How does the Kerrang! Brand keeps its audience informed?
Kerrang! Is the main access to the metal scene and is a UK
based magazine. It was conceived in the year of 1981 and it focuses on the
genre of heavy metal and rock music. It is a weekly publication which provides
a source of up to date and in the minute news, gig details, articles and
reviews that relate to the metal music genre and its sub genres e.g. nu-metal
thrash, Goth and emo. Kerrang! Is owned by the institution Bauer Media
publications who also own magazines such as Q, Mojo and Empire, the institution
is also the publisher of the magazine, it is a large European based company .
Its readers/ target audience are in there late teens/early twenties between the
ages of around 15-24 with a median age of 22, and split on the percentage of
60% male and 40% female. Kerrang! Features
artists such as Lost Prophets, Bullet for My Valentine, Green Day, Bon Jovi and
Metallica, and has recently pioneered coverage of grunge music. Kerrang! Is
also a means of self-expression for young, individually minded and passionate
consumers, an audience defined by attitude, passion and loyalty. Kerrang! Does
face some issues and one key issue is media ownership it has been owned by companies
such as EMAP were it was the institutions hero brand of the digital age, but
was than soled to BAUER in February 2008. Another issue is that Kerrang! Is still
extremely dependent on shelf distribution like over the counter transactions
for over 95% of sales, Kerrang! Needs to work on its marketing, exchange, and
cross media convergence in order to change this as this shows that Kerrang! Is
not keeping its audience entirely up to date by offering other forms of media,
in other words Kerrang! Needs to proliferate. In 2008/2009 ABC figures showed
that Kerrang!’S Sales were down by 30% going from 75.937 to 52.272, again
emphasising that Kerrang needs to improve its synergy, marketing and
cross-media convergence. The magazine also lost out on proliferation of social
networking sites like Facebook and MySpace in 2007/2008 and this has effected
there marketing, exchange and proliferation over time. Kerrang! Did however try
to with stand this proliferation with the creation of an online addition which
then made the magazine become a subsidiary to the online edition, Facebook and MySpace
page. The changes in which people are listening to music currently threaten to
wear down the financial viability of the magazine, and the magazine is now
having to become more mainstream to gain financial income.
The magazine keeps its audience informed in many ways using
its unique selling points and brand credibility. Kerrang! Produces exiting
content and genre specific information that is desirable to the target market,
the portfolio of advertisement e.g. Nintendo and PlayStation also keep the audiences
informed in the latest interest of the metal genre. The magazine has a simple
layout including stimulating coloured images with chunks of informative
information which people can dip in and out of, pages are devoted full size
posters which will soon be plastered on the walls of the target audience. The managing
cost of 1.99 means the magazine follows the financial situation of its teenage
target audience keeping them informed giving them more for less. By including information
on feedback pages, news diary pages, and gig reviews the magazine is keeping
the reader interested offering a wide variety of flavours facts, and exclusive
bitesize chunks of information informing the reader of everything that need to
be known about the latest events in the metal genre. Readers are drawn in by
Kerrang! s cover which splashed with genre iconography including gothic makeup,
black clothing, and rough looking typefaces with a touch of vampire and
nocturnal imagery. Kerrang!s covers use the language of the reader using slang
terms that are used by the target audience e.g. the word Kerrang itself is a
reference to the sound of a chord of an electric guitar, and swag to blag which
refers to competitions held in the magazine. The magazine includes grading systems
or reviews advice on essential purchases and songs to avoid, and advice on
music and guidance within songs in the genre keeping the audience informed 24/7
on the best and greatest music of the current day. There diary of the week with
profiles of up and coming events informs the reader of what is going on in this
week’s metal scene and these recommended events helps catalyse and establish
the particular lifestyle taste of the reader beyond the music. Feedback
opportunities also offer a chance for the readers to be listen too in feedback pages,
and rants of the week. Kerrang additionally promotes government messages to
inform the readers of the latest issues. The magazine acts as a form of
advertisement verbally and visually selling music to people through artist and
record labels, the magazine informs the reader on the latest releases from
artists strictly relevant to the genre and also advertises artists tours and events.
Competitions are on the magazine to keep the reader involved and inform the
reader of prises and opportunities. The genre specific fashion of metal allows
Kerrang to advertise specific brands that give of the metal look including
clothes and Jewry brands, this keeps the reader up to date on the latest
fashions and informs them of what their favourite artists are wearing, and what
thy should be wearing to keep up with there genre. All the ways in which the
magazine keeps its audience informed benefits the magazine overall, as it keeps
people interested in the magazine because it is current, loyal to the genre and
the readers, and this keep the reader buying the magazine and there for
financially benefits the brand Kerrang! this creates a returning fan base keen
for information knowing that Kerrang will give it to them by keeping their
ideas fresh and moving with current trends.
