Audience Research

CAGE

Class – a division of society based on social and economic interests. A status hierarchy where individuals are classified based on esteem and prestige. This can include many different classes, however the main are: Lower, Middle and Upper.

Age – division of society based on how old they are. This can be grouped into children ( 0-12), teenagers (13-17), adults (18-64), elderly (65+).

Gender– division of society based on whether they are male or female. The interests can differ between the two genders.

Ethnicity – division of society based on where people originate from. Differentiation between races and interests.

Target Audience

The stereotypical target audience for a regional magazine

can be very diverse as it depends on the content of the

magazine. For example, Kent Life and Midwest Living would be

aimed at an older generation of adults. However, something like

Time Out London would be aimed at the younger generation

due to the content it contains. Therefore it is hard to identify a

general target audience for regional magazines and you have to identify the target

audience based on the content as the genre can vary so much.

Kent Life is a regional magazine, based on a county, targeted at people who live in Kent. It is released on a monthly subscription basis. The publisher describes Kent Life as:

“Kent Life is the magazine that puts the gloss on life in Kent. Every month it's packed with features about this picturesque part of England - from characters and personalities to heritage and traditions. We turn the focus on our towns and villages, and give comprehensive guides to

enjoying life in Kent - including what's on, restaurant reviews and topical features on major events.”

In each monthly issue Kent Life covers a different area of the county and features interviews, feature stories and other information about the County. It is mainly targeted at people who live in Kent or have connections to Kent as it contains information about it that would be irrelevant to others. It may be aimed at older people because of the content it includes, for example the “Countryside Special” contains information about the countryside in Kent and the stereotypical younger person would not be expected to subscribe to the magazine to find out this information. Recent articles have included stories on the piers across the county and recent historical events such as a Jayne Austen event. The magazine also has sections for interior design, taking inspiration from across the county and also gardening. The magazine is designed to take information from across the county and feature it, these stories ranging from a diverse range of genres and which could appeal to different people, for example there is an event guide which lists events happening, including family events meaning it could appeal to parents wanting to take their children out in the county. Class – The magazine would appeal to the upper/middle class.Age – The magazine would appeal to people aged 25-60.Gender – The magazine would appeal to both males and females.Ethnicity – The magazine would generally appeal to British people.

The CAGE appeal of Kent Life to the audience is due to the content inside. The topics

covered are aimed at these types of people and therefore

appeals to them.

This edition of Kent Life is the ‘Romance Issue’. This would therefore appeal to couples, partners who want to treat their partner for Valentines Day – with the 25 Valentine’s Days out in Kent story. It would appeal to brides to be – with the wedding guide. It would appeal to people who live in certain areas of Kent. Bromley, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells. For Bromley it would mainly appeal to people who live there or have a strong connection to the town, however for Maidstone it would appeal to people who have a connection and want to visit the town for a weekend away and it would appeal to families who are looking for days out in Tunbridge Wells. Similarly, it would appeal to people who live in Rochester. It appeals to people from these locations because the articles are relevant and linked to the locations, providing information about them. It would appeal to people who like gardening, due to the information on Orchid growing. This is more likely to appeal to women who are older, generally white British. Overall, this edition of Kent Life is likely to appeal to people who live in Kent, a slightly older generation of people, and most likely women to read this edition. This is due to the content that is covered inside. However, as this is on special offer, it may appeal to a wider class division.

C – Upper/Middle ClassA – Older GenerationG – FemaleE – White British

The May 2014 edition of Kent Life is not a special edition but rather a standard monthly issue. This one would appeal to a wider target audience. Initially it would appeal to people who live in Kent or want to visit Kent, with some connection to the County because this has content regarding towns within the County. It would appeal to people who live in Sandgate, or want to know more. It appeals to families and people looking for a day out – wanting to visit St Margaret-at-Cliffe and Dover. It appeals to people wanting to know the history of Kings Hill and West Malling and people who are linked to Rochester. It also appeals to older people who are interested in Literary – as it contains details of events in Whitstable, Sevenoaks and Folkestone. It also contains information about the coastline in Kent which would again appeal to people who are in the older generation, this could be both men and women but more likely to be men. Again with the 20th Anniversary of the Channel Tunnel it would appeal to this target audience. This edition of Kent Life would appeal to the Upper/Middle class of the county. And would also appeal to women looking to be married. This suggests that they would be a mixture of older/younger generation for the magazine but the other content is more likely to appeal to the older.

C – Upper/Middle ClassA – Older GenerationG – Male/FemaleE – White British

Time Out London is a regional magazine, based on a City, targeted at people who live in or are visiting London. Released on a weekly basis it covers the top events coming up / film/theatre/music/eating and drinking/ clubs/comedy/cabaret/art/shopping and style/what to watch. The publisher says that:

“Time Out has always prided itself on providing inspiration, intelligence, information and irreverence. For 44 years we've been the trusted friend that Londoners have turned to, to find out what's hot and what's not - the

best restaurants, films, shows and exhibitions the capital has to offer.”

