OCR –Level 3 Cambridge Introductory Diploma in

Media

Unit 30: UK Media Publishing P1 and P2 Evidence

Name: Emily ThompsonCandidate Number: 6107Center Name: St. Andrew’s Catholic SchoolCenter Number: 64135

Set Brief - Print

Project/Brief –

Music Magazine & Promotion

SLIDE NUMBER: TITLE:

4 - Section One - Magazine

5 - Contacting Q magazine

6 - Bauer Media Group Publisher

7 - Q Magazine

8 - Key People at Q Magazine

9 - 10 - Production Process

11 - Demographics of Q Readers – Socio-Economic Needs Target Audience

12 - Readership and Circulation

13 - Brand Extensions

14 - Readership Online

15 - Advertising to Consumers: TV Advert Example

16 - 17 - Advertising to Consumers: Print Example

18 - Advertising Pricing

19 - National Express Partnership with Q

20 - 21 - Codes and Conventions, Denotations and Connotations of Q Front Cover

22 - 23 - Denotation and Connotation of a Double Page Spread

24 - Section Two: Newspaper

25 - Free sheet and Red top tabloid

26 - Broadsheet

27 - 28 - Codes and Conventions Denotation and Connotation of Newspaper

29 - 30 - Denotation and Connotation of Newspaper Double Page Spread

31 - Morrison’s partnership with The Sun

32 - 34 - Advertised products

35 - Demographics of The Sun

36 - Media Platform Promotion

37 - Advertising to Consumers: TV Advert Example

38 - Advertising Pricing

39 - 42 - The Sun Website Analysis

43 Conclusion

SECTION ONE: MAGAZINE

Before I carried out my initial research of Q magazine I decided that I would try to directly contact someone who worked for the magazine, the purpose of this was to obtain any useful material that will aid with my developing investigation. However after sending the email I have not received any response. I decided that as I have not obtained information directly from Q magazine that I would search for a press pack online, this result was more successful.

Within the press pack that is sourced from the Q advertising website there is lots of useful information that I will be able to reference to support my further research.

Contacting Q magazine:Relationship with the Magazine and Consumers

Products:

Today the Bauer Media Group currently offers over 500 magazines in 15 countries, as well as online, TV and radio stations. Popular magazine names include, Heat, Yours, Empire and many more specialist magazines. Additionally the Bauer Media Group have a selection of other music magazines other the Q, these include popular names Kerrang! and Mojo. Source:

http://magazines.bauermediaadvertising.com/magazines

Bauer Media Group Publisher

About:The Bauer Media Group is one of the largest publishing companies in the UK. Originally it started on the 2nd January 1875 when lithographer Ludolph Bauer established a printing house for business cards, this was based in Hamburg, Germany. Source:

https://www.bauermedia.com/en/historie/

Ideology:“Bauer Media Group is in a unique position to be able to deliver ground-breaking consumer insight to media professional, having more market leading brands across a wider breadth of market than any other media owner.”- Bauer Media Group, 2014

This connotes to their consumers that they have a high expectation of standards for their publications in order to remain a successful company. They accentuate this with the acknowledgement that they have the highest number of market leading brands within their industry.Source: https://www.bauermedia.co.uk/research

The connotations of ‘We think popular’ demonstrates to their audience that they know what the most common and popular trends are that are being desired by the readers.

Date of first publication: Q Magazine was started in October 1986; originally it was going to be named ‘Cue’ with the sub-title of ‘The modern guide to music and more’. However the magazines title made it mistaken for being a Snooker magazine so was quickly changed to the simple ‘Q’. Q Magazine is released on a monthly basis and provides readers with the latest insight into the indie genre of music.Source: http://magazines.bauermediaadvertising.com/magazines/detail/Q

Associated Products: Q Magazine now has an established website that is constantly being updated with the latest information about new music; additionally Q Radio was launched in 2008 when Bauer Media Group took over. Shows and presenters included Drivetime with Danielle Perry and Q the 80’s with Matthew Rudd. Unfortunately the station was closed mid-2013 when Bauer Media made the choice of changing the radio station to launch Kisstory. Source:

http://magazines.bauermediaadvertising.com/magazines/detail/Qhttp://www.qthemusic.com/

Publisher:Q Magazine was first published by EMAP media group. In 2008 EMAP sold their consumer magazine titles to the Bauer Media Group. The two launch editors of Q magazine are Mark Ellen and David Hepworth, they had the idea of creating a magazine that had high standards of photography and reached out to a large target audience. Source:

http://www.qthemusic.com/http://www.emap.com/http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/press/news/article/phil-alexander-now-editor-in-chief-of-q-magazine

Q Magazines Form

30.6 x 22.2 x 1.2 cm

Print and Digital:Q magazine publish their magazine both through print and online media. This means that their content is easier to access because of the variety of ways it can be consumed. On their website they strongly advertise their subscription service that offers readers a years worth of subscription for a fraction of the retail price, both print and media versions are available in this deal. By offering a discounted subscription service to readers this guarantees a set number of magazines to be released each month. This means that if the magazine does not sell well for one month Q magazine will still be making some money from their subscription readers who have already paid in advance.

Dimensions/Size of Q Magazine:Through researching on the Q Magazine official website (www.qthemusic.com), I have found that the dimensions of the print version of the magazine is approximately 30.6 x 22.2 x 1.2 cm. This is around the average size for a music magazine. For the digital versions of the magazine this depends on the device that is being used to view the content.

