magazine analysis

Magazines Design Analysis S09

Cervante | Gupta | Haupt | Vuong

1

Magazines

Magazines Magazines | Design Analysis S09 |

Cervantes Gupta Haupt Vuong

era analysisin this issue:

network diagram

position mapartifact analysis

insight matrix

attribute profile



2

ERA ANALYSIS300 year history



3

ERA 1 ERA 2 ERA 3 ERA 4 ERA 5 ERA 6

1700 1800 1900 2000

ERA 1 ERA 2 ERA 31900-1930

INDUSTRIALIZATION

1700s

INTELLECTUAL

1880

GENERALIZATION

ERA 41930-1970+

STANDARDIZATION

ERA 51970-1990

LEISURE

ERA 61990-2000

INFORMATION AGE

ERA 7Present

COLLABORATION

CONTENT

ACCESS

Literature, essay,commentary, satire,text heavy, book-like

Payment to a social class entitled member to subscription

Commentary, muckraking,documentary, book-like

Photography, documentary,journalism, editorial, formatchanges, advertising enters

Advertisers influence content,news magazines, editorial,slick is in

Small press renaissance,entertainment, general-interest,news, pictures, design

less newsy, amplified audience, information driven, quality full color print spreads.

ECONOMIC Distinct upper-class and lower class

Distinct upper-class and lower class

Growing lower class (WWI) Emerging middle class Emerging disposable income Prosperous Recession

POPULAR MAGAZINES, EMERGING MAGAZINES

Life, National Geographic, Fortune, Time, New Yorker,Ebony, Life, People, Esquire, Playboy, Highlights

Vogue, Interview, GQ,Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated, Men’s Health

Ray Gun, Colors, Wired,Maxim

Good, “T”, Make, stopsmilingThe Review, Tatler, Spectator,mostly British magazines

McClure’s, Munsey’s, America opens the market Saturday evening post,

The Little Review

VALUES OF MAGAZINE COMMUNITY

Distinguish your social status and scene. Education and knowledge. Opinions of other intellectuals.

General knowledge,information

Special interests, informal, democratic, slick and glossy,news-oriented

Self-image and maintenance, pop-culture.

Pop-culture, information,time, aesthetics, individuality

Useful, digestibable,stylish, compelling, enticing,identity, sustainble

CULTURE Intellectuals, knowledgeseekers.

Specialized social sectors,conformists

By demographic, increasedinterest-based demoninator, industry monitors consumer trends

Reader tolerates advertising, and consumes, acceptsstandardization

Self-oriented interests Information seeking Content collaboration, and networking

INFLUENTIAL TECHNOLOGY Printing press Printing press +mass production

Analog TV, Cable Internet Internet, mobile media,media convergence

Enticing, advertise driven, community created and verified content


Access to a greater number and variety of magazines through stand purchase and subscription.

General public has access to media.

Subscription and retail services are available to a wider audience.

ERA Analysis: A 300 year old industry



4


1700 1800 1900 2000

ERA 1 ERA 2 ERA 31900-1930

INDUSTRIALIZATION

1700s

INTELLECTUAL

1880

GENERALIZATION

ERA 41930-1970+

STANDARDIZATION

ERA 51970-1990

LEISURE

ERA 61990-2000

INFORMATION AGE

ERA 7Present

COLLABORATION

CONTENT

ACCESS

















The Little Review



















Subscription and retail services are available to a wider audience.Times have changed...



1700 1800 1900 2000

ERA 1 ERA 2 ERA 31900-1930

INDUSTRIALIZATION

1700s

INTELLECTUAL

1880

GENERALIZATION

ERA 41930-1970+

STANDARDIZATION

ERA 51970-1990

LEISURE

ERA 61990-2000

INFORMATION AGE

ERA 7Present

COLLABORATION

CONTENT

ACCESS

















The Little Review






















5


1700 1800 1900 2000

ERA 1 ERA 2 ERA 31900-1930

INDUSTRIALIZATION

1700s

INTELLECTUAL

1880

GENERALIZATION

ERA 41930-1970+

STANDARDIZATION

ERA 51970-1990

LEISURE

ERA 61990-2000

INFORMATION AGE

ERA 7Present

COLLABORATION

CONTENT

ACCESS

















The Little Review




















Yet the options to buy magazines are limited to subscription and buying from the stand.