In each issue of Time Out London, the magazine features different stories, articles and information. The content of the magazine varies based on what is happening in London each week of release. Because of this, the audience for the magazine can vary from week to week, for example – in the Eating and Drinking Awards edition it will appeal to ‘Foodies’, these are generally older people of upper/middle class, whereas in the Daniel Radcliffe edition it is aimed at younger people who like Harry Potter, so the target audience would be lower/middle class people who are younger in age. Although each edition can vary the Class, Age and Gender of the audience, it rarely affects the ethnicity that it is aimed at – which for this magazine would vary greatly.

Time Out London could appeal to families as it would inform them of the events that are happening around the capital – this can include events for adults and also for families with children meaning it has a wider appeal to the audience based on the content.

Class – The magazine would appeal to the lower/middle class.Age – The magazine would appeal to people aged 16-50.Gender – The magazine would appeal to both males and females.Ethnicity – The magazine would generally appeal to most ethnicities.

The CAGE appeal of Time Out London to the audience is due to the content inside. The topics covered are aimed at these types of people and therefore appeals to them.

This edition of Time Out London is a special Theatre Special – suggesting that it would appeal to those who enjoy going to the Theatre – for example this would be the older generation both male and female upper class white Brits. This edition would appeal to people who like David Tennant – as there is a story featuring him. For this reason, the magazine would appeal to a different target audience to normally as this audience may be different to if not. This would appeal to mainly women, who are in the younger generation. It would appeal to the lower/middle class, older people it features 458 free events. It appeals to the lower class because they are free whereas the events that are featured would appeal to middle class older people because it is for art, food and culture which is more likely to appeal to them. People may buy this edition because it contains free tickets, meaning it would appeal to them for this reason regardless of the content – this again is aimed at lower/middle class due to the free content. However, this would appeal to middle class people who are of the younger generation, mainly women because of the ‘Throw the perfect Xmas party’ article which is something people of this minority are more likely to be interested in. in summary, this edition of Time Out London has a wide audience and appeals to many groups of people.

C – Lower/Middle ClassA – Younger/Older GenerationG – Male/FemaleE – Mixed

This copy of Time Out London was from July 16-22 2009. this is a special Harry Potter edition suggesting it would appeal to the younger middle class both males and females who are interested in Harry Potter. It would be aimed at a mixed ethnicity. It would appeal to middle/lower class families and parents who are looking for things to do during the Summer Holidays whilst in London. Adults would be interested in this copy due to the reviews of Pub BBQ’s however this may also appeal to families but less likely due to the pub aspect. The pub aspect would also affect the class target audience, meaning this would appeal to people of the middle/lower class – and would also make it appeal to adults. It would appeal to women because of the article about London’s Best Boutique Shops, and this would appeal to the middle/upper class of society. In conclusion, this edition of Time Out London would appeal to a wide variety of people and a varied target audience. Therefore the stereotypical audience based on the front cover of this magazine is mainly lower/middle class, both younger and older generation who are male and female. However, due to the main topic of this edition being centered around the new Harry Potter film – Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, the magazine is most likely to appeal to Harry Potter fans who follow the film series.

C – Lower/Middle ClassA – Younger/Older GenerationG – Male/FemaleE – Mixed

Absolutely South EastThis edition of Absolutely South East would appeal to a younger target audience, this is because of a modern and contemporary design which would attract a younger persons eye. The content of the magazine would also contribute to the target audience, as it features information on latest films and entertainment from the region, including a travel guide for the local area. This may suggest that the magazine would appeal to people who are visiting the area, however it may also appeal to those who currently live there and want to explore more. The magazine would appeal to both males and females, however, the image and colour scheme creates a hermeneutic code suggesting it is more targeted at females. Additionally, the strap line for the magazine would appeal to females, “Stylish, Intelligent, Elegant, Absolutely”. This again creates a hermeneutic code which correlates with females.

Class – The magazine would appeal to the middle/upper class.Age – The magazine would appeal to people aged 16-35.Gender – The magazine would appeal to mainly females.Ethnicity – The magazine would generally appeal to people of a British background.

Essex LifeThis edition of Essex Life is targeted at an older generation. This is suggested through the hermeneutic code produced through the image in the background. A flower would usually appeal to an older generation of gardeners, most likely females. The magazine would appeal to people who live in Essex as suggested by the title. The content within the magazine would appeal to both male and female, however mainly the older generation of a white background. This is because the content of politics, and history of Essex is more likely to appeal to them. It has a slight appeal to the younger female, due to the article on weddings. It is likely to appeal to the upper class, due to the higher than average price at £3.65

Class – The magazine would appeal to the middle/upper class.Age – The magazine would appeal to people aged 30-80Gender – The magazine would appeal to both males and females.Ethnicity – The magazine would generally appeal to people of a British background.