Style of Q Magazine:Q magazine has a consistent style through the different fonts, page layouts and images that they use. By keeping this consistency of the house style it generates association to the magazine. When repeating features such as font and colours schemes, eventually the reader will internalise these and feel that these are only specific features of the magazine and cannot be found anywhere else. Q magazine typically uses the colours red, blue, white and black to demonstrate this consistency.

Key People at Q Magazine:Source: http://magazines.bauermediaadvertising.com/news/detail/phil-alexander-now-editor-in-chief-of-q-magazine

Editor-in-Chief

Phil Alexander

Senior Editor

Matt Mason

Editor

Andrew Harrison

Associate Editor (Digital)

Paul Stokes

Associate Editor (Production)

Simon McEwan

Executive Content Director

Jane Johnson

Brand Director

Rob Walsh

Senior Music Content Team

Matt Phil

Music Manager

Martin Bojtos

Live Music and Media Planner

Joel Hopkins

Publisher

David Bostock

Through research I have been able to find the key people that are employed at Q Magazine.

The two highest people at a magazine company are the Editor-in-Chief and the Publisher. They make all the important decisions for the magazine.

Production Process:DATE OF PUBLICATION:The most important aspect of a magazine is when it is going to be published. Q Magazine is a monthly magazine, that it published around the end of each month, with the latest information of popular and new music.

MANAGING THE SCHEDULE:After the initial release date for the magazine is set a schedule is created. This is so that if anything is changed from the original content there will be an alternative and the magazine will be released on time.

EDITORIAL AND BUDGETARY DECISION:This next step is where the team comes together and decides the content that is going to be published in the magazine, this can include inviting special guests, photographs and even advertisements.

CONTENT ACQUISITION:Within this stage the person who is going to create the content is decided, this means that they have to choose between in-house writers or external writers to write about certain topics. Additionally illustrations are also being created whilst this is being decided.

Source: http://hosbeg.com/the-magazine-production-process/ http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w6gKMoKbO5A/UQu3McmsZBI/AAAAAAAAAmI/FR7-rGfvJ4A/s1600/contents+of+q+contents+page.tiff

Production Process Continued:

PAGE LAYOUT:There are a team specifically just for sorting out the layout of the magazine to see if all the content flows well and there is adequate space for advertisements. Once this is checked the advertisements are inserted next to the content.

PROOFREADING:The first hard copy of the magazine will be printed out in this stage, the editorial department will look over the final piece and check again for any mistakes, if any are found they will change it then print out an updated new copy.

SUB-EDITING:This stage focussed on the quality control of the magazine, details such as article facts, spelling and grammar mistakes and page layout all have to be checked. This is important so the magazine keeps up a good reputation and is high quality.

PUBLICATION AND DISTRIBUTION:Once all the content is proofread by the team the whole magazine is sent to print. When all of the magazines have been printed they will be boxed up and sent to a warehouse. Then there they will be sorted and sent to smaller distributers to be sold to the public.

Source: http://hosbeg.com/the-magazine-production-process/, http://www.newsstand.co.uk/i2388558/Zoom/Q-MAGAZINE_DEC-13.jpg

Demographics of Q Readers – Socio-Economic NeedsTarget Audience

Source: http://magazines.bauermediaadvertising.com/magazines/detail/Q

Source: http://ncrafts.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/socio-economic-needs.png

With reference to Hartley’s 7 Subjectivities this chart illustrates that the percentage demographic of readers are male aged 15-24 years old, the calculated median age is 32 years old.

- Age- Gender- Class- Ethnicity- Self-image- Nation- Family

The target audience and readership of Q Magazine according to the socio-economic need chart has a high 70% of readers that are in the boundary A, B and C1. This means that they have a high disposable income and are more likely to lead opinions within a group, known as an Explorer, in accordance with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Statistically Q Magazine has the second highest ABC1 out of the whole men’s magazine market from 2012-2013. Source:http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/uploads/QMediaPack-

Feb2013.pdf

The high proportion of male readers is due to the fact that articles within the magazine largely feature male dominated bands and singers.

Circulation: 48,353 (Jan- Jun ‘14)

Readership: 339,000 (Jan- Dec ‘13)

Statistics from February 2013

Unique Users 329,888

Page Impressions 569,659

Newsletter Subscribers 15,886

Readership and Circulation

Through my research I have found the statistics for Q Magazine’s circulation and readership. The magazine is released on a monthly basis. In comparison to the most recent statistics and statistics from June 2014 there is evidence that the circulation rate has declined by nearly half in three years.

Year (Jan-Jun) Circulation Statistics

2011 80,418

2012 64,596

2013 58,980

2014 48,3530

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

2011 2012 2013 2014

Circulation Statistics

Although there is evidence of a sharp decrease in circulation numbers, Q magazine has noticed a growth in users accessing content online through their website ‘qthemusic.com’ with around 329,888 unique users. Additionally Q has access to brand extensions such as the Q app for iPad users.

Source: http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/customer-publishing

Source: http://magazines.bauermediaadvertising.com/magazines/detail/Q

Source: http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/uploads/QMediaPack-Feb2013.pdf

Brand Extensions:Relationship Between the Magazine and Audience

Q For iPad:Mid 2012 Q released an iPad edition of their magazine, this engaged all tablet readers with full magazine content, behind-the-scenes footage as well as video and audio clips. The Q iPad edition was built on publishing company Bauer Media’s exclusive tablet technology, which enables advertisers to contribute as well. The first issue to be released on the Q iPad application was the October 2012 issue that featured Muse, the subscription service that has become available on the tablet has a starting price of £2.99 for basic content.

