Learning Outcome 1 (U3): Be able to create a proposal with sample materials for an original media product to a client brief (P1, P2, M1) Learning Outcome 2 (U21): Be able to create a proposal and pitch for an original media product based on a given brief (P2)

Create a Proposal and pitch for a media product:

Learning objective 1: Be able to create a proposal with small materials for an original media product to a client brief.

Learning objective 2: Be able to create a proposal and pitch for an original media product based on a given brief.

Title: 

 I choose the title Unplugged as it has great connotations of the acoustic genre. Unplugged has the connotation of unplugging the instrument and to show off the voice from the artist. It also links to music which addresses my target audience just through my title 'unplugged'. It shows the reflection of the acoustic genre; stripped back music essentially acoustic style pop. The name references instruments being disconnected. The font used is called a love story from the website DAFONT.COM. The font is stripped back and represents the genres stripped back theme.  

The Genre of my product: 

The genre of my product is Pop and Acoustic. I have chosen this genre through intensive research as the majority of venues(KOKO, Roundhouse and Hammersmith Apollo)   feature either pop or acoustic Musician. For example, 

 The Roundhouse is getting the youth of North London to produce their own music, trying to add talent to the upcoming talent in North London.

As the Majority of venues Play pop or acoustic gigs, I have inferred that this is the most popular genre. Venues will play the popular genres of music as this will increase the number of customers and the popularity of the music venue. In my magazines, I will be rating the venues based on price, experience, food and drink e.x.t. Also, upcoming concerts for my reader to go to.

Purpose of the product:

The purpose of my magazine is to make those who live in North London learn about the upcoming vibrant music scene by using different artists every month from the genre of pop and acoustic. Freya Ridings will be the first artist that will feature in my publication of magazines. The subsequent issues will feature other upcoming North London musicians.  Furthermore, the purpose is to inform North London about the genre of pop and acoustic. I will feature a range of venues in future issues such as KOKO and the roundhouse.

Form Of my product: 

I will be creating a print base and an online format for my magazines. Through, intensive Research from a Research group (YouGov). <: 51="" rgb="">The ‘Magazine Consumption’ report shows that 44% of adults buy and read printed magazines while a further 15% read without buying. Just over one in ten regularly (11%) read online magazines. 

The YouGov report research found that despite the growth of digital publications people feel a strong affinity for print titles, with more than two-fifths (43%) of magazine buyers preferring print to digital. A similar number (42%) like the look and feel of printed magazines and a third (33%) choose hard copies of publications because they find them more convenient. Just over one in twenty (6%) read more online magazines that print titles.  However, a fifth of buyers will buy a magazine less frequently due to the cost. Following this research, I can infer a low-cost magazine would be beneficial to the consumer. 

By having the option of both, from the YouGov report, I know that this will suit all readers. As some prefer online. The new digital age, most everyone uses the internet or social media. This will increase the scope for profit, as people are highly likely to purchase online rather than going to a newsagent and purchasing. 

From this research, I can infer 16-20-year-old females, will prefer issues being distributed every month rather than every week. The cost will be £2.99, with options of monthly and yearly subscriptions(mentioned in distribution in further detail). The USP of my product will be including a QR code where students can scan this on their phone to listen to the top three songs by the artists. As my magazine is low cost this enables the students to buy a magazine without stressing about student debt. The magazine has a price tag that shows its high quality at a lower price. This is why the Price is 'perfect fit' for my target audience. Lastly, the price still allows for profitability.

Target Audience: 

My target audience will be British Females aged between 16-20. The reason behind this is from my research. Billboard, who is a major competitor shows that over half of their readers are female. This helped me to select a specific gender as a target audience. Furthermore, there is a huge gap in the market for acoustic style pop. An artist leading this is Ed Sheeran, who may feature in subsequent issues. Those who attend his concerts are generally my target audience. 

The reasoning behind 16 being the youngest limit of my target audience, is due to venues allowing that age in. This allows for new experiences and opportunities in venues such as KOKO and the garage. In issue 1, Freya ridings is a young and very relatable figure to those purchasing 'unplugged' and I will continue to use relatable artists in other issues.  Freya has a  trendy style and will stand out on the front page compared to others. I will ensure that future artists featured within my magazine continue to inspire the fashion choices of my target audience.

Lastly, I decided to add social classes to widen my target audience.  Billboards readers are mostly 18-30, so including Social grades will involve all those who read music magazines. However, c2 will vary greatly in terms of preferences of fonts and content. Those of d and e are likely to want a less formal font and content. Whereas, the middle class may want more of an academic magazine. By incorporating, the preferences of both Social Grades I will vary my choice of fonts. Moreover, by including the history behind venues this will include more formal language and a chance for readers to enhance their knowledge of North London. I will be targeting C as my main social target group. 

The secondary audience will be aimed at Male and females aged at 25-30-year-olds. This is because this age group attends live music specifically acoustic pop. By having both of these target audiences widen my audience, increasing profitability. It also makes unplugged suitable for everyone in the north London Area. 

CONTENT: 

Every issue of my magazine will feature an acoustic style pop, upcoming artist. For example, this will include Interviews with the artist, q&a with North London musicians who represent the genres of Pop and Acoustic.  By doing this they will gain huge exposure as I will be focusing on the specific artist in the Magazine. This will make the readers gain knowledge on a variety of North London musicians. 

Featuring a North London Artist is an explicit requirement(different artist every month) featured in the brief. Another explicit Requirement is Venues in North London.   

I will include this by providing articles about venues such as the Roundhouse and many more. I will give an overall rating of the venue by including the total price, reviews, location and overall experience. This is a major feature as other London based magazines don't feature this making my magazine stand out. 

