What Kind of Institution might

distribute your Media Product and Why?

By Prajwol Khamcha

A media Institution is a company and a profit

based organizations that owns large numbers of companies in various mass media, and handle the production and distribution of information and entertainment services. They are important for media as they provide funding and help handle the product.

Institutions

I chose for my production to be produced and distributed by an

Independent Institution. This was because I wasn’t focusing on mainstream audiences and was going for a niche market hence I believed it would be most suitable to be produced baby an independent companies.

Townsquare Media was not like any independent Institution, it provided a chance for Horizontal integration as they have multiple radio stations. Another benefit was the experience the institution had with XXL a popular Hip hop magazine. As Townsquare re bought XXL from Harris publications and then closed the print version of the magazine and made it digital only. This opens distributions routes as this was beneficial as converged devices become more popular print sales have started to decline.

What I chose?

XXL and OPASSO are very similar in the fact the it is a Hip Hop

magazine. In terms of the target audience, XXL focuses on a unsophisticated audience. It’s main focus is following the ideologies representing these Rappers as they look to attract main stream audiences. Choosing Townsquare Media means that I add diversity into their magazine products as I am aiming for sophisticated audiences who don’t follow mainstream conventions. It means that I can use their experience in the use of technological convergence to make the magazine.

There work is highly recognized as they have 50 million socially active fans who engage with their products month. It is especially advantageous to me as they often host live music and festivals, which would be useful for my magazine to feature for up and coming artists hence being a good fit.

They also have brands such as Rap-Up which can help promotion.

XXL

I used Townsquare Media group for production and

distribution. In terms of the topic that my magazine was primarily focusing it was very niche wand controversial, so going with large institutions such as Bauer Media would not be suitable as they focus on profitability, although it is about that going with Townsquare Media as “the company specializes in creating and distributing original and motivating media experiences that connect communities with content they lobe, people they trust, products they want and things that matter”

Townsquare Media

Townsquare believe in marketing a product below the line, as

they understand the importance of social media to the youth (digital Natives) and hence it has become essential to them. This is why they removed production of paper magazine for XXL as they understood that most of the audience where digital natives. It is advantages working on the internet as the Anderson’s The Long Tail as niche products like mine can be successful because of the production and distribution online, this also benefited as there is unlimited shelf space online.

I felt it was important for me to side with Townsquare media as they have an understanding of XXL as well as my primary audience. They have realized the potential of converged technologies and they make sure they utilize it, hence making XXL the most popular hip hop magazine.

Townsquare Media

Bauer media was my other potential institution

from my magazine. However I did not use them to distribute my Hip

Hop magazine. Although the benefit of them being a huge conglomerate was a plus side for the funding and production, distribution etc. I felt that because they focused on the mainstream audience, the truth behind the magazine would be more diluted as they would want to attract a wider range of audience, which represent hip hop being generalized in its normal convention.

Bauer Media

What made Townsquare Media suitable for such a Niche

product like mine. A quote from them “Townsquare Interactive is a digital

marketing and services organization that specializes in creating the total web presence that small businesses need to make sure they reach their online audience of current and prospective customers.”

“Our goal is to drive meaningful results for small businesses every day. Our high- quality, thoroughly researched products are continually evolving to keep up with Internet trends and growth. We know that our technology and services work because they are the same ones that we use to grow our own business and clients’ small businesses in local communities across the country.”

Townsquare Media

Townsquare media were aware that competitors e.g.

Vibe magazine were officially shut down their print edition. XXL followed as well.

Statement from HotNewHipHop: “The hip-hop staple has been around seventeen years, making sure fans got their coverage on rap music the old fashioned way, before the internet/blogosphere took over the game. With the Digital Age in full effect, young readers are drawn more to online publications than print ones, and thus, XXL has been bought up by the media mammoth Townsquare.”

Examples

For the production of the magazine, I think its important to

release the magazine out on the online, as it brings more exposure to digital natives and widens the audience reach. This would be below the line marketing and it means that I can use the advantage of the popularity of technology e.g. Andersons Long Tail. Due to this I considered a digital version of my magazine, but because my magazine is niche, I felt that the audience (sophisticated) would be more interested to read it on paper copy, but as the magazine gets more exposure, to get around to different countries I would make a digital copy. I also believe that utilizing the Radio Stations for a horizontal integration would be beneficial, to create a OPASSO station, exposing more audience of the content. However problems might be that it might be expensive for a private company.