The Q Awards:Started in 1990 the Q awards is an annual UK music event that showcases the biggest icons in music. Guest musicians include, The Rolling Stones, Sir Paul McCartney, Oasis, Radiohead, Adele, Pink Floyd and many more.

Richer Unsigned:Richer unsigned was set up in 2014 in association with Q Magazine, it is a non-profit organisation that promotes unknown artists through their website. Every month a competition is help where bands and artists can upload an original track, then people vote on their favourite track, at the end of the month the winner is announced and they win experiences playing in front of hundreds of people and time in a professional studio.

Readership OnlineRelationship Between the Magazine and AudienceThere is evidence of cross media convergence through several social media outlets. These all enable the opportunity for readers to become a ‘prosumer’ by voicing their opinions and queries directly to the Q Magazine team. Additionally Q Magazine uses social media to attract readers to different elements of the Q brand. Through research I have found that Q Magazine has an active YouTube, Twitter and Facebook page.

Social Media Statistics from September 2014

YouTube SubscribersSource: http://www.youtube.com/user/Q4music

3,472

Facebook FansSource: https://www.facebook.com/QMagazine

80,067

Twitter FollowersSource: https://twitter.com/QMagazine

101,00

On the Q Magazine’s YouTube page is ‘Featured Channels’, this illustrates that Bauer Media, (the magazine’s publishing company) is using social media to promote other products they distribute this is an example of synergy.

Source: http://magazines.bauermediaadvertising.com/magazines/detail/Q

Advertising to Consumers: TV Advert ExampleRelationship Between the Magazine and Audience

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78UVEVzPeX4

Through my research I have found on YouTube a Q Magazine television advert, this is an example of an E-media platform. Firstly the bold red Q logo flashes on screen against a white background, this grabs the viewers attention with a woman's non-diegetic voice over of “put the all new Q magazine on shuffle”. Immediately after, the content of the magazine is revealed with appropriate sound effects and lettering, this creates a positive visual and audio aesthetic. The advertisement displays a diverse cultural range of content from the magazine, including music, politics and films, this ensures the captivation of a wide target audience. After the content of the magazine is visually displayed one after the other, this then switches to a shot of the front cover of the magazine with a voice over saying “Q a different take on music”. This connotes that they are intentionally trying to add diversity and increase readership.

There are 170 views (as of September 2014) on the YouTube video, this is surprising a small amount compared to the popularity of the magazine. However, the channel that posted the video is not an official Q magazine account.

The timing of the video is 30 seconds long, this is the standard timing of a television advert.

The suggested videos on the right hand side of the page attract a larger audience because of content from AC/DC

Advertising to Consumers: Print Example

March 2009 Issue No. 272

I have taken this photograph of a half a page spread featuring a Rizla advertisement, this is one example of print media advertising.The verbal codes of this advert are simple yet effective, in the centre of the image is a Rizlapackage with ‘SUITED +’. The bold yellow lettering draws the eye towards the advert because of the contrasting colours between the writing and the navy blue background. Other verbal codes include smaller bold white writing in the top and bottom right corners, these display the website of the brand and also the brand name again in yellow and a slogan of, “Its what you make of it”. This slogan is directed at the reader and is personal to their own opinion of what it actually means.Continually one of the main highlighting visual codes within this advertisement are the bright red wellington boots. This is evidence of symbolism as wellington boots are typically associated with music festivals, the readership of the magazine are the target audience for music festivals are likely to relate to this and are drawn to the product.

One technical code within this advertisement is the shot type, this image was taken at eye level so the reader can directly see the product. However the two subject images were taken separately and then resized later in the editing process. Additionally in the editing stage the Rizla package has been made to look like it is leaning between the pair of boots.

Advertising to Consumers: Print Example

October 2014 Issue No. 339

By including all three of the these album advertisement on one page shows that they are up to date with a variety of music throughout several different genres.

I have taken a picture of this set of advertisements in Q magazine, it was featured near the beginning of the magazine. The three advertisements all are album release based, and feature different artists.First Advertisement: Tweedy Album ReleaseThe visual codes within this advertisement show an image of the artists, the most eye-catching feature is the textured background because of the slight variation in colour. The technical code of this image in relation to the shot type is a close up. This gives them a dramatic feel as one of them looks into the lens and another looks away. On the right hand side of the advertisement is an image of the album cover, this reminds the reader what the cover looks like and serves as a ‘visual imperative’ (Galtung & Ruge). Second Advertisement: Spoon Album ReleaseThe main thing that stands out in this advertisement is the verbal code, the album title ‘Spoon’ is in a large italic font in the centre of the page. Underneath there is in a smaller font ‘They want my soul’ this grabs the readers attention as it is not a common saying. Similar to the previous advert there is also the image of the album cover that has comparable colours to the main background.Third Advertisement: Simian Mobile Disco – WhorlFor this last advertisement the visual code is very dark, the main colours are black, grey and orange. The contrast between the dark black and the bright orange colours make the album cover be the most prominent feature within the advert. Additionally there are also verbal codes, these are all in white and state the title of the album , release date and also the technical convergence through the link to their official website.