1700 1800 1900 2000

ERA 1 ERA 2 ERA 31900-1930

INDUSTRIALIZATION

1700s

INTELLECTUAL

1880

GENERALIZATION

ERA 41930-1970+

STANDARDIZATION

ERA 51970-1990

LEISURE

ERA 61990-2000

INFORMATION AGE

ERA 7Present

COLLABORATION

CONTENT

ACCESS

















The Little Review




















ERA Analysis: A 300 year old experience



6


1700 1800 1900 2000

ERA 1 ERA 2 ERA 31900-1930

INDUSTRIALIZATION

1700s

INTELLECTUAL

1880

GENERALIZATION

ERA 41930-1970+

STANDARDIZATION

ERA 51970-1990

LEISURE

ERA 61990-2000

INFORMATION AGE

ERA 7Present

COLLABORATION

CONTENT

ACCESS

















The Little Review





















INSIGHT:

4 tensions in the industry:

1) Industry faces threats and competition from digital media

2) Limited innovation with channel of distribution (Buy at stand or subscribe)

3) Media convergence4) Increasing diversity and easier access

of content create heightened expectations



7

NETWORK DIAGRAMmapping the industry



8

Network Diagram: Mapping the industry

Advertiser

Digital

Printer

Retailer

Subscription Distributor

Paper Version

READER

Editor

Publisher

Content flow of Magazine industry



9


Retailer


Paper Version

READER

Publisher

Advertiser

Digital

Editor

Printer

area of interest

area

of

inte

rest

Our Scope



10

ARTIFACT ANALYSIS



11

Physical Attributes

Activities

Metaphors

Associations

Lightweight Thin

Glossy PaperNotebook Oprah on paper

Blog Tabloid

Catalogue Journal

Eye Candy

Etertainment Planning

Decorating Fashion

Business News/Current Events

Reviews Book alternative

Design Gossip

Pictures Inspiration

Communicating Reading

Scrapbooking Playing

Designing Fitness

Health Aesthetic

Education Music

DIY

Waiting Rooms Travel

Bathroom Cooking

Down-time Multi-activities

Break Salon/Barbershp

Commute Leisure

Profession Pornography

News Glossy

Collectible Historical

Cheap

Convenient

Tangible/Observable Intangible/Context

Stat

ic P

rdet

erm

ined

Dyn

amic

/Sem

ipre

dict

able

Portable

Wireless

Low-commitment

DisposableDiscovery

Artifact Analysis:



12

Physical Attributes

Activities

Metaphors

Associations

Lightweight Thin

Glossy PaperNotebook Oprah on paper

Blog Tabloid

Catalogue Journal

Eye Candy


Decorating Fashion

Business News/Current Events


Design Gossip


Communicating Reading


Designing Fitness

Health Aesthetic

Education Music

DIY


Bathroom Cooking


Break Salon/Barbershp

Commute Leisure


News Glossy


Cheap

Convenient


Stat

ic P

rdet

erm

ined

Dyn

amic

/Sem

ipre

dict

able

PortableWireless

Low-commitment

DisposableDiscovery

INSIGHT:

Magazines are disposable, convenient and portable. This is what sets them apart from digital offerings and other substitutes.

Artifact Analysis:



13

Are there opportunities to leverage these qualities to attract subscribers?



14

INSIGHT MATRIXsymmetric



15

Survey:

69 participants were surveyed about their magazine reading experience.



16

INSIGHT MATRIX: Subscribing vs. Buying from the Stand

Expe

ctin

g on

e ev

ery

mon

th/w

eek

Savi

ng t

ime

subs

crib

ing

thro

ugh

mai

l-in

offe

rs

Gett

ing

a de

al/o

ffer

s

Subs

crib

ing

onlin

e

Read

qui

ckly

, flip

ping

thr

ough

, ski

m

Supp

ortin

g ot

her

activ

ities

(co

okin

g, D

IY)

Savi

ng M

agaz

ine

as r

efer

ence

Repu

rpos

e m

agaz

ine

(scr

apbo

ok)

Deco

ratin

g w

ith m

agaz

ine

Carin

g ab

out

aest

hetic

s

Disg

ardi

ng s

ubsc

rptio

ns (

unre

ad)

Gett

ing

free

sub

scrip

tion

to h

ome

Alw

ays

havi

ng t

hem

aro

und

hom

e

Leis

ure

read

ing

Take

it a

nyw

here

Buy

from

sta

nd

Buyi

ng o

n im

puls

e (c

over

stor

y, a

t ch

ecko

ut)

