An Analysis of the Local Supermarkets Magazine Rack - Essay Example

Section/# An Analysis of the Local Supermarket’s Magazine Rack The following analysis will seek to analyze three particular magazines available at a local retail grocery store. These three magazines which will be examined are as follows: “Woman’s Day”, “Seventeen”, and “Maxim”. Although the individual is greeted by the presence of these magazines are nearly a daily basis, stopping to take note of their contents and the means by which they are targeted marketed helps to identify the niche market they serve in terms of the segmentation, lifestyles and VALS that can be attributed to them. Furthermore an understanding and integration of filtering, meaning watching, and meaning constriction also will be discussed. It is the hope of this author that through such an analysis the means by which individuals are marketed to as well is the means by which individuals relate to and understand marketing will be understood to a further degree. The first of the magazines which will be analyzed within this brief discussion is that of “Woman’s Day”. Exhibition of the niche market and segmentation that “Woman’s Day” represents is instantly noted by its cover. Whereas the covers of nearly every surrounding magazine have pictured upon them stylize, airbrushed, and otherwise unreasonable representations of beauty, the current edition of “Woman’s Day” features upon its cover representations of several culinary treats. As a function of the representation of food, and the overtly obvious title that the magazine exhibits, the individual understands that this particular magazine is geared specifically towards a female audience most likely between the ages of 30 to 65. Accordingly the lifestyle that is exhibited by such market segmentation is likely that of a homemaker; or at least an individual that is highly interested in cooking and homemaking. Naturally the values and attitudes that such a magazine seeks to express are somewhat more muted and conservative than many of the other offerings that might be seen within a local magazine rack. Conversely, with respect to the magazine “Seventeen”, the subject matter is almost entirely different. As one can see both from the title and the highly sexualized imagery available on the front cover, the magazine seeks to integrate with a young consumer that is highly conscious of their clothing, busy, and overall sex of fuel. As a function of this nearly every single article that is advertised on the cover speaks to some if not all of these three subcategories of interest. Although it cannot be definitively stated by this author the upper bounds of the age group that “Seventeen” magazines might appeal, it is safe to assume that the magazine is most certainly geared towards an audience between the ages of 15 to 27 years of age. Although broad statements cannot be made with regards to the values attitudes and lifestyle of the consumer that might integrate with such a magazine, it is also safe to assume that these will necessarily be more liberal, relaxed, and open-minded than those the VALS that were exhibited within the market segmentation and representation of ““Woman’s Day””. Finally, with regards to “Maxim” magazine the demographic and segmentation that is targeted and marketed to is almost exclusively male. “Maxim” represents a unique case due to the fact that many of the market strategies that are employed to sell the magazines are not entirely unlike the same marketing strategies and segmentations that the pornography industry utilizes to sell their magazines. Accordingly, from a cursory review of cover as well as the stories, the main thrust of the magazine is concentric upon male sex drive. As such females are represented, both on the cover and inside magazine, and highly erotic (albeit clothed) poses whereas the stories that the company these representations are almost always concentric upon what might be understood as typical male behavior. As with “Woman’s Day”, “Maxim” seeks to speak to a very broad age demographic. Whereas “Seventeen” magazine only seeks to market actively within an age group that spans 15 to 27 years and “Maxim” seeks to integrate with men from the age of puberty onwards. With respect to the VALS that one might infer are connected to the marketers of “Maxim” magazine, these are perhaps the most broad of any of the three magazines that if you’re in the discussed. This is due to the fact that the subject matter that the magazine seeks to integrate with the reader is almost wholly concentric upon sex. This way, a lifestyle that places a high degree of emphasis on sex appeal, working out, maintaining fitness, and other norms and values are necessarily emphasized. Ultimately, the marketers behind the firms that put forward these magazines the public count on the fact that filtering, meaning matching, and meaning construction will all play into the degree in which the target audience integrates with the magazine/product being sold. Whereas many individuals may find the subject matter that is represented within these magazines uninteresting/unappealing/or repulsive, the marketers behind these firms fully expect this and do not mind if a level of filtering takes place within the mind of the viewing public. This is of course due to the fact that they have a very specific target audience that is already defined, segmented, and marketed to within society. Similarly, meaning matching is a powerful way for the marketers behind such magazines to seek to engage on a large number of topics without using any inflammatory approaches within the target audience. Moreover such approach allows this form of media to act as something of an authority with regards to a litany of different topics. The final area that is utilized is with regards to meaning construction. This is one of the most powerful, yet understated, means by which marketers and firms are able to create an identity of a good, service, or product within the mind of the consumer. By tacitly allowing a level of self recognition and meaning construction to take place, the marketers are able to allow the consumer/reader to believe that they are constructed meaning around a given concept or ideal without being directly marketed to develop such an approach. Read More