Question 4

QUESTION 4: Who would be the audience for your media product?

 My media product is a music magazine called 'SENSATION'. It is a magazine which focuses on the genre of pop music and current trends, and therefore is aimed at teenagers, predominately females ages 16+. I have chosen this to be my target audience, as this group of people are most familiar with the genre and artists of today's generation and i feel it will appeal to this audience range as they are most suited. The images on the left illustrate the type of people who would purchase and read Sensation. It is mostly aimed at teenagers who are most likely to be in higher education or in college. The majority of my target audience may also be students. My target audience is most likely to be wearing the latest trends of clothing, something fashionable or unique to their individual taste. The picture demonstrates what a typical teenager might wear during the summer time. Brands fro Topshop, River Island, h&m, Boohoo.com and ASOS seem to be current at the moment and many designer brands. They may dress like this under influence from celebrities and public figures, and taking care of their appearance and outfit is something very important to them. 

My target market is most likely to be living away from home as they would be studying a degree at university, either in halls of residents, sharing a flat or student house or perhaps still in school completing their higher education and living at home. It can be difficult to determine what a teenager may value at this age, for this is the age of vulnerability and making that transition into the real world. My target audience are most likely to value good friends and family relationships, being able to enjoy the current music and partying and 'living life to the full'! 

When it comes to socializing, this may vary completely, from perhaps chilling at a mates house, or going down to your local pub, to nightclubs and partying. An important thing to consider is that music plays a huge role in socializing, with today's pop culture, every teenager is familiar with the latest hits and music artists, and this is a focus point for my music magazine, which explains reasoning for my chosen audience. House-parties are also a common event that teenagers are likely to attend, which presents itself an opportunity to identify and explore new music and keep up with today's pop genre and can be very useful. 

Teenagers are most likely to spend money on food and clothes. Eating out is becoming increasingly popular over the years and it is also of great importance to look good! Money is also likely to be spent on night clubs, alcohol and drinks in general. A teenagers free time can be spent in multiple ways. Most usually with friends or clubbing, however time spent with family and studying is also essential, It is important for my audience market to learn the skill of time management, as it can often lead to teenagers becoming depressed and tired easily. As my target audience are likely to have a very restricted disposable income, they will be looking for part time jobs or saving, therefore it is reasonable that my music magazine is priced at £1.99. When choosing my target audience its also important to consider other purchases that teenagers may use. E.g. 17 is the legal age to start driving, and therefore costs on cars, petrol also need to be taken into account. The music magazine is of a reasonable price and is affordable to these students. 

When it comes to driving as a late teen, it can be a very exciting experience, that sense of independence and freedom is something very fulfilling. They are most likely to purchase a second-hand car or just a basic car that does the job, as it is likely to be their first car and will not be able to afford the newest car! It is heavily reliant on the teenagers parents to provide them with these 'luxury items'. As a common theme, mini's and fiats tend to be popular amongst the youth. This is ideal for this audience as they are then able to go for road-trips and listen to music in their cars, increasing pop publicity. Radio stations such as CAPITAL FM and HEART are targeted towards students. 
I would assume that the majority of my target audience would own an iPhone or Samsung, for these are the most popular phones. My target audience are available to a wide range of technologies and devices when it comes to listening to music. For example, downloading music onto iphones, ipads, tablets etc and listening through speakers or headphones. MTV is a TV channel that purely focuses on music, there is also the radio. In public places, various coffee shops and restaurants play music and there is also the opportunity to go and see live music via concerts and festivals. When going to watch movies, sequals and trailers 

When considering the JICNAR scale, my target market of teenagers and students fit the lower bands of D or E, but this cannot be generalized to the mass market, as everyone has different circumstances. E.g. if a student is living at home, they are more likely to have a higher disposable income, and therefore be categorized in the ABC1 band and tend to be more middle class than working class.
 Here is the JICNAR SCALE 
JICNAR Scale

Group A (Professionals)
Upper middle class e.g. Barrister, Doctors, Executives

Group B (Managerial)
Middle class e.g. Bank managers, Teachers

Group C1 (Non-Manual)
Lower middle class, white collar workers e.g. Office workers

Group C2 (Manual)
Skilled working class, blue collar workers e.g. Car mechanic, Machine operators, Construction workers

Group D (Partly Skilled)
Semi or unskilled manual workers e.g. Assembly line worker

Group E
Casual workers, dependent on state benefits, students