Pass

tim

e w

hen

trav

elin

g

Imm

edia

tely

pur

chas

e an

d re

ad

Choo

sing

fro

m a

larg

e se

lect

ion

Expl

orin

g va

riety

of

mag

azin

es

Prof

essi

onal

Lea

rnin

g

Read

ing

spec

ific

artic

les

onlin

e

Expecting one every month/week 3 3 2 2 3 2 1 2 2 0 2 1 3 3 3 0 0 1 0 2 0 1 1 3 ConvenienceSaving time 3 3 1 2 2 3 2 1 1 0 0 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 3subscribing through mail-in offers 2 1 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0Getting a deal/offers 2 2 2 3 3 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 3 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Subscribing online 3 2 0 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 2 2Read quickly, flipping through, skim 2 3 0 0 0 3 2 0 0 0 0 1 2 1 1 2 2 0 2 0 2 1 1 2Supporting other activities (cooking, DIY) 1 2 0 2 0 2 3 2 2 1 0 0 1 3 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 RepurposeSaving Magazine as reference 2 1 0 0 0 0 2 3 3 0 0 0 2 2 1 1 2 0 0 1 0 0 3 3Repurpose magazine (scrapbook) 2 1 0 1 0 0 2 3 3 3 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Decorating with magazine 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 3 3 1 2 3 1 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0Caring about aesthetics 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 3 2 0 3 2 0 1 0 0 0 2 2 0 0Disgarding subscrptions (unread) 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 2 3 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Getting free subscription to home 3 2 2 3 3 2 1 2 1 2 0 3 3 3 2 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Home AccessabilityAlways having them around home 3 1 2 2 3 1 3 2 1 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0Leisure reading 3 0 0 2 1 1 2 1 0 1 2 0 2 3 3 2 2 3 3 1 0 0 2 2Take it anywhere 0 0 1 0 0 2 3 1 0 2 0 0 2 2 2 3 2 2 3 3 0 0 0 0 Mobility/travelBuy from stand 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 1 1 0 0 1 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 0Buying on impulse (coverstory, at checkout) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 2 3 3 3 3 3 2 1 0Pass time when traveling 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 3 3 3 2 0 1 0 0Immediately purchase and read 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 3 3 3 2 3 0 1 2 2Choosing from a large selection 0 0 0 0 3 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 1 0 0 3 3 0 0 3 3 0 3 ExplorationExploring variety of magazines 1 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 1 1 3 3 1 3Professional Learning 1 1 1 0 2 1 2 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 1 0 2 0 1 3 3 Professional Resource Reading specific articles online 3 3 0 0 2 2 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 3 3 3 3

Key0 1 2 3

Matrix1is related to0,0!21;22!17;18!13;14!17,18;19!3;4!24;23!11;10!17,18,19;20!2;1!9;8!11,10;12!3,4;5!17,18,19,20;16!9,8;7!20,19,18,17,16;15!3,4,5;2,1!9,8,7;6!9,8,7,6;5,4,3,2,1!10,11,12;13,14!21,22;24,23!10,11,12,13,14;9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1!20,19,18,17,16,15;21,22,23,24!14,13,12,11,10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1;15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24!1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24!

Expe

ctin

g on

e ev

ery

mon

th/w

eek

Savi

ng t

ime

subs

crib

ing

thro

ugh

mai

l-in

offe

rs

Gett

ing

a de

al/o

ffer

s

Subs

crib

ing

onlin

e

Read

qui

ckly

, flip

ping

thr

ough

, ski

m

Supp

ortin

g ot

her

activ

ities

(co

okin

g, D

IY)

Savi

ng M

agaz

ine

as r

efer

ence

Repu

rpos

e m

agaz

ine

(scr

apbo

ok)

Deco

ratin

g w

ith m

agaz

ine

Carin

g ab

out

aest

hetic

s

Disg

ardi

ng s

ubsc

rptio

ns (

unre

ad)

Gett

ing

free

sub

scrip

tion

to h

ome

Alw

ays

havi

ng t

hem

aro

und

hom

e

Leis

ure

read

ing

Take

it a

nyw

here

Buy

from

sta

nd

Buyi

ng o

n im

puls

e (c

over

stor

y, a

t ch

ecko

ut)

