Assignment 3/4
My magazine project, titled Australian Soccer Magazine, is, as the name suggests, a magazine about soccer. As described in my magazine proposal, I have done thorough research and found that there is a market for a publication like this. The magazine will contain feature and news articles about soccer matches, clubs and players from all over the world, but its distinguishing factor is its focus on Australian soccer.
Audience and competition Soccer is Australia‟s largest sport for both men and women, and also the quickest growing one. Although this does not necessarily mean that more people will embrace Australian Soccer Magazine, the potential audience is still large. As previous market research has shown, Australian soccer fans are generally very interested in keeping up to date on the latest soccer news, and such I expect Australian Soccer Magazine to appeal to that audience – in the sense that it delivers news and features that will interest soccer fans and players. The potential audience will primarily be male, but there are also many female soccer enthusiasts in Australia that might be interested in reading about their favourite clubs and players. To try to appeal more to girls and women, Australian Soccer Magazine also has a section dedicated to women‟s soccer. This section will start out small, but may expand if it is a success among readers. Most of the soccer players and fans in Australia are young – in the 10 to 30 years age range – which means many will have limited spending money. However, the magazine is reasonably priced at only $6.95 an issue, which is affordable for the majority of the target audience. A cheaper subscription rate is also available.
Considering the limited competition from other media in Australia, I also expect Australian Soccer Magazine to be able to secure a good share of the market. At the moment there is only one other Australian produced soccer magazine, as well as websites such as SBS‟s The World Game, www.soccerhut.net and Fox Sports. In addition to this, it is of course important not to forget the overseas magazines such as Four Four Two and World Football, and the international soccer websites such as BBC Sports’ website and ESPN’s www.soccernet.com. However, Australian Soccer
Magazine has one major advantage over these international publications: Its Australian focus.
Design and communication I have chosen to use a simple, but effective and visually appealing way of communicating the magazine articles to the readers. The front page consists of a large photo of Real Madrid‟s star striker Ronaldo, which is sure to catch the eye of anyone interested in soccer. I have included a banner at the very top of the front page that explains what the magazine is about, which is national and international soccer news, features and interviews. This banner, along with the Australian Soccer Magazine logo will tell potential readers what they can expect to get – thus it is very specifically targeting the type of audience it is aiming for. Headlines on the front page are large and colourful to draw the reader‟s attention to the actual contents of that month‟s magazine. Inside the magazine, head notes tell the reader which section he or she is reading – whether it be international news, editorial or a feature story. Large headlines or appealing photos of people are used to capture the reader‟s attention, while the layout is two-columned and easy to get into. I have kept the design simple so to not scare away potential readers with overdone and confusing layout features. At the same time the layout is also not too simple, but visually appealing enough to capture the interest of those who value good design as well.
Magazine and webpage interaction In addition to the magazine itself, I have also created a website prototype to complement the printed edition. The webpage at www.australiansoccer.com provides information about Australian Soccer Magazine – such as who makes it and what is in the latest edition of the printed magazine – as well as contact information for subscription and general feedback. It also contains teasers from some of the longer articles in the magazine in the form of snippets of the text and an accompanying picture. In that way the website effectively operates as an advertisement for the printed edition and may help draw readers to the magazine.
The website also contains an option to sign up for a fortnightly newsletter as well as a discussion forum to encourage more reader interactivity and feedback. The newsletter will contain extracts and teasers to promote the print magazine, but will also feature more up to date news articles to keep Australian Soccer Magazine fresh in the readers‟ minds. This is also a good way of promoting the magazine, as the newsletter may possibly be forwarded to other people who might not know about Australian Soccer Magazine at all – if they like what they read in the newsletter, they might visit the site, and if they like what they see on the site, they might get hold of a copy of the printed magazine. As with all advertising, this is a way to reach the broadest possible audience.
I believe feedback from, and interactivity with readers is an integral part to capture and increase a readership. The discussion forum on www.australiansoccer.com is perfect for that, as it gives readers the chance to discuss news and articles and give suggestions for what they want to read in future editions. If the forum is successful in making people come back again and again, this will simultaneously work as a cheap but effective way of always advertising the latest issue of Australian Soccer Magazine. In this way the website‟s visitors will always know what they can get if they choose to buy the printed edition – as well as actually being able to influence the content by suggesting improvements and article ideas. In the printed edition of the magazine, the website is also promoted – in the editorial and on the front page. By doing this, people who do not buy the magazine straight away – because of lack of money or time, for instance – may be tempted to check out the website instead. The website thus helps keep the potential audience aware of Australian Soccer Magazine, which means that they might be more likely to choose to buy an issue at another time – if they find the contents of the website interesting enough.
I believe this pilot issue of Australian Soccer Magazine and its accompanying website shows that the concept of an Australian soccer magazine is indeed worthwhile.
Bibliography
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