Mainstream vs niche

Mainstream vs. Niche

Magazine that are popular: Q, OK, Chat, Bella, kerrang!

Mainstream publication is one that appeals to a lot people.

Mainstream pros and cons:

·         There’s a hope for big sales or audience.

·         Making more profit.

·         Wide target audience

·         More appeal to advertisers because there are more people.

·         Covers more subjects.

·         Flooded market (proliferation of product).

·         No specific target or any one group.

·         Mainstream magazines are usually owned by multi-media corporations with links to record labels.

·         Manipulate record labels.

·         Go to be careful what you put into them as there are a lot of people who read the magazine and we can’t offend them. As parents may buy the magazine for their child and wont by it if there’s an edgy quote on it.

·          Mainstream magazine can lack credibility.

Magazine that are niche:  A magzaine that appeals to a specific group.

Niche pros and cons:

·         Intended to a small specific and dedicated audience.

·         It’s unique, there is not many like it.

·         It’s aimed at a certain group of people.

·         Articles are about specific genre of say music.

·         The writers become more expressive they don’t have to sensor.

·         Less advertising.

·         Audience is more dedicated about the niche magazine, so they will buy it no matter what.

·         It won’t be sold in every super market.

·         If it’s niche a lot of people won’t hear about it.

·         Niche magazine might not make a profit it depends on their following.

·         They might not have a big following.

·         The business even if it is niche they will want a profit therefore the magazines might be expensive.

·         Less advertising=less money.

·         Niche magazine can give a lower quality because they might not make a profit meaning that they can’t pay top staff for the graphic designs.(the ascetic quality can be lower)=how it looks.

Researching:

In times of economic pressure people stop buying luxuries and magazine are luxuries. No one needs a magazine.

We looked at ‘Press Gazette’ and found that, ’UK magazines lose print sales by average of 6.3 per cent’.

This magazine uses a lot of media terms as it’s pointed towards people interested in the media therefore it’s a niche paper.

Analysing data:

Doctor Who Magazine     98.9%        36,151.00            25.8%

Empire                                 99.6%        145,117.00          -13.5%

Thomas and Friends          100.0%      42,763.00             42.3%

Specsavers Magazine      0.0%          73,363.00             -55.6%

Some of these magazines are not well known or they are but have become too expensive to buy. Doctor who might have gone up because there is a new doctor a new cast and people are interested to see what’s going on behind the scenes also there might have been upcoming information about the up-coming tour which you could have only read when you open it meaning you have to buy it.. Empire shows the latest films and could have gone down because there are no movies out at the minute that everyone is interested in therefore no-one buys the magazine, also because the gaps between each issue is so big that people buy one issue and then forget totally when the next one is coming out. . Thomas and friends could have risen because there is a new child friendly land opened at Alton and there could have been offers the the magazine to get coupons of the park fair, also if a child walked past it in a shop next to their mum or dad and saw it and said they wanted it, the majority of the time the parents will buy it. Specsavers magazines could have gone down because it’s like a year gap between getting another eye test and without an officially reason wouldn’t go into Specsavers and pick up and buy a magazine. Also because these are hard time parents will be looking for offers in a magazines or just go online and read about it.