target audience

One of the ways in which NME and many other mainstream magazines target their audience in their double page spreads is through text. They either use common text in an article form or text structured into sub-headings (questions). The first type attracts the slightly older, adult demographic who make up a descent sized proportion of the target audience and this appeals to them because the text is structured neatly and professionally so it looks more attractive to read. The second appeals more to the younger demographic who make up most of the target audience and this style appeals to them because the sub-headings are easy to identify and they could choose which section to read rather than having to read the whole thing and also because there is usually a mixture of both serious and humorous questions which would also appeal to both demographics in the target audience.

Another way in which they target their audience is through imagery. Regardless of age NME's target audience would be interested in the biggest and hottest bands because its a mainstream magazine which covers the popular genres i.e hip hop, indie rock and therefore the popular bands and artists, so it makes sense to use larger images that present the bands and artists as big and important as they're made out to be. The target audience would enjoy seeing massive images of massive bands and the images further entice the target audience to read the main article because of how important they appear on the page.

The final way in which they target their audience is through pull quotes. More often than not the main image will be accompanied by a large quote that stands out from the article. These appeal to the target audience because they are directly from the band's mouth which adds a special significance for the target audience who may be great fans of the band or simply interested in what one of the most hottest bands has to say. It also gives them a taste of what they can expect to find wihin the article and therefore entices them to read it