What kind of media institution might distribute your media

product and why?

Why does it matter?

When creating a magazine, it is very important to find the right distributor for your product. This is because different distribution companies have different audiences to address, different themes and values within them and most importantly, different amounts of profit.

There are two main types of distribution networks, one is the independent approach and the other is a majordistribution network.

Independent distribution

• The magazine company distributes its product itself.• Focus very much on the individuality of a magazine.• Work hard to attract their target audiences.• Underground shops and online subscriptions are where a lot of profit is made.• Growth in internet use has worked to independent distributor‟s advantage- they have been able to offer their products worldwide.• Selling their magazines to limited audiences over the internet and in smaller shops targets big fans and keeps them up to date.

Major distribution

• A strategy used to cover the magazine market by promoting their products in retail stores such as large chain supermarkets and music stores.• Lower prices and offers are included as the magazines are mass produced on a large scale and are therefore cheaper to print. The large target audiences gained from retail sales means that the mass production gains the distributors profit.• Frontline, Marketforce and Seymour are examples of major distributors.

Which kind of distribution would my product benefit from?

I believe that my magazine would benefit from major distribution more than it would from independent. This is because the Pop genre has a target audience which would be more likely to visit retail stores such as chain supermarkets (Asda, Tesco etc) and music stores (HMV etc) therefore the magazine would be seen more than it would in an urban, underground style shop. If my magazine was of an Indie/Rock genre then I may feel different as many Rock fans would shop at underground small shops which would increase sales and attraction to the audience but I think that because of how mainstream my magazine is, it‟s target audience (young girls) are unlikely to visit these types of shops.

A distributor which suits my product:Seymour

• Seymour distributes magazines such as We Love Pop which I did a lot of research into during my initial ideas period and a lot of comparison with after creating my magazine.

• Seymour distributed We Love Pop very well – it claimed sales of 119,000 with it‟s first issue. • http://www.mediaweek.co.uk/news/1089979/Love-Pop-teen-mag-posts-strong-first-edition-sales/Above is an article by Media Week website which speaks about the success.

• This success shows that Seymour did a great job at distributing the magazine to it‟s target audience which would mean their distribution skills would be beneficial for my Pop magazine as it has the same target audience and genre.• Due to it‟s good reputation, Seymour could also take my magazine worldwide which would create a lot of profit and popularity.• Using Seymour as a distributor for my product would be very beneficial as both We Love Pop and LolliPOP are similar and judging the success of We Love Pop, Seymour would distribute my product well too.

Advertising my product: different media platforms

1. Television & Radio:Television adverts played on teen channels and popular family channels during peak times when my target audience are likely to be watching: before and after school- especially Pop music channels.Radio adverts on stations such as The Pulse and Capital FM which play Pop music: especially during “school run” times and on weekends.

2. Social networking sites and Youtube:Twitter account including competitions and offers to keep fans involved and interested whilst waiting for the next issue.Facebook account including stories about celebrities appearing in up and coming issues of LolliPOP- interview tasters etc.Facebook „likes‟ and Twitter „followers‟ would help to indicate the amount of copies which need to be produced and also how popular the magazine is.Youtube videos of tasters for articles included in issues to come- mini interviews etc.

3. Poster advertisements:Posters positioned in places where my target audience is likely to be such as the cinema, clothes shops and also outside like bus shelters , train stations, billboards in town centres etc.

4. Magazine‟s own websiteBecause the internet is used to vastly today, I would have a website set up for my magazine- this would also work for subscribing to the product. I would include offers, competitions, free music samples, posters etc, some of which could be free downloads which could be downloaded to iPods, iPhones, iPads, Blackberry's, HTC‟s and other smart phones- an app for smart phones would also be a great idea (a condensed version of the website so that people can check the latest news quickly when on the go)

Advertising my product: different media platforms

How would my product get to my audience?

1. Retail:My magazine would be on the magazine stand in retail stores such as large chain supermarkets- Asda, Tesco, Morrisions, Co-operative etc and also at smaller off-license stores which stock magazines so that they are amongst others, in a place where people are likely to purchase- I know this from looking at my questionnaire results. I would also sell my magazine in music stores such as HMV- it would be placed in the Pop music section to attract my target audience who would be likely to be in that section of the store.

2. Subscription:The option to subscribe at a reduced price would be offered online with an easy step by step guide which would appeal to younger teens and parents who maybe weren‟t as up to date with online transactions. This is also advertised on my contents page which shows consistency.