Pass

tim

e w

hen

trav

elin

g

Imm

edia

tely

pur

chas

e an

d re

ad

Choo

sing

fro

m a

larg

e se

lect

ion

Expl

orin

g va

riety

of

mag

azin

es

Prof

essi

onal

Lea

rnin

g

Read

ing

spec

ific

artic

les

onlin

e


Key0 1 2 3


3

3

2

1

ActivitiesMotivating Attributes



17

Expe

ctin

g on

e ev

ery

mon

th/w

eek

Savi

ng t

ime

subs

crib

ing

thro

ugh

mai

l-in

offe

rs

Gett

ing

a de

al/o

ffer

s

Subs

crib

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onlin

e

Read

qui

ckly

, flip

ping

thr

ough

, ski

m

Supp

ortin

g ot

her

activ

ities

(co

okin

g, D

IY)

Savi

ng M

agaz

ine

as r

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ence

Repu

rpos

e m

agaz

ine

(scr

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ok)

Deco

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g w

ith m

agaz

ine

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g ab

out

aest

hetic

s

Disg

ardi

ng s

ubsc

rptio

ns (

unre

ad)

Gett

ing

free

sub

scrip

tion

to h

ome

Alw

ays

havi

ng t

hem

aro

und

hom

e

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ure

read

ing

Take

it a

nyw

here

Buy

from

sta

nd

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ng o

n im

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e (c

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y, a

t ch

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mag

azin

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onal

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rnin

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spec

ific

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onlin

e


Key0 1 2 3


Expe

ctin

g on

e ev

ery

mon

th/w

eek

Savi

ng t

ime

subs

crib

ing

thro

ugh

mai

l-in

offe

rs

Gett

ing

a de

al/o

ffer

s

Subs

crib

ing

onlin

e

Read

qui

ckly

, flip

ping

thr

ough

, ski

m

Supp

ortin

g ot

her

activ

ities

(co

okin

g, D

IY)

Savi

ng M

agaz

ine

as r

efer

ence

Repu

rpos

e m

agaz

ine

(scr

apbo

ok)

Deco

ratin

g w

ith m

agaz

ine

Carin

g ab

out

aest

hetic

s

Disg

ardi

ng s

ubsc

rptio

ns (

unre

ad)

Gett

ing

free

sub

scrip

tion

to h

ome

Alw

ays

havi

ng t

hem

aro

und

hom

e

Leis

ure

read

ing

Take

it a

nyw

here

Buy

from

sta

nd

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ng o

n im

puls

e (c

over

stor

y, a

t ch

ecko

ut)

Pass

tim

e w

hen

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elin

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edia

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chas

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orin

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onal

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e


Key0 1 2 3


3

3

2

1


INSIGHT MATRIX: Subscribing vs. Buying from the Stand

INSIGHTS

1) Instant GratificationThe tactility and mobility of magazines make it an ideal item to buy on the spot, read immediately and travel with.

2) ExtensionMagazines have an extended life and a repurposed function beyond the content of their pages. Often piled upon coffee tables, used for decoration, torn up for art projects or used as reference.

3) ConvenienceSubscription magazines are often cheap and disposable. They allow subscribers to numerous magazines around the home and allow readers to quickly browse.



18

POSITION MAPexploration and commitment



19

How is the experience different between subscribing and purchasing from the stand?



20POSITION MAP: Exploration and Commitment

the need to explore(high)

the need to explore(low)

willingness to commit(low)

willingness to commit(high)• Loyal to a favorite ma-

gaizne

• Subscribes + browses and sometimes buys at stand

• Know what they want

• Subscribes + buys at stand after exploring

• Regularly buys at stand after exploring the options

• Non-reader

• Reads in waiting rooms

• Buys magazines at stand only when traveling

• Doesn’t read mags much, but subscribes be-cause likes to have some around the house

• Borrows magazines from a friend or at the library

Subscribers

Stand Buyer

Infrequent Reader

Committed and ExploratoryReader



21

Stand Buyer Committed and Exploratory Reader

Infrequent Reader Subscriber

- Enjoys browsing magazines when at the store

- Purchases magazines when flying to pass the time

- Purchases magazines for leisure activities like going to the beach

- Purchases magazines for professional purposes for specific articles

- Subscribes AND buys magazines at the stand

- Has multiple interests but does not have money to subscribe to all

- Enjoys the flexibility of choosing a magazine at the stand and having them accessible at home