What OPASSO would need

Due to the versatility of the instuition in my opinion I felt it

was a good decision as there experience with magazines such as XXL and technological convergence and the use of Web 2.0 is great. As they have created a community of fans using below the line marketing via social media e.g. Facebook and Twitter. It is essential in this day and age to have content online as everyone has converged devices such as mobile phone and tend to use them more. Due to my audience being Digital Natives, this means that they have accessibility to such devices and it means people grow impatient more, so to provide a product via online distribution helps for the success of the product as more people can access it with ease.

Verdict

I felt that Townsquare Media was the a good choice, but at the

same time there were pros and cons with it. As I could have went for a conglomerate such as Bauer Media Group but that had its pros and cons as well. I think if we had used a conglomerate, more funding would be involved in marketing and exhibition of the product. As conglomerates have more power, it provides a 360 degrees market platform and it would be easy to horizontally integrate better. Due to the conglomerates huge power, cross media could've have been done to market my magazine through linked media products e.g. Games. Games that were accessible to mobile devices so it can still attract digital natives, the game would be related to Hip Hop e.g. Rate songs, this is to get exposure to young artists, so the fans judge there music and they can have artist of the week.

Improvements

An example of Bauer Media Groups success comes from Kerrang. Although

the genre is not relatable the work that was put in to make the magazine one of the leading magazines out there is noticeable. They provided KERRANG RADIO, KERRANG.COM, KERRANG TV.

Quotes provided by Bauermedia.co.uk With 920,000 listeners a week, Kerrang! Radio opens the door to the world of

today’s biggest rock bands. Kerrang! radio targets 15-34 men who want to be in touch with what is happening in the world of rock right now.

we’re also a record-breaking website – the most successful digital launch in Bauer Media’s history in fact - that attracts a truly astounding 8 million page views per month as well as engaging with its readers via its 745,000 Facebook fans, 583,000 Twitter followers and 78,000 Instagram followers.

Kerrang! is also the market leading, award-winning TV channel with all the biggest and best videos as well as originally filmed interviews and content. We attract over 12K more viewers every month than MTV Rocks! - 2014 saw 14% of all TV viewers tune into Kerrang!

Improvement pt.2

COMPARING OPASSO WITH OTHER PRODUCTS

This is a magazine that focuses on Old Rock. It is very niche as it

only features old rock such as leaders of it Tommy Lee. The reason for its niche market is because its main audience comes from older audiences from approx. 25-40 years old. The magazine does well enough to bring out legendary bands, and I believe due to this they are able to attract young fans who try to understand Rock more. I chose this magazine to act as a comparison between the audience type and what type of content they reach, to connote how institutionally our magazine are similar. The similarities include, how niche the product is, as they try to apply to niche audiences. The difference institutionally would be how they do not promote a lot using social media and focus on selling print copies, whereas OPASSO emphasizes on the usage of below the line marketing. Another difference is that they are only available on digital prin

OPASSO VS CLASSIC

ROCK The Similarities is the tactical approach to market the

magazine, by providing a CD, to provide a incentive for fans to buy it. The use of the color red for the masthead is similar as it grabs the attention of readers. The type of audience that they are reaching for is sophisticated, which is the type of audience I was reaching for.

The difference is the use of slang words to feel more personal to the readers e.g. “Gigs” “JESUS!” etc. The mass text on the front cover is different to mine showing the difference in audience type. The conventional method of having the artist in the center frame and surrounding him by text. The conventional placing of the barcode was different.

OPASSO VS RAP UP

The similarity in the magazines that both genre are about Hip Hop. The use of promoting online awareness is shown, hence showing the touch of Townsquare Media. The use of web address, portrays that their audience is digital natives. They also have a slogan on top of the masthead like OPASSO showing that it is a more independent magazine and it is not following conventional methods.

The difference in the magazine is the audience type. The use of slang and few cover lines indicates that the audience must be unsophisticated. As well as the imagery of artists, shows a diluted version of representation showing that its is for 14-16 years old. The magazine is very simple and it only features artists names, connoting that is main stream, as the young kids would only want to view something if they have an artist relevant to the. The type of artist they use are artists that are influential on young children and who are more popular to them while mine are artists who are striving.

Production: During the production stage, the magazine, is more about

following mainstream ideologies and they use popular artists for the magazine. The magazine is focused on Hip Hop and R&B genres and feature a lot of interviews. The target audience is 14-28 years old. The millennial is generation Y

Distribution: The magazine is available in over 20 countries. It is distributed as a print copy only and they promote the magazine, via there own website and using below the line marketing using web 2.0 to widen there audience.