Advertising Pricing

Source: http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/uploads/QMediaPack-Feb2013.pdf

This is an example double page spread advertisement from the October 2014 issue of Q magazine. The placement of the advert was on the first double page of the magazine before the contents page. An estimate of how much this would cost is £19,136 because it is a simple display advertisement but is within the front half (FH) of the magazine.

Advertising within a magazine such as Q can vary in price dependant on whereabouts in the magazine the advert is placed, how big it is and what type of advertisement.The rate of advertisement is a high figure because of the large amount of readership that the magazine has, this correlates to the higher the readership the more expensive advertising.

http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/uploads/Q-MediaPack-2011.pdf

National Express Partnership with QRelationship with the Advertiser and the Publisher

In early 2013 Q magazine developed a partnership with National Express to help advertise during the Reading and Leeds festival period in August. The intention of this campaign was to create a connection with the magazine audience and encourage them to go to the music events throughout the year, suggesting that the best method of travelling to these events is by National Express coach.

The concept launch of this partnership was to give readers the chance to win an ‘Ultimate Rock ’n Roll Experience’ when travelling to either Reading or Leeds on a National Express coach. The Rock ‘n Roll Experience included The Hives private gig on-board the National Express coach and the change to meet and talk to the band.

There were several ways that this partnership competition was advertised to readers, Q Magazine released two whole page spread advertorials that aimed at encouraging readers to enter the competition and then review their experience afterwards.Additionally there was lots of other cross media convergence such as advertisements online, newsletters and on all social media site outlets.

Source: http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/uploads/QMediaPack-Feb2013.pdf

Codes and ConventionsDenotations and Connotations of Q Front Cover:

The denotation of the masthead on the Front Cover is ‘Q’. The logo of the magazine is a bright eye catching red background against the contrasting white ‘Q’ lettering. This red colouring connotes that they are passionate about what they publish. Additionally the positioning of the masthead being at the top right hand corner of the page means it is easy to see in a magazine shelf. The font that has been used for the ‘Q’ is similar to that of the font type ‘Arial’ this is a common font used by many making it easily recognisable, this can further connote that the magazine can be trusted as it is familiar.

The denotation of the strapline is ‘The worlds greatest music magazine” this has been placed above the masthead. The connotation of this being at the top could mean that is of high important to the magazine, additionally this has been done so the text does not get overshadowed by any other text on the front cover.

Within this list are secondary stories that are featured in the magazine, they have been included on the front cover as they still can gain ‘star appeal’ from the target audience with the bold lettering and bright red colour. These have been positioned around the front page image so they appear next to or slightly behind, this is because they are not associated with the main story.

In the bottom left hand corner of the magazine is the barcode, price and date of the magazine. The retail price is £3.99, this demonstrates that the socio-economic group that Q is targeted at is high, meaning they have more of a disposable income to spend on the magazine.

October 2014 Issue No. 339

This has been positioned under the magazine masthead, this is due to the fact that people will look directly underneath for what the content of the magazine includes, a connotation of this is that it has a higher importance as it closer to the main logo.The denotation of the main headline is the text ‘Oasis’, this is one of the largest titles on the page, this connotes its importance within the magazine and that that information must not be missed. The black colouring of the letters makes it really contrast with the white background and the smaller red text surrounding it, further making it stand out. To support the main headline the magazine have included a quote from the story inside, the denotation of the quote is ‘Noel: “There was a lot of trauma…”, the connotation behind this is to draw the reader to read through the magazine and find the story.

This has to relate to the main story of the magazine. The image has been positioned in the centre connoting that it is the pivotal point of the magazine with all other text placed behind it. The technical code that has been used is a close up shot, this connotes that the reader is going to get up close and personal with the person.

On this edition of the magazine is a special edition promotion, because of the front cover featuring a well known band known as ‘star appeal’, they have two magazines published that are identical except for the front cover, featuring a different band member. This encourages fans of the band to buy both versions of the magazine, thus increasing sales.

October 2014 Issue No. 339

Codes and ConventionsDenotations and Connotations of Q Front Cover:

At the start of the article a drop capital has been used, this is an effective way of grabbing the readers attention towards the start of the article. This is the same colour as the main body of text.

This has been positioned below the main headline in smaller text, however it is larger than the main body of text. The purpose of this is to ‘sell’ a feature of the story to the reader. ‘Star appeal’ has been used as the band name ‘Motley Crue’ are in larger and different red font within the sentence to catch the eye.

The purpose of the quote is to highlight the most important or entertaining aspects of the interview to make the reader interested, these usually are thought-provoking and include quirkiness or drama. For example “What did we do with the burritos after…” This relates to Katz uses and gratifications theory, where the sole purpose of the article is to inform and educate. The quote has been placed at the top of the page where there is a clearer background so the text can be seen easier.

Denotations and Connotation of a Double Page Spread

The authors and photographers name are included underneath the stand first.

The technical codes for this image are the long shot that has been used, this gives the image a very informal feel, the low key lighting also adds to this making the people feel natural and not in a staged environment.

October 2014 Issue No. 339

In Q magazine the questions are in a bolder font, this stands out on the page, whilst the guest response is in non-bold. This makes the interview easier on the eye to read and causes less confusion with who what the question is. The denotation of the respondents names are in bold, and at first their full name is shown once, after this only their initials are shown. Furthermore this connotes they want the reader to feel at ease when reading and cause less confusion with names.

