IPC Media Case Study

1     Who are they?

·         Consumer magazine and digital publishing company

2.       Are they British/ European/ American?

·         British

3.       What other magazines do they produce?

·         Women’s division (IPC Connect)

·   Look, Now, Chat and Woman

·         Man’s portfolio (IPC Inspire)

·   Country Life, Horse and Hound, Rugby World, NME, Nuts

4.       What other media texts do they produce?

·         NME  produce a magazine as well as a radio station and a clothing store – synergy

·         NME audience can use their website to listen to their radio station, whist searching for clothes and following their favourite band and applyinjg for festival tickets as well as commenting on and talking with other audiences

·         All of their magazines have their own website

·   Also have a Facebook, Twitter and RSS feeds

·         Reaches a bigger audience

·         IPC also produce books, printing and new technology

5.       Do they produce products other than media texts?

·         Online shop – Posters

·         Free gifts

·         Radio station and TV Channel

·         Radio station app

·         NME awards

·         Stage at Reading and Leeds Festival

·         Competitions – to meets bands

6.       How important is convergence for your institution?

·         Very – listeners of NME Radio and TV are more likely to read the magazine (technological convergence) and the forums on their websites (media convergence) help to create interest and target a wide range of people

·         BUT COULD REPLACE ,AGAZINE ITSELF

·   Circulation figures fell by 14.3% to 29,020 in the 1^st half of 2011 – website praised for the content on offer

·         Mulit- platform company

·         Audience have to opportunity to write in and give their opinion on music – recent gigs, post in drawings/crafts – gives them the opportunity to feel valued and voice their views – like to be hears – Gratification Theory (1974)

7.       How do they market their magazine?

·         Use recent music news – Amy Winehouse on the cover of December issue – people more likely to buy it as it has exclusive info on her album

·         Within the magazine – Advertise special ‘The Smiths’ collectors issue – USP

·         At festivals – NME Tent – if people like the music performed then they wouild want to read the magazine

8.       How do they target their audience?

·         NME main target audience – aged 15-44, ABC1’s, would also be TEA (NRS Readership Estimates)

·         Alexa.com – male, college experience, white

·         They cater for amny things that a wide audience have in common to agree on – 71% want to look well dresses – mainstream – readers can explore small and upcoming bands in detail on their website

9.       Use of NMT

·         Radio app on phone

·         NME Extra – scanned with phone bar code – access to tickets

·         Praised for the amount of content offered on its website

·   Offers a one-stop-shop

·         Can purchase music, tickets, clothes, latest gigs, communicate with other like minded consumers while listening to their radio station ot watching their TV channel – mulit-platform approach

·   Exclusive and limited edition David Bowe music guide on the iPad

10.   Change in production – cost, use of digital technology, printing technology?

·         Magazine paper is rough – not high quality, glossy pages – as they cost more – don’t see the point in paying for high quality paper as people access all their other products (website, apps)

11.   How do they distribute their magazine?

·         Export service – 90 countries – sell 13 m copies every year

·         Sold at WHSmiths, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons- m/c

·   Lidl, Esso and BP  - Reaches ABC1 nad other social classes

12.   How do they make money?

·         NME  - £2.30 – weekly – years profit pp = £110.40

·   Biggest profitable magazine – weekly – constantly updated and used

·         Subscriptions – IPC – The Mix – mixture of all of their magazines for 12 months

13.   Challenges of the magazine industry?

·         New Media Technology and convergence could replace the physical magazine itself – true in NME ‘s case – circulation figures have gone down 14.3% to 29,020 – their magazine is no longer fulfilling, but their website is

14.   Who is the core buyer of the magazine?

·         Males

·         ABC1’s

·         18-24

15.   Arw they targeting a niche/ smaller mass population?

·         Mainstream – various genres and artists for everyone

16.   How do they target different audiences?

·         Competition entries

·         Reader surveys

·         Allows consumers to download music

·         Website shows a range of music and artists – advertise to different audiences and ethnicity’s – something Metal Hammer doesn’t do

·         Target their young audience well (18-24) Alexa.com through NMT – hugely popular with younger generation

·   NME Extra – scan bar code in magazine – Get exclusives – Example’s Sring tour

·   Radio app

·         Cater for a wide audience – people have in common

·   71% want to look well dressed – mainstream

·   Mixture of mainstream and niche bands

·         Gig lists

·         Crosswords

·         Back issues

17.   What opportunities do the audience have and how might this satisfy mainstreamers/ succeeders?

·         Competitions

·         Gig lists

·         Crosswords

·         Back issues

·         NME Extra – scan bar code in magazine – Get exclusives – Example’s Sring tour

·         Radio app

·         Website shows a range of music and artists

·         Competition entries

·         Reader surveys/ reviews of gigs and albums – readers are able to become prosumers – Want their voice to be heard

·         Allows consumers to download music

·   Variation of content – appeals to a wide range of people – mainstreamers

·   Back issues and crosswords would appeal to the older readers of the magazine

·         Can email, Tweet or Facebook them about issues – John Lewis advert and The Smiths cover – Gratification Theory  (1974)

18.   Mode of address and how does it appeal to the target audience?

·         The way in which a media  text speaks to its target audience in order to encourage the audience to identify with it” – the manner, tone and attitude of the magazine

·         Friendly – like you’re friends

·         Colloquial language – “Little bro” – refering to Noel Gallagher – makes the celebs seem emotionally closer to you, rather than as people you don’t really know

·         Banter – slightly jokey tone that you would use with your friends

“It’s been all Noel, Noel, Noel everywhere you look recently, but look! Little bro is back and he’s got a UK tour, but before that there’s a fistful of questions from you lot, the fans, to contend with. Just before a show in Amsterdam, surrounded and helped out by his band mates, he will tackle the gigantic array of topics that are thrown up, from Henry The Hoover to how he plans to protect Pretty Green stores from future riots, why Twitter is “for dicks”, the future of Beady Eye and, of course, the future of that other band he used to be in with his brother. It’s all as brilliant and entertaining as you might expect, and worth the cover price alone, quite frankly.” – bigging themselves up, but in a jokey way, and very informal and friendly

19.   How is the brand being positioned?

·         Top of the mainstream market

·   Covers all genres of music – makes it very popular (POD)

·         This creates loyal consumers – people like multiple genres – all in one place – easily accessed

20.   What are the brand values?

·         Consumers view NME as ‘damn honest’ (NME Reader Profile)

·         “We have the best access to your favourite bands. We have the greatest music writing and photography. We're the ultimate source for discovering the best new music first. We also give to charity.” (NME.com)

·   View themselves as THE magazine to go to for everything music related – they have EVERYTHING you could possibly want