CASE
STUDY
IPC MEDIA is the UK's
leading magazine publisher above companies such as UKMAG. IPC MEDIA
publish, among other magazines in their men's division (IPC Inspire) such as lad's mag. NUT are NME.
IPC MEDIA produce over 60 iconic brands with print alone (magazines such as MARIE CLAIRE in the 'up-market women's division of IPC MEDIA and other prints such as WORLD SOCCER) that reach about a third of UK women, and almost half of all UK men.
They don't only target audiences with their printed brands, but also with their digital brands. Where VOLKS WORLD magazine's target audience would generally be strong fans of the Volkswagen vehicle brand, found in the mass market men's portfolio next to NUT and NME is a website called MOUSEBREAKER. MARIE-CLAIRE's target audience is the middle aged women, and PICK ME UP (a gossip magazine under the mass market woman's portfolio of IPC: IPC Connect) would target mainly an upper class female audience/an audience varying from a teen age to mid-50s who belong to the working class but MOUSEBREAKER targets a male audience from teenagers to those younger than adolescence.
IPC also offer various niche magazines. For example sailing magazines such as BOAT OWNER and YACHTING WORLD that would target sailing fans and business men of various adult ages. Or magazines targeted at mothers and housewives such as WOMAN&HOME and WOMAN'S WEEKLY that hold cover lines such as 'my diet warning to my daughter' and articles on food recipes. Other aspects of their wide range of brands are sports magazines - which can be even more finely broken down into specific target audiences. For example MBR (Mountain bike rider) would be targeted at a mainly male teen to young adult (18-25) target audience who are fans of this style of sport. Another example could be the target audience of HORSE AND HOUND - a world known equestrian magazine (magazine for those who do work with horses) - which is those who usually live outside of the cities and in the country who are involved with horse riding or breeding etc.
The point is that IPC MEDIA, within its three portfolios (IPC Inspire - male division, IPC Connect - mass market woman's division and IPC Southbank - upper market woman's division), generate a figure of over 3.5 million readers who read IPC MEDIA products a week.
IPC really couldn't have generated such a figure if they hadn't been aiming at such a varied number of target audiences. This is the general reason why it targets a different audience with each magazine it makes. Although a lot of IPC MEDIA's magazines appear similar, in all realities they are actually targeted at small differences in the audience. For example, under IPC Connect, there is the gossip magazine CHAT and there is CHAT - IT'S FATE which is an edition of the magazine that not only covers gossip but horoscopes and mind reading and so plays on the fact that this target audience will believe what they read. The difference in targeting lies within that fact that some of CHAT's target audience will and won't be fans of this edition.
The main reason as to why it targets different audiences with each magazine is to make more money because targeting less audiences than IPC's competitors such as MUSICMAGS or UKMAG will put the company down. The way these companies make more and more money is by tapping into audiences that have not been represented or worked for.
IPC MEDIA is a subsidiary company of TIME.INC who are, in turn, a subsidiary company of TIME WARNER who's parent division is WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT who cover music, television and film. This is another reason as to why IPC MEDIA targets different audiences with each different magazine. It helps create a more complex cross media convergence.
IPC also offer various niche magazines. For example sailing magazines such as BOAT OWNER and YACHTING WORLD that would target sailing fans and business men of various adult ages. Or magazines targeted at mothers and housewives such as WOMAN&HOME and WOMAN'S WEEKLY that hold cover lines such as 'my diet warning to my daughter' and articles on food recipes. Other aspects of their wide range of brands are sports magazines - which can be even more finely broken down into specific target audiences. For example MBR (Mountain bike rider) would be targeted at a mainly male teen to young adult (18-25) target audience who are fans of this style of sport. Another example could be the target audience of HORSE AND HOUND - a world known equestrian magazine (magazine for those who do work with horses) - which is those who usually live outside of the cities and in the country who are involved with horse riding or breeding etc.
The point is that IPC MEDIA, within its three portfolios (IPC Inspire - male division, IPC Connect - mass market woman's division and IPC Southbank - upper market woman's division), generate a figure of over 3.5 million readers who read IPC MEDIA products a week.
IPC really couldn't have generated such a figure if they hadn't been aiming at such a varied number of target audiences. This is the general reason why it targets a different audience with each magazine it makes. Although a lot of IPC MEDIA's magazines appear similar, in all realities they are actually targeted at small differences in the audience. For example, under IPC Connect, there is the gossip magazine CHAT and there is CHAT - IT'S FATE which is an edition of the magazine that not only covers gossip but horoscopes and mind reading and so plays on the fact that this target audience will believe what they read. The difference in targeting lies within that fact that some of CHAT's target audience will and won't be fans of this edition.
The main reason as to why it targets different audiences with each magazine is to make more money because targeting less audiences than IPC's competitors such as MUSICMAGS or UKMAG will put the company down. The way these companies make more and more money is by tapping into audiences that have not been represented or worked for.
IPC MEDIA is a subsidiary company of TIME.INC who are, in turn, a subsidiary company of TIME WARNER who's parent division is WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT who cover music, television and film. This is another reason as to why IPC MEDIA targets different audiences with each different magazine. It helps create a more complex cross media convergence.
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