There are several captions on and around some of the images of the double page spread, this includes quotes from the article and why they relate to also naming the people within the photographs.

They have included images on these pages to make them more visually appealing, they all relate to the article and also have been captioned appropriately.

On the bottom corners of each page is a page number, it is a basic font throughout the whole of the magazine. Additionally there is also a small Q logo and the date of issue, the Q logo is the only thing that is red in colour, this is a reoccurring theme throughout.

Denotations and Connotation of a Double Page Spread

October 2014 Issue No. 339

SECTION TWO: NEWSPAPER

These are newspapers that are distributed with no charge, they make their revenue with large amounts of advertising content. They are typically found in urban areas and are either handed out or put on individual newspaper stands for the whole day.They first originated in the 1880’s in Germany and were distributed as twice weekly newspaper in the town of Lübeck.The major free sheet that has the largest amount of readership is Metro. It originated in 1995 as a daily free sheet on public transport in Stokholm, Sweden. After this Metro slowly introduced itself into the free sheet market of many European countries, including the UK. Currently Metro has 13 editions and a combined readership of 1.3 million just within the UK. Source:

http://www.newspapers.co.uk/newspaper-types-and-formats/

Free Sheet: Red Top Tabloid:These newspapers are suitably named after their distinguishing bright red masthead. A tabloid typically measures 11 X 17 inches and is five columns across, this is much narrower that a typical broadsheet newspaper. Because tabloids are smaller in size, the content is also reduced to a smaller length.The writing style within these papers are commonly known as tabloid journalism, within this there is particular emphasis to crime stories, astrology, gossip columns and sports stars. Additionally there are elements of sensationalism as not all information that is given is completely accurate. The price of these newspapers are around the baseline of 80p, this is due to the fact of the large amounts of advertising and promotional material. Source:

http://www.newspapers.co.uk/newspaper-types-and-formats/

Broadsheet:

These are paid for daily newspapers, they are distinguished by their large page size. The content in the newspaper is seen as a higher standard of journalism. The connotation of this is that more intellectual people read this type of newspaper because of the in depth analysis of stories and less sensationalist content compared to free sheet and red top tabloid papers.

Compared to tabloid newspapers broadsheet include more than one lead story on the front cover, this is due to more space and less advertising. The top half of the newspaper, above the fold has the most important headlines, whereas below the fold the less important lead stories were published. This is because when placed in a newsstand the top half of the paper was the only thing that could be seen.

Broadsheet newspapers were first published in 1618 in the Netherlands. They began to appear in the UK around the 1700’s after a tax was placed on newspapers based on how many pages there was, therefore instead of more pages, they were just increased in size.

The original purpose of the broadsheet was to publish important public royal proclamations, acts and official notices.Source: http://journalism.about.com/od/trends/a/tabloidsbroadsheets.htm

The denotation of the lead story is ‘Everybody was kung fuel fighting’, the connotation of this with the play on words is that the red top tabloid is taking a humorous approach to their stories. This is a good way to relate to people and also grabs the attention of people because of the pun that has been used.

The denotation of the masthead shows the logo of the ‘Daily Mirror’, the colour of the bright red background can connote that it is of high importance or that they are passionate about what they publish.

The denotation of this advertisement is ‘Your ultimate guide to cracking Easter eggs –from just 99p’, the connotations that are behind this are that they are cheap and affordable for everyone, because of the word ‘ultimate’ the readers assumes that it will be the best guide. A visual code on this advert is the image of smiling children, parents will be attracted to this as they will see it as a useful guide to entertaining their own children throughout Easter.

Codes and ConventionsDenotation and Connotation of Newspaper

Friday March 30th 2012

Other articles that are inside the newspaper are in a smaller font on the cover. The colours that have been used are brighter than the main story this is because they have less space but still can be interesting to the audience. A small amount of information has been included on the story with just a simple sentence on what it included. Additionally images that are related to the story have are used, however these are not as eye-catching compared to the main image and only feature peoples faces.

This has been placed behind the text of the main headline, however the text is wrapped around the image, so the important features such as the police officer can still be seen. Another image has been included below to really illustrate the effect of the main headline. One visual imperative of the newspaper (Galtung and Ruge) that attracts the reader to buy the newspaper is the image of the police officer, when the public see this they automatically assume something has gone wrong this can also be related to semiotics, “signs act as signifiers” (Ferdinand De Saussure).

The purpose of this is so that the reader can establish the facts of the story quickly and easily. This has been placed under the lead story to encourage them to read on.

Friday March 30th 2012

Codes and ConventionsDenotation and Connotation of Newspaper

Denotation and Connotation of Newspaper Double Page Spread

Thursday September 18th, 2014

These give snippets of the main parts of the article, these tend to be short and are aimed at making the reader interested in the story so they will be willing to read on.

The denotation of the headline for the newspaper is ‘Irn Broon’, which has been used as a pun to capture the readers attention. This could connote that the newspaper is presenting the story in a humorous way to relate to readers. One visual code is that the main headline has been placed in the centre of the page, this can connote its high importance.

These are in the top right hand corners of the page, this is useful as people turn the pages by using the top corners. Additionally there is the Sun logo next to the page numbers.

Included in the article are several pictorial statistics, these create a visual imperative (Galtung & Ruge) on the page as well as including useful information that is highly valued by readers. They are useful to create an easier outline of what is in the article, in relation to Katz, they are there to ‘inform and educate’ the reader.

