Magazines

On September 12, we had a class lecture on magazines, how they started, and why they are different than other mediums of communication. We began the lecture by learning about the first magazine to hit the newsstands- Benjamin Franklin's General Magazine. As the title hints at, this magazine was for anyone and everyone; it was not targeted at a niche audience. This means magazines in the early days had a national audience, a national identity, and national advertising. You could say these ads are "shot-gun approach" ads, meaning they were put out there in an attempt to attract only a fairly small percentage of the people reading the magazine.

Magazines were soon being shipped all the way across the country for the small amount of a penny per pound because of the Postal Act of 1879. More and more people began reading newspapers and enjoyed them, but some wished for magazines specific to their interests, such as sports, baking, etc.

Today, each magazine publication creates magazines very specific to a certain topic to attract a niche audience. For example, celebrity magazines tend to sell to young women, family-centered magazines appeal to parents, and magazines filled with pictures and easy to read short stories are enjoyed by children. Advertisers put their ads in magazines that their consumers are most likely to read. For example, in a celeb magazine, you will most likely see page after page of ads for new young adult fiction novels, make up ads, perfume ads, etc. This is the exact opposite of the "shot-gun approach" I explained earlier. Magazines are not only interesting and enjoyable for us to read; they are also enjoyable for advertisers because when they place their ads in the right magazine, they are sure to see a rise in sales!