- Reads magazines at the doctors office while waiting

- Reads inflight magazines

- Browses magazines at a friends house while hanging out

- Gets subscriptions from special offers

- Subscribes to professional magazines to stay on top of the latest information

- Commits to a specific magazine

- Identifies with a specific brand

- Enjoys having “eye candy” around the house

- Repurposes magazines



22

Committed and Exploratory Reader

- Subscribes AND buys magazines at the stand

- Has multiple interests but does not have money to subscribe to all

- Enjoys the flexibility of choosing a magazine at the stand and having them accessible at home

Stand BuyerInfrequent Reader Subscriber

- Enjoys browsing magazines when at the store

- Purchases magazines when flying to pass the time

- Purchases magazines for leisure activities like going to the beach

- Purchases magazines for professional purposes for specific articles

- Reads magazines at the doctors office while waiting

- Reads inflight magazines

- Browses magazines at a friends house while hanging out

- Gets subscriptions from special offers

- Subscribes to professional magazines to stay on top of the latest information

- Commits to a specific magazine

- Identifies with a specific brand

- Enjoys having “eye candy” around the house

- Repurposes magazines

INSIGHT:

There is an unmet need for someone who is torn between the advantages of commitment and the advantages of exploration



23

ATTRIBUTE PROFILEsubscribing/buying at stand



24

ATTRIBUTE PROFILE: Subscribing vs. Buying from the Stand

subscribingexperience

stand purchasing experience

Instant Gratification(ability to buy on the spot)

Freedom from committment

Exploration (ability to browse)

Money saving

Membership and personal Identity

Different experiences.

Att

ribut

es



25







Money saving


Different experiences.

Att

ribut

es

INSIGHT:

Is this an opportunity to bring together the best of two worlds?



26







Money saving


Converging the experiences.



27


Retailer


Paper Version

READER

Publisher

Advertiser

Digital

Editor

Printer

Subscription

Retail



28

Retailer


Paper Version

READER

Publisher

Advertiser

Digital

Editor

Printer


Subscription

Retail



29

Magazines

Magazines Magazines | Design Analysis S09 |

Cervantes Gupta Haupt Vuong

next issue: synthesis



30

Appendix



31

Secondary Research Sources:1) http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/29/business/media/29mag.html?scp=4&sq=magazines&st=cse

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/05/business/media/05adco.html?scp=6&sq=magazines&st=cse Despite a good level of circulation, magazines like Domino are folding because of the economy—they can’t get advertisers.

2) http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/02/a-netflix-of-magazines/?scp=11&sq=magazines&st=cse http://www.maghound.com/?xid=old_site_redirect This NYT Freakonomics article was written before the recession hit hard, in July of 2008, but it discusses an innovative new subscription model called Maghound. It also points out that although Newspapers have lost revenue to the Internet, magazines have not been as hard hit.

3) http://8020media.com/ 8020 Media is an innovative company that prints user generated web content in magazine form.

4) http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/21/business/media/21esquire.html?scp=16&sq=magazines&st=cse In 1984, National Geographic introduced a holograph Eagle on its cover.

5) http://articles.latimes.com/2008/sep/09/business/fi-esquire9 See video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EWb1zHIx38 In September 2008, Esquire magazine released 100,000 issues with a digital cover.

6) http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/07/business/media/07adco.html?scp=20&sq=magazines&st=cse It can be desirable to convert print subscribers to digital subscribers. Many digital subscriptions cost the same as print to the customer, but the magazine benefits from a decrease in the costs associated with print and distribution.



32

7) http://magcloud.com/ MagCloud is a service that prints and ships a magazine that you design.

8) http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2336608,00.asp PC Magazine has decided to drop its print edition and go digital only, providing subscribers with PDF files of issues. With print on demand services as cheap as they now are, subscribers who prefer print can print an issues or issues on demand.

9) magazine.org

10) Rosen, Jill; Finding a Niche, from Ferrets to Tattoos: Specialization Is the Name of the Game in Today’s Crowded Magazine World, American Journalism Review, Vol. 24, November 2002 Era analysis, changing times of magazines have been increasingly specialized. Today people have higher expectations for the magazine industry.



33

Survey:After some secondary research we surveyed 69 people about their maga-zine reading habit. We hoped to learn about the various was people were using magazines to help us see patterns in these habits. We had a broad scope when creating this survey. Using the methods, we decided to nar-row our scope to subscription and stand purchasing experiences.