There is evidence of this at the bottom of the page, the denotation of this is ‘Follow all the drama with the Sun+’, this connotes to readers that they are a modern newspaper and have accessibility through a variety of social media sites that will keep them up to date.

The news values (Galtung & Ruge) that apply to this double page spread are both recency and threshold magnitude. This is where there is a big event happening (Vote of Scottish independence) so it is seen as threshold magnitude, however this topic has been in headlines for several days so is also classified as recency, as it is updated.

Denotation and Connotation of Newspaper Double Page Spread

Thursday September 18th, 2014

The denotation of the image is that it is the centre of the double page spread, this can connote that it is of high importance. Additionally the main image focusses on Gordon Brown who is an important political figure this can further connote that everyone should read the article based on his dramatic gestures within the image. The main headline and copies have been placed over the bottom of the image, this is useful as the image is the main appealing factor, the reader will then be interested to read the rest of the article.

On the main image there is a small caption that denotes ‘Plea…Brown in Glasgow yesterday’, this provides more information about the image and what it connotes.

There are limited associated images in this double page spread, the ones that are have been appropriately placed. Additionally the text is positioned around the image effectively.

Within this article there is a smaller column that focus on both The Sun’s opinions on the debateable topic of Scottish independence. The Sun has taken a biased method of stating their opinion by obviously stating they are against the idea of Scottish independence, at the end of the column they have added the text ‘Quite a choice they’re making for us.’, this is very informal and illustrates their conservative political influence.

This is at the start of the article, the first sentence is in bold to grab the readers attention and invites them to read on. This is similar to a stand first in a magazine.

Morrison’s partnership with The SunRelationship Between the Advertiser and Publisher

In the centre pull out of the newspaper there is a four page spread on ‘Mrs Crunch’ this is a partnership with Morrison’s, this is not the first time that a partnership has occurred. In August 2014 Morrison’s launched the ‘Get your five a day’ scheme, this is where in Morrison’s offered a £5 off voucher on all of their fruit and vegetables for two issues of the sun. the purpose behind this was to gain popularity with their new lower prices on all fresh produce. Source:

http://www.fruitnet.com/fpj/article/162368/morrisons-partners-with-the-sun-to-promote-produce

The four page spread is another tactical way to increase consumerism at Morrison’s, the purpose of ‘Mrs Crunch’ is to portray the ideology of Morrison’s being a supermarket brand that “saves you and your family money”. The ‘Mrs Crunch’ partnership is estimated to last four twelve consecutive months to give readers money saving tips and ideas only using Morrison’s products.This was the first time that The Sun and an outside company have come together to launch a new advertorial section for readers. Source:

http://www.getmemedia.com/ideas/case-study-positioning-morrisons-as-the-moneysaving-supermarket/news-uk.html

Source:http://www.thegrocer.co.uk/Pictures/420xAny/6/6/4/57664_morrisons-sun.jpg

Advertised Products:

Thursday September 18th, 2014c

Morrison's Nescafe Price Check:On the fourth page of the newspaper there is an advertisement created by Morrison’s superstore. One visual code of this advert is that they have placed the product (Nescafe Coffee) in the centre of the advert with the usual Morrison’s yellow background behind it, the simplistic background and the one image makes the product stand out on the page because of the contrasting colours. There are more verbal codes for this advertisement, at the top is their slogan, this denotes, ‘Big brands, small prices’ the saying attracts the reader as they connote that they are getting good quality products for a smaller price. Surrounding the image of the product are three different coloured rectangles, these have other superstore names and the price it costs to buy the product, the colours of the rectangles match the same colour found on their logo’s. Additionally, one of the rectangles is placed above the product this is double the size of the others, this shows the cheaper price of just four pounds and is in in bright red to capture the readers attention, this is Morrison's price of the product.

In the bottom right hand corner of the advert they have included the logo of Morrison's and the text ‘Visit your store today!’ and ‘Ends Sunday’, this encourages people to go to the store and buy the product sooner because it is at the cheaper price for a limited time only.Other text that is included in the advert is in the smallest print at the bottom of the page, this is information about the product, how long the deal lasts for and how to locate the nearest store. This is an example of technical convergence as they have included their web address.The position of this advert is very juxtaposing, this is due to the fact that the advert is talking about saving money and small prices, whereas positioned next to it is an article about Manchester United players going out to a luxury party.

This advert has specifically been advertised in The Sun newspaper because they have a lower quantity of people in a high socio-economic group, therefore they are looking for good deals and cheaper prices as they have less disposable income.

Thursday September 18th, 2014

Near the centre of the newspaper are two advertisements for the company ‘Npower’ these are both on separate pages. This has been done to intrigue the reader and make them question the company and the product they are selling.

Advertised Products:

The first advertisement is on page twenty one. One non-verbal code code of this is the image of a flying duck, the colour of the duck is not stereotypically the normal colours and instead has been changed to the two primary colours of the logo, red and blue. This grabs the readers attention as it contrasts well with the plain beige background, it then encourages them to find out why it has been placed specifically there and what the advertisement is trying to connote.There are two verbal codes on the first advertisement, the denotation of this is “come home to simpler energy”, this can connote to the reader that because of the adverts simplicity the product they provide is also simple and creates little hassle, furthermore backed up by the verbal code “simpler energy”.The second visual code is the logo of the company, this denotes “npower” in all lowercase lettering, this does not stand out well, however the border that surrounds it is in similar colour to the flying duck.