In addition, there will be a social media section (comments). As nearly everyone uses digital platforms these days, I will be using this as a low-cost method of advertising. Lastly, I want to include history behind the Music venues to give in-depth knowledge to the reader( this was an implicit requirement in the brief.) This will also be where my USP will feature. Readers can comment on the songs. For example, If the artist is Freya ridings, the songs available will be Lost without You, Maps and you mean the world to me. 

What makes my magazine stand out is by using Social media takeovers by artists that feature in my magazine monthly. In addition, there will be a QR code where readers can listen to the top 3 songs by the artist. I will be rating venues along with my staff. The ratings will be based on price, hospitality, staging, food and drink and overall experience. 

All of these features are included in my magazine so it meets the client brief. The readers of unplugged will be informed about the history of north London. An implicit requirement is to inform readers about venues in the local area. Furthermore, by including social media aspects within the magazine gives the reader the option to access the magazine online. 

Personnel and equipment: 

List: 

Personnel:

Personnel needed for my magazine: 

1. Photographer 
2. Photo editor 
3. Magazine editor 
4. Content writer 
5. Model 

All of the roles will be interns. The reasoning behind this is due to the cost of hiring external staff. Interns will be free and would be working full time. Once our magazine is making a profit I will be offering them permanent jobs at the company. If they are performing well. This makes our budget bigger enabling us to spend more money on advertising Unplugged, allowing the magazine to gain more exposure. 

Marketing Methods: 

A cheap method of advertising is producing leaflets and posters. These will be distributed in all boroughs that consist of North London. This will allow huge exposure for my magazine, also, an easy and efficient way of promoting my magazine. 

As 99% of 16-24-year-olds go on social media at least once a week this means I will be using the social media platform to promote my music magazine. This will be my primary source of marketing. The social media sites will include Snapchat, facebook, twitter and Instagram. Its extremely cheap and I will be able to access the majority of my target audience, by using the social media platform. Moreover, this is a very efficient and quick way to access the target audience. Furthermore, I will incorporate the social media platform to use as my USP. This will be a QR scannable code which will feature the top three songs from the musician on the magazine monthly. This enables my readers to listen to the musician, giving greater insight into the type of music they produce. 

I need to ensure that north London can access my magazine.  So by having the availability of a social media section will expose my magazine digitally. This, therefore, meets the client brief as the magazine can inform everyone in north London can be informed. 

DISTRIBUTION METHODS 

I will be offering online subscriptions. There will be a range of options: 

1. 12-month subscription which consists of online and a printed version sent your door will cost £45 
2. 12-month subscription which will only be accessible online costing £50
3. NUSC- 10% OFF FOR STUDENTS 

These online subscriptions will help me bring in large amounts of profit. Furthermore, I shall distribute magazines to local newsagents located in North London. This will be my main source of distribution. In addition, through the market research, nearly every UK Newsagents features magazines in their shop and most magazines get sold via this way. Unfortunately, I will not be selling to supermarkets. The prime reason is that I do not have the budget and even if you did, the price you get will be a fraction of what you would get selling directly to customers, and you will also have to take the hit for promotions, special offers and discounts offered on your product by the supermarket. I am going to incorporate monthly subscriptions as well. 

This means that my target audience will have the luxury to both printed from newsagents and also through monthly subscriptions. The subscription for printed and online will offer a door to door service- a stress-free service perfect for stressful students.  

The options above give a range of ways for the reader to access Unplugged. The online and print-based options meet the client brief- another example of how Unplugged is easily accessible to North London.

Font Styles: 

I have chosen three fonts: 

The font above(doctors glitch) will be used for my masthead/title. This title is relatable to the genre as the glitch theme suggests instruments being disconnected representing the acoustic style. In addition, it's unique and eye-catching. This is why this font will be used for my title. 

Timeless will be used for the main part of article writing. It's an easy font to read and not overwhelming for the reader to read. Meaning its perfect for articles. Its simple yet fits the general theme of the magazine. Furthermore, it looks more formal and suited for the social grade c yet has a sense of simplicity. 

This font will be used for Straplines and headlines. Its a sans serif font which stands out. The fine lines make it look formal but eye-catching. 

Moodboard 

A mood board is great pre-presentation documentation, as it shows key ideas, tone, theme and genre. The range of set images shows styles in relation to the topic. This mood board clearly represents the genre of pop and acoustic genres. By using, the specific artist that represent the genre, clothes worn and also examples of other music magazines. 

INITIAL SKETCHES: 

On the left is my front-page cover and on the right is an example of a double page spread. Generally, the masthead will always be across the top of the page. With the artist for that issue on the front cover, usually a mid-shot. The double page spread is the artist's name across the double page. The main quote from the article would go under. Usually an interview and/or a Q&A. 

COMPETITION: 

Billboard is an American entertainment media brand owned by the Billboard-Hollywood Reporter Media Group, a division of Eldridge Industries. It publishes pieces involving news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style, and is also known for its music charts, including the Hot 100 and Billboard200, tracking the most popular songs and albums in different genres. It also hosts events, owns a publishing firm, and operates several TV shows.

Billboard is a pop magazine with the majority of readers being female. They charge £7.54 per magazine produced weekly alongside their website. Billboard is the world's most influential music media brand. 

The acoustic magazine is released monthly and costs £1.99- their pocket mag. However, their subscription summary charges £7.67 with 12 issues over 12 months costing £92.00. The acoustic magazine was founded in 2004 and was co-founded by Steve Harvey in 2004. Harvey edited the first twenty issues of the magazine, which is part of Blaze Publishing Ltd.

This makes my magazine significantly cheaper in price making readers choose my magazine over my competition.