Bauer EMPIRE media pack

 Bauer EMPIRE media pack

The mission

The worlds most influential film and entertainment brand. It includes a print magazine, podcast, website, digital edition and live events strand, these many media forms mean that EMPIRE can speak to more film fans across the world with more authority. They collaborate with big film studios and actors, for example interviewing Tom Cruise and shooting videos with Ryan Reynolds. EMPIRE content is considered premium, polished and connects with the audience because of the world-class writers, critics, photographers and illustrators. EMPIRE readers are considered to be loyal because of this content and so come back for every new edition. 

The EMPIRE reader 

Average age: 40

77% in employment

68% ABC profile

The readership is 3/4 male, in employment, in a relationship, university educated and time-poor (meaning lacking free time). They are interested in and passionate about film and cinema using it as escapism.

The magazine

Exclusives- has some of the biggest's firsts in the film and entertainment world, they had the world's first voice responsive talking front cover for Deadpool 2

On-set- they have a close relationship with film makers and so can gain exclusive on-set access on films such as MCU's trial blazing Captain Marvel 

A-list access- the magazine the best and biggest names in Hollywood want to be in, James Cameron, Olivia Colman etc.

Authority- the EMPIRE team are the most knowledgeable and passionate team in the business so know everything there is to know about film

Multi platform offering 

Digital edition- it is award winning and takes print magazine to another level, the pages come to life with bespoke animations created by the EMPIRE design team

Podcast- a top 5 hit in the iTunes chart and has over 51,000 downloads a week, featuring names such as Nicole Kidman and Chris McQuarrie 

Live events- they host many live events throughout the year, one in particular being the EMPIRE awards, in 2018 Stephen Spielberg collecting his Legend of Our Lifetime award made front page news

Website- the go-to destination the moment a big film review drops, a huge rating decision is revealed or a new trailer drops, the website is regularly updated with all the brand new information

Industrial context- medium research

 Industrial context- medium research

September 18th 1663- the first magazine was invented

1710- the first modern magazine

1855- the first coloured magazine

1870- learning to read and write was made compulsory in England

1880- magazines grew in popularity

1892- vogue was founded

1899- national geographic created and football clubs produce programmes and magazines

1910- development of two and three colour printing processes

1923- time magazine created

1954- sports illustrated created

1967- rolling stone created  

Despite a number of high-profile takeovers and buyouts, the magazine industry still remains more diverse than newspapers. In terms of consumer magazines, Bauer Media, Immediate Media Company and Future Plc – controlled an estimated 37% of circulation in 2020. Other forms of magazine such as the business to business sector are even more diverse. This allows for more plurality in the media rather than the repeated ideologies from the same large media conglomerates. In the magazine industry, niche magazines are more likely to survive and not become swallowed in mainstream media. 

British publisher Future stands out for having almost doubled its number of publications from 17 to 30 between 2019 and 2020, driven by an ambiguous growth strategy. Last year the company completed its £140m takeover of TI Media, with brands including Country Life, Wallpaper and Cycling Weekly. This positively affected the company as their revenue has quadrupled between 2016 and 2019 to reach £221.5 million and then in 2020 revenue was at £339.6 million. Other companies have succeeded as much, for example, Hearst and Conde Nast, which recently were forced to cut costs and make redundancies due to the decline in circulation.

Bauer media dominates circulation of consumer magazines with a total of 126.08 million. EMPIRE, owned by Bauer media is also the most popular film magazine.

Magazine companies are generally funded in a number of ways, advertising, purchase price and pre-paid subscriptions. Advertising is usually the primary source of revenue but relying solely on this form can be regarded as risky and tactical so companies tend to use a combination. Digital magazines are becoming increasingly popular due to declines in circulation for print copies, in this instance, its easier to distribute the digital magazine. It can be advertised in social medias and available on the companies website for readers to download. This allows for a ease of accessibility which is desired and useful to readers. Otherwise, for print magazines, depending on the brand they are sold in a number of ways. The Big Issue is infamous for having street sellers, other companies may adopt this technique which is convenient for passers-by. Magazines can also be sold in shops and convenience stores. Gaining more readers and interest typically relies on word of mouth, another reader recommending the product or it being advertised on social media.

The ways in which audiences access magazines has recently become more diverse because of technological advances and a shift in consumer habits. Before people primarily bought paper copies from local shops, but now you can access magazines through digital downloads and smartphone apps. 

Audience research

 Audience research

16-25 year old middle and upmarket media literate audience

The 16-25 demographic are potentially the most technological group as were born into the digital age. They use the internet and social media in masses and are active in current issues in the media. Despite being young, they are socially aware. They may either be in full-time education, at university or early in their career, meaning the magazine will have to be affordable as they aren't financially independent. 

The middle class have more disposable income and free time. They stereotypically prefer films with deeper meanings and tend to ignore cartoon and animation types. 

The demographic being described as literate suggests them to be well educated and enjoy looking deeper into their interests. A media literate person can think critically about what they hear, see and read over many different media forms, they can identify different types of media and understand the messages they are sending.  As a film magazine this is easily achieved because the readers will already possess a passion for the art of film and understand niche genres, films etc. rather than having to remain more mainstream if targeting a broad demographic.

In relation to a magazine for a 16-25 year old middle and upmarket literate audience it would have a refined and constrained house style. Rather than the potential 'value for money' cluttered house style of the working class, the middle class prefer something more elegant in nature with sell lines that appeal to their interests and hobbies. They are well-educated and are curious about issues topical to them. The demographic stereotypically uses masses of social media, because of this the magazine would have to be interactive in this way. It would include the social medias of the brand not only to create a strong sense of brand identity but so the audience can engage on many platforms. Including hashtags and other social media competitions achieve this too.

Industrial context- the brand

Industrial context- the brand

Bauer

Bauer media group is a German multimedia conglomerate headquartered in Bamburg. It operates worldwide and owns more than 600 magazines, over 400 digital products and over 50 TV and radio stations. They reach 200 million customers in 14 countries. It is the no.1 UK publisher and no.1 digital audio commercial broadcaster.

A network of iconic and innovative multi-platform brands reaching 25 million consumers. Bauer media uses audience insight to gain a deeper understanding of their audience as they believe that it is crucial to know where behaviours, values and attitudes are changing. No other media owner has the range and diversity of brands and audiences that Bauer possesses which makes them stand out, their breadth and depth of cultural connections allow them to be a unique company.

Their magazine brands include: empire, closer, Bella, heat, garden news and more, the diversity of brands allows them to reach a wide audience in terms of age, gender, hobbies etc. 

EMPIRE claims to be the world's most influential film and entertainment brand. They encompass a print magazine, podcast, website, digital edition and live events strand allowing them to speak to film fans from all across the world in numerous ways.

NEA decision

NEA decision

I am drawn to Brief 3: magazines and online. This is because magazines are a media form which interest me and I am passionate about. They are very accessible so I will easily be able to look at many examples to gain inspiration and recognise the general layout of the magazine. 

The genre of a film magazine particularly interests me as I am able to talk about new and upcoming films, be imaginative and create my own, whilst not taking part in actual filming which I would struggle with.

The other briefs include: television, radio and music video which I don't believe will be as suited to me as the magazine due to my lack of interest for them. 

Magazines are easy to target to and reach a specific audience, through the sell lines, colour scheme, price and other factors. I am good at recognising actors which will interest my demographic and implementing them into my magazine design.