The second advertisement is situated on page twenty three.The only non-verbal code on the second half of this advert is again the lowercase logo with the coloured background and border.However the are many verbal codes, this second half of the advert is very text heavy. Within the text there are two statements within the group that stand out in bright pink lettering, these are also in bold. The denotation of the text is “We want to make energy better” and also “Simple and clear. The way energy should be.”

The connotation of this is that they appear to be confident about their perception and are encouraging readers to join them because of this. The non-bold text that is in simple black lettering is all worded in third person, such as ‘we’ and ‘we’ve’, this can make the advertisement feel more personal to reader.Finally another important feature that has been included on this advert is the use of technical convergence, in one of the last sentences they encourage the readers to ‘find out more’ at ‘npower.com’.

Page 21 Page 23

Advertised Products:Relationship Between the Advertiser and Publisher

Thursday September 18th, 2014

The denotation of the visual code is the bright red background that matches the typical Sun logo colours, this can connote to the reader that it is an highly important or that they are passionate about their brand. The different white text against the red makes all the information appear bold making it stand out well against the page, this can grab the readers attention and denote that it is something that must not be missed. Another important visual code is the images that have been used, the denotation of this is the picture frame showing a family holding surf boards in an idyllic location. This can connote to readers, specifically someone who is looking to go on holiday with their family that it is easy and relaxing to go on holiday with The Sun. Other images that have been used are pictures of an computer tablet, a laptop and a phone, this can connote to the reader that there is easy access to Sun+ as it is available on all different types of technology and social media platforms, this is backed up visually with pictures of the website on all of the devices screens.

The position of this advertisement is near the centre of the newspaper. There is no relationship between the advertiser and publisher, this is due to the fact that they are both The Sun, this is good evidence of them self promoting their brand extension ‘Sun+’ through a print based media platform.

There are lots of verbal codes within this advertisement, the biggest and most noticeable one is the price they are selling for Sun holidays, this is the largest on the page and denotes “Book your holiday from £9.50 with Sun+”, the connotation from this is that they are getting great value for money as typically holidays can be very expensive. Additionally the demographics of the newspaper will be target for this advert, this is due to the fact that they are lower down in the socio-economic group and characteristically have a smaller disposable income. Furthermore there is more information about The Sun holidays below the main eye-catching price, this is to inform people about terms and conditions and illustrate how easy it is to go on holiday with The Sun.There is also evidence of technical convergence, this is provided with the web address at the bottom of the page, also the ‘visual imperative’ (Galtung & Ruge) of the electronic devices can symbolise that they are connected online.

0

20

40

60

80

100

The Sun Readers Age Range

65+

55-64

45-54

35-44

25-34

15-24

Source: http://www.themediabriefing.com/article/youth-audiences-newspaper-old-demographics-advertising

0 50 100

Male

Female

% of male’s that read The Sun newspaper based on socio-economic needs

ABC1 C2DE

6.2% 15.8%

Through research I have found statistics on the average readers age, gender and lifestyle.For the age demographic of The Sun readers the highest proportion of readers are aged 65+, the statistics show that it is at 21%, the second highest age that follows this are ages 45-54 at 19%. This displays that The Suns content appeals to an older age range on average, however in comparison the statistics for younger ages are also relatively high at 17%, this can connote that The Sun appeals to a variety of ages because of its diversity of stories. This is with reference to Katz uses and gratifications theory, where the audience have personal identification, meaning they relate to the character and or situation portrayed.

For the gender divide on readership the higher percent of readership is males, although looking at previous statistics it shows that there is constantly a fluctuation between the male and female audience. Features within the newspaper that can appeal to each gender include fashion trends for the more feminine reader and a risqué page 3 and sports updates for the masculine.

The lifestyle of The Sun readers illustrated through the data that I have collected demonstrates that there is a higher proportion of people in the socio-economic group of C2, D and E. These are typically those who are in manual labour, unemployed or a student. The content of the newspaper appeals to this target audience because of the affordable price, additionally the stories that are included are somewhat relatable to their lifestyle therefore this can relate to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and the ‘caregiver’ trait, where they sympathise with a characters situation.All of these statistics are in reference to Hartley's seven subjectivities, this includes age and gender.

Demographics of The Sun

The Sun uses several media platforms to create technical convergence, this is done through social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.On each of these social media sites there is evidence of advertising, they update readers on the latest news stories and popular information. With a greater accessibility to social media sites consumers also have the opportunity to become a ‘prosumer’ this is where the reader can speak their opinions through comment sections and hashtags, making them increasingly involved with important news stories and issues.

Additionally on The Sun’s YouTube channel they have advertisements that are broadcasted on TV, these are shown nationally to readers and have the aim to promote getting involved and subscribing to The Sun to get the latest information on News, Sports and Celebrities.

Media Platform PromotionRelationship Between the Newspaper and the Audience

On the Facebook information page of The Sun there are products that they have, under each product there is a web address that when clicked on instantly open up a new page with the product on. This is another example of cross-media convergence, as there are many links to signing up to news things and looking at their other social media sites.