34

En

tert

ain

men

t

Imp

uls

e B

uys

/ C

ove

r st

ory

To p

ass

tim

e

(Tra

velin

g, D

r.'s

Off

ice)

Lo

cati

on

/ M

ob

ility

(B

ath

roo

m /

tub

rea

din

g)

Pre

fere

nce

fo

r P

aper

/ P

rin

t A

eth

etic

sG

ift

or

Fre

e S

ub

scri

pti

on

Hab

it, P

ast

mem

ori

es

Co

llect

ible

s

Per

son

al C

are

New

s / I

nfo

rmat

ion

al

Inte

rest

/ H

ob

bie

s /

Mu

sic

/ Sp

ort

s

Pro

fess

ion

Rel

ated

Bra

nd

Lo

yalt

y/Tr

ust

Borrows 0 0 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0Does not Read 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Reads Online 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 2 2 2 3Subscribes 1 0 0 1 3 3 3 3 2 1 3 3 3Buys From Stand 3 3 3 3 3 0 1 3 2 2 3 1 1

Key0 1 2 3

Matrix1 is related to0,0!2;1!2,1;3!4;5!1,2,3;4,5!1,2,3,4,5!&!2;1!4;3!8;7!11;12!4,3;5!8,7;9!7,8,9;6!11,12;10!3,4,5;2,1!12,11,10;9,8,7,6!12,11,10,9,8,7,6;13!5,4,3,2,1;6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13!1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13!

12 4

Insight Clusters

1) Convenience: The tactile quality of paper and the mobility of magazines are important to people. The use of magazines tend to be very traditional uses and revolve around the convenience of its physicality.

2) Pleasure: The content and use of magazines reveal pleasurable importants of magazines. Collectables, memories, entertainment, hobbies and interests are also areas that people enjoy.

3) Learning: Professional use of magazines were strong in our research. The learning and informative attribute was also common in the types of usage we found in magazines.

4) Emotional and personal preference: Emotional drivers were also involved in the motivation to read or purchase magazines. There was a pattern of impulse buys and emotional attachment to subjects or certain magazine publi-cations. People are attached to magazines like Wired because of the credibility and brand.

2 & 3

Insight Matrix

Insight Matrix:With a very wide scope going into our insight matrix, it was hard for us to find value in this tool. We did not find this tool very useful at first because we did not have a research question in mind. We were trying to learn more about the magazine industry our selves and this matrix did help us have have valuable conversations about how to narrow our scope. The one big insight that did come from this matrix was that people still subscribe. This helped frame our project with the question: Why do people still subscribe?



35

ERA 1 ERA 2 ERA 31900-1930

INDUSTRIALIZATION

1700s

INTELLECTUAL

1880

GENERALIZATION

ERA 41930-1970+

STANDARDIZATION

ERA 51970-1990

LEISURE

ERA 61990-2000

INFORMATION AGE

ERA 7Present

COLLABORATION

CONTENT Literature, essay,commentary, satire,text heavy, book-like















The Little Review













INFLUENTIAL TECHNOLOGY Printing PressPrinting press Printing press and mass production

Analog TV, Cable Analog TV, Cable Internet Internet, mobile media,media convergence

Online subscriptions, enticing, advertise driven, community created/verified content


Era Analysis:Our Era Analysis revealed that magazines, despite their mass appeal and availability, are an expression of individuality. Unlike many artifacts, they are culturally, historically, technologically, and economically reflective of our times. Collectively, they em-body where our communities stand within, well, that era.

Though magazines have gained a prominent position as an outlet of mass media, our chart demonstrates that various mediums have played a prominent role in their transformation. Photography and color printing were influential in its format change, while culture and politics have dominated its content, making fashion and entertainment magazines ubiquitous. And without a doubt, advertising continues to leverage its subsis-tence and availability.

Unabashedly, we found magazines seek their target audience from the beginning and they entertain a loyalty that parallels a reader’s criticism, commentary, and interests. Over time, this

loyalty fosters a relationship based on the expectations driven by the reader’s lifestyle. Hence, a core proposition and objective of the industry is to have them become subscribers to ensure long-term commitment.

The magazine industry has changed with the times. A com-munity has specific interests and values. Technology and the economy have played a major role in content creation and the distribution of magazines. These were our initial insights. When narrowing our scope, we revised the era analysis to highlight the lack of distribution innovation which is limited to subscrip-tion and stand purchases.



36

MAGAZINENetwork Diagram

ROI Flow

Money

Content Flow

V.1.3

Advertiser ($$$)

Digital

$

Printer ($$)

Distributor ($$)

Paper Version

READER

Editor ($$)

Publisher ($$)

$$$$

Out In$ $

Network Diagram:This first stab at a network diagram shows the basic flow of value of the magazine industry. When we revised the network diagram later on, we expanded “paper version” to include “subscription distributer” and “retailer.”

