How will my research inform my planning?

Magazine Analysis

By analysing two magazines it gave me a greater insight of how magazines follow and use codes and conventions effectively in their own way. This was a very useful process as it enabled me to think about what codes and conventions I will follow when creating my own magazine and how to make it successful. In my first analysis of XXL magazine, I realised how important the masthead is as this will form as a logo for your magazine and how people recognise you as a brand. Therefore I am going to ensure my masthead is eye catching and appealing to they eye for my target audience so they will remember and recognise it, therefore promoting and advertising the brand/logo of my magazine. Secondly, from analysing B&S magazine I realised the importance of the images of the artists that feature on the front of the magazine and have the top cover story as this is again what the reader is looking at and if the image does not convey the right look and attitude of an R&B artist then the target audience will simply not be interested and put the magazine down. I also found the importance of organization of text on the contents page and double page spread - large chunks of small text with no sectioning or grouping is not appealing to the eye and simply won't be read. For this reason, I will ensure my magazine has no heavy chunks of small text and I will group/section and colour code text to appeal to the eye and make my magazine enjoyable to read. 

My Survey 

My survey was very valuable to my planning because it gave me a clear idea of what my target audience would like to be included in an R&B magazine. I will use the results I found throughout the planning process in order to come out with a successful result that is going to be popular with my target audience of 16-24 year old R&B fans and will sell. The feedback I received also made me reconsider what I will feature in the double page spread of my magazine as originally I assumed an interview with an artist would be what people prefer to read about most. However, my research showed me that alongside interviews with artists, upcoming music events were equally as popular to read about. Therefore when creating my magazine I am going to try and combine the two to create a magazine that will appeal to my target audience. The first question of my survey was "What is your favourite genre of music?", this meant I could identify how many of the people answering my survey were actually potential customers. R&B came out as the most popular answer receiving 4 out of 11 votes, although this is not a huge number, it is still reasonable in consideration of the small sample size and enabled me to know how relevant the data I had collected actually was.

Product Placement

Product placement showed me how to distribute my genre of magazine correctly and efficiently. Due to R&B music may not being as popular as others, it has a very specific distribution method. Magazines such as Vibe and XXL are mostly available via the internet. It is rare to find a shop specialised to R&B magazines, however they may be found in certain news agents or book stores.Product placement enabled me to identify where all the current R&B magazines on the market were being sold so then I could ensure my magazine stood out against them when being placed on the market. To ensure my magazine stands out I will have an effective, eye catching and memorable: name, colour scheme and cover line with an appropriate and intriguing main image.