Digital convergence gave Kerrang! A chance to reach a larger
target audience. Entering into the digital age Kerrang! Now uses the web, TV
and radio to keep its audience informed, it does this in many ways. Kerrang now
has multiple platforms of webpages in which it can keep the audience informed
on the latest metal/rock genre information, music, fashion and social media a
few examples are listed: www.kerreng.com www.kerrangradio.com www.kerrang.com/tv www.kerrangstore.com www.kerrang.com/podcasts. The first web
link is the main site for the magazine and were you can purchase the magazine,
this website allows the audience to become a proactive consumer as its provides
links to additional websites were you can purchase concert tickets. While
illustrating synergy, the website also allows the audience to subscribe
allowing them to be informed online as well as in the magazine, therefore
websites offer a greater overall informative value covering more than that that
is just in the magazine, the subscriptions cost and are monthly. The second leads
you to the home of the radio station, the third leads you to the online store
and the next one leads you to the Kerrang! Relentless tour and Kerrang! Awards.
Through these web links Kerrang! Is now able to provide informative information
that was previously exclusive to the magazine making it more widely available,
keeping the audience informed quickly and easily as the website is updated
regularly. Kerrang! also has online forums
in which it can ask the audience what they want to know about, this makes them
in charge of what they want to read about, meaning the audience is telling the
magazine what they want to be informed about, this adds an interactive value to
Kerrangs! brand. Advertisement can also appear online which further informs the
target audience of products and new and exciting information regarding the
metal/rock genre. Kerrangs! radio a 105 digital and FM bases radio station
modified its core brand values and further extends the brands informative
nature by playing the latest tracks by mainstream rock and metal artist e.g.
Red hot Chilli Peppers and Oasis and also informs people on the latest in the
metal and rock genre, this was Kerrangs first venture into the synergized word
of digital media. Kerrang TV made it second in 2001, and was an immediate
success, than added to the long list of informative platforms that the digital
age brought to kerrang! Kerrang TV offers advisement to be made and is also
hyperlinked to online ticket sellers. Through all, of this kerrang achieved
cross-media convergence, synergy, greater methods of production, distribution
and marketing, and also better methods of exchange and proliferation. This has
all benefited kerrang as it means that information can be updated regularly,
and the web has also expanded Kerrangs! fan base and target audience and the
availability of easy subscription and purchases online have profited the brand
financially.
Kerrang! Has a range of social media accounts that quickly
update with news on music and artist, including new music releases and up and
coming artists. An example of these are Kerrangs! Facebook, Twitter and My
Space, and they act as a gateway for key breaking news information updates to
keep the audience informed instantly with articles and other forms of media,
like quizzes and interviews. Kerrang! Has over 200,00 twitter followers an
100,00 Facebook likes, this is great for the target audience as it means that
they are informed everyday 7 days a week on all their favourite artists and
genre, and the audience also trusts the information that is being produced so feel
they are getting quality truthful facts. Also Kerrangs! My Space is linked to
its ticket selling page acting as a form of informative advertisement for artist
and record labels. The My Space also links into kerrang! TV. Through social
media therefore comes huge promotions and advertisements to other parts of the branch
of the Kerrang! Brand which provides the audience with countess information to
read. The social media accounts also allow kerrang readers to share videos and
play lists with each other meaning that they can be collaborative in interest,
this can be done through another social media website they have called YouTube.
Because this is all done through the internet everything that is being talked
about can be accessed easily, quickly and instantly. Kerrang also has a an app
in which subscribers can access the magazine and receive notifications on the
latest events and music updates in the metal and rock genre, this is extremely useful
in keeping up with the brands core values and identity and also everything that
kerrang has to offer. This all benefits Kerrang! as a brand because it mean
that they can 24/7 keep their readers up to date on everything big in metal and
rock, and by having a great spread across many forms of media they come into
contact with more fans creating a larger fan base and therefore a larger sales profit
and readership.
In conclusion, the magazine could be improved by expanding
the target audience so that the magazine appeals to more people, this would
inform a larger number of readers and therefore have a positive outcome on
profit, I would also suggest that the brand should change some of its content
to make its more mainstream and universal to all, this would consequently result
in more sales and a change in brand identity re introducing Kerrang! as a more
rounded music magazine. Overall I think the Kerrang! brand is very effective,
it is able to provide what its audience wants by creating online forums and
surveys to make sure it is doing what metal/rock fans want it to do wants it do
so it can self-evaluate and constantly evolve. Kerrang! Also has many forms of
media meaning it has a good cross media convergence reaching into al the
corners of society that may find a fan, it keeps up with the latest information
and breaking news updates, regularly informing is target audience and executes
the role of a music magazine to an almost perfect standard.
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