Despite their accessibility, magazines, like many other products, only come to fruition under the efforts of various contributors. Our network diagram was used to help us decipher the various elements that contribute to the production of magazines. As an analysis tool, it revealed a hierarchical lifecycle that keeps the industry afloat but is also changing as new mediums are being incorporated.

Atop this network stand the advertisers. Because magazines have a target audi-ence, it is crucial that they gain the financial support of advertisers who will offer continuous and substantial commitment towards its publication.

Editors are the quasi-gatekeepers in the industry. They are in charge of core ele-ments that are integral to a magazine’s publishing schedule, format, and content. More often than not, they act as a ligament that makes the connection between advertisers and readers compatible.

Though the publisher seems to stand a the crux of the diagram, as producer and enabler, his position is really dependent on the demand of the reader and the resources made available by the advertiser. Still, the publisher is integral to con-nection one source to another as a way of distributing responsibility.

While printers and distributors are still responsible for the traditional and tangible format that we find at bookstores and newspapers stands, their position within the network is being redefined by digital offerings.

When it comes to specialty content magazines cater to some of the most seg-mented and specific interest groups in the market. Whether you’re a cigar aficio-nado, a cat lover, or a boater it is likely that you’ll find a title out there that serves your curiosity on news and novelties of your interest. However, despite these different passions in content, the magazine enthusiast represents a singular entity within the magazine network; the reader.



37

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rs

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orin

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azin

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onal

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ific

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Key0 1 2 3


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Insight Matrix:We took another shot at the insight matrix. This time we started listing the activities, insights and needs and derived a list of activities for our symmetrical matrix. Scoring the activities, we found clusters of motivating attributes that helped frame some insights about the stand and subscription experience.

This insight matrix was created after we knew what research question we wanted to answer. Our research question had evolved through our design process to: How is the experience different between subscribing and purchasing from the stand?

From the survey we extracted insights about magazine purchasing experiences. We saw clusters that showed a strong disconnect between the stand purchasing and subscription experiences. We framed our story around this dichotomy.



38

Semantic Profile:For these initial semantic profiles, we looked at the differences in preferences, purchasing, and reading behaviors between age groups and between subscribers and non-subscribers.

One thing that was interesting about the semantic profile was the similarity between the preferences of subscribers in different age groups. The graphs moved closer to each other & that indicated similar reasons for reading / reading habits / user preferences etc.. This is in contrast from the non subscribers in the two age group where little likeness exists between them. Otherwise, we did not find the semantic profiles very useful for the purposes of our study. Our guess is that a fair amount of qualitative & quantitative research is a pre-requisite for any value to come out of semantic profiling.

Our initial insights:20-29 non-subscribersI don’t read magazines very often, only on occasion. And, when I do, I’m equally as likely to buy them on the stand or read them online. Actually, when I do read magazines, I’m more likely to borrow them. When I do read magazines, they’re usually either hobby, news, professional, or personal care magazines.

30-39 non subscribersI only read magazines on occasion, and, when I do, it’s usually pro-fessional or hobby magazines, and sometimes news magazines, as well. I only occasionally read magazines online.

20-29 subscribersI try to read once a week or something, mostly my career or hobby related stuff. Sometimes I just buy what I like on the stand.

30-39 subscribersI follow stuff related to my hobbies and sometimes career, news, etc. I’m not much of an online reader, though.

Few Many

•20-29 Yrs (n=15)•30-39 Yrs (n=6)

Semantic Profile – Non Subscribers20-29I don’t read much paper but sometimes online stuff, Also I don’t mind borrowing some magazines, maybe even buy sometimes.. for stuff that may help my career.

30-39I rarely read, maybe some for career related stuff, some hobbies, news etc. Not much of an online reader though.

Few Many

•20-29 Yrs (n=26)•30-39 Yrs (n=16)

Semantic Profile – Subscribers

20-29I try to read like once a week or something, mostly my career or hobby related stuff. Sometimes I just buy what I like on the stand.

30-39I follow stuff related to my hobbies, & sometimes career, news etc. Not much of an online reader though.

subscribers

non-subscribers



39

Semantic Profile:20-29Both for subscribers and non-subscribers, readers age 20-29 read magazines more frequently than their 30-39-year old counterparts.

Both for subscribers and non-subscribers, readers age 20-29 read more professional magazines and personal care magazines than their 30-39-year old counterparts.