Exhibition: In the US and Canada, the magazine print is in local stores that attract children or families that have children for example, Barnes & Noble, Borders, Safeway, Rite Aid, Target, Vons, Books-A-Million, Hudson News, Bookstar, Hastings, 7-Eleven, and other newsstands/ bookstores. They also exhibit there content on their own website and other sites for example Amazon.

Institutional Background

OPASSO VS XXL

The similarity is the masthead, the design is very similar, to grab the attention the reader, and it shows that we are targeting fox thinkers. The use of web address again shows the help of Townsquare Media, as they priorities web 2.0 and below the line marketing.

The difference is that I had a slogan in the masthead. The type of story that they portray is they follow the stereotype of how rappers are portrayed. The use of less cover lines and more artist names shows they have unsophisticated fans who, buy because of an artist they can look up to. OPASSO is a sophisticated magazine and try to put truth to the stereotypes of Hip Hop. The difference in Artist they use is more popular artist, whereas mine is on the rise type of artist.

The magazines that I’ve compared with follow the

statement of Townsquare Media as each magazine is an individual and follow their beliefs in a magazine. The topics that are covered are all different, it shows that as an Independent instuition that Townsquare don’t follow mainstream audiences. Each magazine has a different type of audience they focus on, and they have huge age ranges. If I went with Townsquare Media, it would actually mean they have 3 Hip Hop magazine. I feel that it could be like a progression for younger kids, who read the Rap Up and depending on their beliefs children will branch out to either OPASSO or XXL.

OVERVIEW OF COMPARISONS

Production: It used to be subscribed print but now after the purchase from

Townsquare Media they used Digital Prints. The magazine is more towards adults of average age of 39 years old. The production is all about the Hip Hop culture, fashion, music etc. It has an influence to D-E bracket income.

Distribution: It is done by electronic distribution on a quarterly basis, This means that digital print is accessible to anyone with converged devices, this means that they focus on digital natives. As the number of people who use the web increases digital subscription is what they do. To distribute these products they market below the line on web 2.0and use Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. They also have an app for the phone that promotes the brand. This is to ensure that it reaches to wider audiences they discuss mainstream topics to ensure they go viral. It also uses it’s own website to display what content is featured in the magazine.

Exhibited: It is No.1 selling ABC-Audited Music Publication on newsstands worldwide (web version) it is also available on sites such as Zinio

Institutional Background

MARKETING

This first would involve, research, planning and producing

respectively. For the research, the producer and the crew of the magazine,

research a topic or a sub genre of Hip Hop and the conventions that they believe are apart of the topic.

For Planning, director and producer need to find what Artist is needed for shoot, and the props and costume involved in the shoot. As well as that it is essential to decide shooting dates and location, and researching the area, to have reason why it is suitable for the topic.

Producing, the directors and producer, get production of the images etc., and start to edit all of the images and produce the magazine to create a final product to create a merging project that works well together, that can attract primary audience.

Production

Editorial Teams try to make the magazine content both appealing and relevant to the

audience to ensure it becomes part of their lifestyle.

In an Editorial Team there are many roles to fulfill from Editor in Chief to Proof Readers. They are put together to ensure that all possessions in the process of making a magazine is fulfilled so each section has a specialized worker making sure it appeals to the people, while towards the end they have a final decision to know if the magazine content is coherent with the topics or not.

The job that each team is situated in can be specialized or it can one editorial team for every magazine. For example Complex Magazine has an 18 personal editorial team and each situate to specialized articles for each magazine article.

Townsquare Media in terms of the production process, they do not get involved as other conglomerates such as Bauer Media. This is because it is a selective process for them to pick which small business to invest and due to this they believe that as long as the magazine is meaningful and provides something to the niche audience they do not get involved. This is because they really only specialize in marketing a small business rather than production. So as a magazine they have creative freedom for what to do as that is what Townsquare Media want. This is why a magazine like mine can challenge mainstream ideologies. This is the benefit of being with Townsquare as the creative freedom allows to break these expectations put on by mainstream audiences, but with the editorial freedom we can challenge ideologies and appeal to niche audiences.

