Maslow's Hierarchy of needs.

Looking at Maslow’s hierarchy of needs you can clearly see the things in life that are needed for basic survival these are referred to as physiological to self-actualization such as acceptation of fact. This along with the Uses and Gratification model and Demographics show who to target media products such as magazines at.

Each of us is motivated by needs. Our most basic needs are inborn, having evolved over tens of thousands of years. Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs helps to explain how these needs motivate us all.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs states that we must satisfy each need in turn, starting with the first, which deals with the most obvious needs for survival itself.

Only when the lower order needs of physical and emotional well-being are satisfied are we concerned with the higher order needs of influence and personal development.

Conversely, if the things that satisfy our lower order needs are swept away, we are no longer concerned about the maintenance of our higher order needs.In turn this means that media is higher on the hierarchy as it is not a basic need, thought some may feel it is.

Media starts to fit into the model in the higher regions such as Esteem and Self-Actualization. This is when they start to advertise those products once basic needs are fulfilled. They target self-esteem and confidence by their products such as magazines, with the advertising and content reinforcing them. For example a ‘Punk’ kid, who is different and may get picked on in society who reads a punk magazine opens it up, reads through and it reinstates he’s confidence of belonging.

Media reaches further into Self- Actualization when creating and advertising products further. They create the illusion that we need their products, when they are not as necessary. These products consist of news, television, games Internet sites etc.

Uses and Gratification look at ‘Why’ people use media rather than content. The mass media compete with other sources of gratification, but gratifications can be obtained from a medium's content (e.g. watching a specific programme), from familiarity with a genre within the medium (e.g. watching soap operas), from general exposure to the medium (e.g. watching TV), and from the social context in which it is used (e.g. watching TV with the family).

NRS grades.

A

Upper middle class

Higher managerial, administrative or professional.

B

Middle class

Intermediate managerial, administrative or professional

C1

Lower middle class

Supervisory or clerical and junior managerial, administrative or professional

C2

Skilled working class

Skilled manual workers

D

Working class

Semi and unskilled manual workers

E

Those at the lowest levels of subsistence

Casual or lowest grade workers, pensioners and others who depend on the welfare state for their income

The NRS Social Grades, (National Readership Survey) class every occupation under one of these 6 categories.

Aswell as the occupation wages are taken into consideration. Therefore this model is key to analyse your potential target audience.

For most music magazines such as Kerrang, NME and Top Of The Pops target the teen generation. This age range classes as group E as they are students with either no or very little income. In which case media such as magazines market carefully and provide products in which can be afforded. The average price for a magazine is £2 - £4 depending on your acquired music taste. The cheapest magazine is Kerrang at the price of £2.20 and is very popular with teenagers ageing between, 13-17.

Other factors than age taken into account when researching into an ideal audience is gender, age, culture and race. Each magazine targets different audiences.

My ideas.

My target audience will be aimed at social grade E, students. This is because this age range tends to be more up to date with new releases of music. This is a key element for my magazine, as it will be consisting of new and upcoming music.

An idea of a genre of my particular magazine will be a mix between rock and metal, with some alternative bands inside. In which case I will have to be up to date with new releases. Popular and unknown bands to boost knowledge and understanding in the music industry, in turn boosting careers. My magazine will be one new band’s come to help publicise them

This would mean that the price would have to be low budget roughly priced at around £2; this is similar to Kerrang and NME pricing. A questionnaire I will create later is to find out which of the 3 main competing magazines they buy. These will be Kerrang NME and Q (which is slightly more diverse than the others.) This will show me how much money they have to spend weekly on magazines.