a magazine with these problems, the problems are the same from week to week, the advice given and the problems are too moral, the magazine do not reply personally to the problems, the language and writing is similar in all the problems, and the experts look too friendly. I agree some of this, but not all of it. I agree that the problems are made up to give the readers some form of friendly advice, just in case they are suffering from a similar problem themselves. I also think that they are another way of the targeting the audience. All the problems are from people aged from 13+, but mainly from people who are sixteen or seventeen. It is highly unlikely that anyone of that age would read Bliss magazine. It is just another way of making the readers feel sophisticated, and like they are sharing magazines with older girls whom they aspire to be like. The fact that there is a problem page for boys to write into also suggests that the problems are produced by the magazines editorial team. I think that it is difficult to believe that seventeen and eighteen year old boys would be reading a magazine aimed at twelve year old girls.

Overall, Bliss uses a lot of methods to target its audience, including having older cover models, and older girls featuring throughout the magazine, using teenage style language and slang, providing positive horoscopes, and talking to the readers like they are personal friends. I think that the most successful method of targeting the audience is to have older girls than the target audience featuring throughout the magazine. It is quite a subtle method, and makes the readers feel like they know how they are going to grow up.It increases the age range found in the magazine, and generally increases it to try and turn it into less of a ‘little girl’s’ magazine, because if there were twelve year old girls featuring frequently throughout, then it would not be very interesting for the twelve and thirteen year olds to read about people their own age. If all he people in the magazine are older, then it is enjoyable for all of the target age group. The least successful method I think is using teenage style language and slang. When I read teenage magazines when I was eleven or twelve, I found this patronising and annoying, and so did many of my friends.

Overall, I think that Bliss has done a good job of targeting its audience, it has been quite discreet, and it seems to have made the magazine just perfect for those readers of the right ages to be targeted. However, I think if it targets its audience anymore it will become patronising, and will be too much for the readers, and they will move on to a different magazine, aimed at older people.