Advertising to Consumers: TV Advert ExampleRelationship Between the Newspaper and Audience

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khV6hg0oFEo

Through researching The Sun I have found a TV advert that was released in 2014 for the World Cup, this is an example of cross media convergence. This is due to the fact that for the advert there is a hashtag that has specifically been made for the campaign thedenotation of this is ‘#DoUsProud’, which can connote to the audience that they are contributing to supporting their country so gains approval from others. At the start of the advertisement is a male dressed in England football gear, he then headers the football and passes it down a line of people, both male and female. Whilst this is happening a song is playing in the background, and the verbal code of the lyrics of the song are seen on the footballers shirts, the camera pans along with the people. This then moves outside of the building into a large crowd of diverse people cheering. This then pans away from the crowd and into the sky, The Sun logo then appears also with the hashtag and more technical convergence denoting ‘download the track’ with a web address.

The demographics of this advert are aimed at people who like football, stereotypically football fans are lower in the socio-economic chart, which is similar to The Suns socio-economic position. Additionally The Sun are using this advert to attract an increased amount of people to read their newspaper because of their large coverage of sport.

This is the views as of September 2014, whereby the high views on the video may be due to the fact that it was posted on the official The Sun YouTube page.

On the right hand side of the page there is suggested videos, this is a good way of advertising the other videos as they are mainly published by The Sun.

The length of the advertisement is typically longer than a normal advertisement.

There is the opportunity to share the video across other medias platforms, this can increase the views and popularity of the video.

Advertising Pricing:

Above are three examples of the simple advertisements that can be found in The Sun, these were in the issue dated Thursday September 18th, 2014.All three were found before page seventeen which will have a significantly higher price than further back advertisements.The most expensive of all three shown is Asda’s advert for their food and drink, this is a full page advertisement situated on page ten, just after the main headline story. The average price for this is around £55,502 as it is an international newspaper.

Advertising in The Sun magazine has many variables that can affect the price, these include the position, size and also what region it will be shown in.The prices of the magazine show a relationship with the amount of people that will see the advertisement. The more people that view the advert, the higher the final cost.The Sun also offers premium advertising positions within the newspaper, these include full colour pages that are guaranteed on a specific page number.

Source: http://newscommercial.co.uk/assets/pdfs/Sun_Display_compress.pdf

Full Page Half Page 25x4

The Sun Website Analysis – Home PageRelationship between the Newspaper and the Consumers

This is the main homepage of The Sun website, online The Sun is called ‘Sun+’, which can connote to the consumer that they are gaining extra exclusive content because they have included the ‘+’ on the end of the title.At the top of the page is the opportunity to log on to your own personal account, once you have logged in it takes you to your Sun page where there are articles promoted to you that you are more likely to read based on what you have read previously. If you do not have an account there is a button which will re-direct you to the sign up page, the denotation of ‘free’ on the button can connote to the consumer that they are saving money as typically to gain access to The Sun content through a print newspaper there is a cost.

On the home page they do not focus on one single story, there is a revolving window that changes between the stories that canbe seen in a smaller window at the bottom. This has been done to attract a variety of readers so they cover all angles of thenews. Most of the news stories on The Sun website are soft news stories, which are based around celebrities and sports.There is also evidence of self-promotion on the home page, in the bottom right hand corner is a small advert that denotes ‘Get a free one month trial here’, this can connote to the reader that they will be getting exclusive free content at no price. Based on the demographics of the readership for The Sun, stereotypically they are in a lower socio-economic group (D – E), therefore they have less of a disposable income. This means that they will be more attracted to free trials as they do not have to spend large amounts of money on staying up to date.

Source: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/

The Sun Website Analysis – Contact UsRelationship between the Newspaper and the Consumers

On The Sun website at the bottom of the page there is dark grey menu bar that can direct consumers to certain pages. On the ‘contact us’ page there is a link that allows the consumer to email someone in the main exclusive stories department. This allows the consumer to become a ‘citizen journalist’ (Gillmor - 2004), this is where readers can send in their stories which will then be considered for publishing if they are detailed and relevant enough. This is a positive aspect of the relationship between the newspaper and the consumer as sometimes the newspaper will not have the opportunity to accurately report something due to a lack of valid information.

Also on The Sun ‘contact us’ page there are several other links that include sending in pictures and reporting technical issues with the website.

Source: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/article296174.ece

The Sun Website Analysis – Editorial ComplaintsRelationship between the Newspaper and the Consumers

“Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint click here.”

Source: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/article5806096.ece

If there are any criticisms about content within The Sun, at the bottom of their home page there is a link that is provided to make a complaint. This then takes you to the ‘Editorial complaints’ page, included is the main policy that complaints must follow and different contact details further down the page for different sections of the newspaper or online.For further research I looked on the official Press Complaints Commission website, where there is details on how to complain and the policies newspapers must follow.

Source: http://www.pcc.org.uk/complaints/makingacomplaint.html

Unit 30 –UK Media Publishing – “Conclusion”

Within this learning outcome I focused on understanding existing print based media products. I looked at several magazine and newspaper examples including, Q Magazine, The Sun and The Daily Mirror.

Here I looked into the demographics of the readership, how they attract their readers and the denotations and connotations of the front covers and double page spreads. By looking at all of these areas I am able to develop my knowledge of what is expected of print based media products and how there are many details that need to be considered before they are published.

Additionally I also looked at the brands and products that were associated with the magazines and newspapers. I found that they regard it highly important to have a good relationship with the consumer, so many advertisements and competitions are sponsored. I plan to repeat this in future when I generate my own ideas for a print media product.