Subscribers age 20-29 are less likely than their non-subscriber counterparts to read personal care magazines and are less likely than their counterparts to borrow magazines.

30-39Subscribers age 30-39 are more likely than their non-subscriber counterparts to read hobby magazines, news magazines, and entertainment magazines.

Few Many

•20-29 Yrs Subs (n=26)•20-29 Yrs Non Subs (n=15)

Semantic Profile – Sub/Non-Sub (20-29)

New Stuff will come here..

Few Many

•30-39 Yrs Subs (n=16)•30-39 Yrs Non Subs (n=6)

Semantic Profile – Sub/Non-Sub (30-39)

New Stuff will come here..

20-29

30-39



40




Money saving

Routine

ATTRIBUTES



hi

low

GA

P

GA

P

Semantic Profile:We then began to look at the semantic profile as a way to bring out the differences between the best of the subscriber experience and the best of the retail experience. From this, we saw that there were important gaps in both experiences.

This was our version of the semantic profile. We found this to be a clearer visualization of the disconnect between the two experiences, subscription and stand purchases. Upon showing this to the super groups, we learned this graphic was unclear to others what we were measuring. In our final revision, we tried to emphasize the dichotomy by illustrating the attributes as two different parts of a whole.

Our final representation shows the two different experiences and their attributes. We were able to communicate our story with this visualization more effectively. The merging of the two colors helped us describe our opportunity area, where combining the stand purchasing experience with the subscription experience would create an experience with the best of both worlds.






Money saving


Att

ribut

es



41

Physical Attributes

Activities

Metaphors

Associations

Lightweight Thin

Glossy

Paper

Notebook Oprah on paper

Blog

Tabloid

Catalogue Journal

Eye Candy


Decorating Fashion

Business News/Current

Events


Design

Gossip


Communicating

Reading


Designing Fitness

Health Aesthetic

Education Music

DIY


Bathroom Cooking


Break

Salon/Barbershp

Commute Leisure


News

Glossy


Cheap

Convenient


Stat

ic P

rdet

erm

ined

Dyn

amic

/Sem

ipre

dict

able

Portable

Wireless

Low-commitment

DisposableDiscovery

Artifact analysisAs artifacts, magazines cross over tangible and intangible contexts more often than other objects. That is, while a magazine’s content may be very specific and observable, the end user may have in-numerable and unpredictable purposes for it. Its physical attributes (e.g. portability) are essential to this end use. Furthermore, this al-lows magazines to significantly oscillate between dynamic and static representations and associations, making them excellent candidates for customization. Historically, the magazine has been able to trans-form and adapt to various eras and make itself relevant in a variety of cultures and economies.



42

exploration

committed indecisive

no options

• Loyal to a favorite magaizne





• Non-reader





Position Map:This more detailed position map shows the types of actions associated with each of the four defined groups. Readers at the top left corner are those who both subscribe and buy at the stand, and who may be torn between the two purchasing options. This group wants to be able to explore new titles but is willing, at least to some degree, to make a subscription commitment.

Gaining insights from the insight matrix, we knew there was a spectrum of exploration and committed users. We plotted the activities in this two by two and came up with the four quadrant of users. The commited and exploratory reader was the most interesting quadrant. They are a com-bination of stand buyers and subscribers and was an area of opportunity we chose to explore.

the need to explore(high)

the need to explore(low)

willingness to commit(low)

willingness to commit(high)• Loyal to a favorite

magaizne





• Non-reader





Subscribers

Stand Buyer

Infrequent Reader

Committed and ExploratoryReader



43

Retail Experience Map

ATTRACT ENTER ENGAGE EXPERIENCE EXTEND

DEFINED

FRESH

IMMERSIVE

ACCESSIBILITY

TRANSFORM

Compelling Experience:We were interested in using the compelling experience method to analyze the experience. We discovered that this was not a useful tool to visualize the magazine purchasing experience. Because the magazine experience is not a linear process, it was hard for us to compare the subscription and retail experience in this way.

Initially we wanted to compare the intensity levels during retail and subscription experience. Retail showed early engagement during the attraction and enter. Subscription showed later simi-lar intensity during engage, experience and extend.

Subscription Experience Map

ATTRACT ENTER ENGAGE EXPERIENCE EXTEND

DEFINED

FRESH

IMMERSIVE

ACCESSIBILITY

TRANSFORM

magazine analysis

News & Politics