The Role of an Editorial Team

Due to Townsquare Media being an independent company, the potential for

distribution is not as great compared to a Conglomerate. But due to Townsquare Media large radio station network (3rd largest in US), these are subsidiaries, making them unique. This means that I could use cross media, using tie ins with the Radio to link a radio station as a marketing tool. I could even distribute the product by radio. Townsquare like to rely on below the line marketing due to the benefits such as Anderson’s The Long Tail, as they distribute niche products. Distributing using Web 2.0 is beneficial as my audience are digital natives can access it on converged devices and create Facebook pages etc. which will be regularly updated to raise awareness of product and create a loyal fan base online.

As technology and the internet have become more popular and exposed to all ages, it has become a major way to distribute products online. This can relate to the the theory of Wkinomics (Tapscott and Williams) which states that “if companies do not adapt to audiences power and web 2.0 they will fail”. This portrays the importance of web 2.0 to young audiences, showing the necessity to market a media product to the digital natives of todays society.

Distribution

Is the worry of illegal content that gets leaked

by hackers or distributed online, and unfortunately once a product Is released on the web it is difficult to remove. As distribution is dependent of Gauntlett’s Theory of Making and doing culture, digital natives can therefore pass marketing products through their converged devices as they have become empowered.

A problem of Distributing via Web 2.0

In my product I believe there are major opportunities for

synergy marketing. Synergy marketing can help increase the popularity of the

magazine, and will provide an incentive to buy the product. One way is to use cross media and to use the radio stations

the Townsquare have and promote the magazine using the radio, like Kerrang do.

Another possibility could be a tie-in with Complex, and release a joint CD of the best songs of the year for different rising artists, this can bring exposure to more fans from Complex to OPASSO and the primary audience of Complex and OPASSO happen to be very similar widening the audience range.

Synergy Marketing

Because of Townsquare being a independent

group, the way to exhibit this product is Digital Version as the space on the internet is unlimited (Anderson’s Long Tail). This means that I would have paid subscription. Another thing how to exhibit is, as Townsquare often do live performances, we could exhibit the product there to music fans. As the accessibility is easy, it costs less and it appeals to the niche (indie) audiences of music.

EXHIBITION

The AIDA scale is used in marketing and advertising that describes “the sequence of events that occur when a

customer engages with a media product.”

To make sure that I attain the attention of my target audience. To accomplish this I used bright colors that represented Hip Hop in its connotations (Red, White, Black). I used a variety of size to ensure that my audience was able to understand the more important cover lines to the least. As my audience was Hip Hop fans, I used a diverse type of artists, to grab their attention of new artists, making sure they looked directly at the audience and ensuring that I used rule of 1/3rds to ensure they were eye level. This was used to attract fox thinkers, by using colors, images and text. Diversity of the product will attract attention as it will be on stands and web 2.0. As marketing of my product through the use of web 2.0 will help audience become more aware as they are digital natives.

Attention:

This is the interest of the consumer. To engage the

audience, I need to meet the demands of the audience. This is by providing them with new artists that are on the rise, and information about Hip Hop that they do not know off. Therefore having a variety of different artists can meet the demands and spread the options for the choice of my audience, who have a personal connection with audience. The cover lines has to engaging enough to make my audience read it, and needs to be more sophisticated than the usual conventions of Hip Hop.

Interest:

Once the audience is interested in the product, the audience

must be provided a reason to desire the product. This can be done by using persuasive language when distributing the product. This is done to persuade the audience that the product will satisfy their needs. The desire comes from the sophistication from the Hip Hop magazine, where aspiring readers can read and educate themselves with knowledge for social interaction with their friends, as the magazine is different to typical Hip Hop magazines. Another reason is that it acts as a stress release for the children in tough times as they can relate to Artists as they receive personal identity. The desire also comes from being in a loyal fan base, which is based on the truth of Hip Hop.

Desire

Is to lead the audience to purchase the

product. As the magazine might fit the demands of the audience, due to the content.

Action

Attention: To get the attention for my magazine, I will use below the

line marketing to ensure that it reaches and grabs the attention of the digital natives. I will use the power of web 2.0 and ensure that it can be open with converged devices.

Interest: To grab the interest, because the audience are fox thinkers I will use images of artists that are relevant to them, and provide inside content to them to ensure that they are intrigued by my product.

Desire: To attain the desire of the audience, I will provide a monthly mix tape featuring different up and coming artists, and the content will be exclusive to OPASSO. This can be done by synergy marketing. This will be advertised on the web 2.0 to provide them that incentive to check out new artists and learn more about them.

Action: To lead the audience to buy the product, this can be done by buying the magazine online, so that it can be done in the comfort of their home.

Applying AIDA to Marketing