What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?Bauer Media Group

Bauer Media Group is Europe’s largest privately owned publishing group, headquartered in Hamburg, Germany. It is a worldwide media empire offering over 300 magazines in 15 countries, as well as online, TV and radio stations. Their business is built on influential brands and their strategy is to engage with the audience by connecting with them and forming a personal relationship. Bauer Media already distribute Q magazine, Mojo and Kerrang! meaning they have a diverse range of genres. Their magazine heritage stretches back to 1953 with the launch of Angling Times and the acquisition in 1956 of Motor Cycle News, both still iconic brands within their portfolio. Bauer Media is a sister company of H Bauer Publishing, publisher of the UK's biggest TV listings, Take a Break and Bella.

One advantage of working with such a huge institution is that it is an already very reputable brand, carrying trustworthy connotations- people will link the positive image of Bauer Media Group and all its fantastic products with my new magazine so they will automatically assume it will be good and it will encourage customers to buy and try at which point I believe the publication is of high enough quality to inspire repeat purchases.

The distributors also take great pride in connecting to their audience. This aim of creating close relationships to the reader was something I feel my magazine aims for too by really trying to understand their emotions and relate through the articles- it is especially relevant given the Indie social group I am targeting who are renowned for emotional conflicts. I admire this individual approach by such a big corporation hence I feel it would better to work with a business who shares the same principles as me.

Another benefit of having my magazine published by them is that one of the magazines they already distribute, Q, is similar to mine therefore they will already have good knowledge of the particular part of the market I am aiming at so, in theory, they are better positioned to more effectively dispense the issue for consumption and boost sales compared to other lesser experienced institutions.

However, it is also a disadvantage to have such a similar magazine, as it is difficult for Bauer to

justify distributing both of them since they would be in direct competition because of their alike style and there is also a crossover in the audience ages. For Bauer, it would mean they are not diversifying and therefore would be more vulnerable to any downturns in the economy. Q magazine may feel aggrieved that their distributer has gone into business with such a similar publication and in the outcome of a disagreement, Bauer Media Group would be more likely to be loyal and side with the already very successful and well established magazine which they bought in 2008 rather than take a seemingly unnecessary risk on an unproven magazine.

Time Inc. UK

Time Inc. UK is Britain’s leading publisher of print and digital magazine content. Their brands are tailored to the interests of a variety of audiences and operate in a number of different sectors. Formerly IPC, the company formed in 1963 and it boasts history dating as far back as 1853. The publishers are responsible for many mainstream women’s brands (e.g. Now, Chat, Goodtoknow), TV mags (What’s on TV and TV Times) and the music magazine NME amongst many more. It creates content for multiple platforms, across print, online, tablets and experiences. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Time Inc. which is one of the world's leading media companies, with a monthly global print audience of over 120 million and worldwide digital properties that attract more than 120 million visitors each month, including over 50 websites.

Time Inc. UK is based in Britain so it should mean this market is their priority and they will be the most knowledgeable about it which is good for my sales as England is my primary location to sell to with my content focusing on mostly British artists/bands.

They only currently distribute one music magazine which is NME. It could be seen as a negative as they don’t have as much experience selling music related publications as other companies (such as Bauer Media Group) might, so they may not be the most effective and practiced to deal with crisis. However, NME has turned out to be a huge success so it is clear they do know how to successfully regulate. Furthermore, there are distinct differences between NME and Outskirts so there is definitely a gap in Time Inc. UK’s product portfolio unlike with Bauer. The two magazines are of two different genres with NME revolving around Rock and Outskirts is Indie. Rock is quite an acquired taste so I believe it would benefit them to have a second music magazine as the first excludes a large demographic.

Digitally, Time Inc. UK are well positioned to protect from the print industry decline with NME already switching online on a permanent basis. It would mean that if the already struggling print industry became obsolete, which is especially likely if your audience is a

young one like mine as they are dependent on technology, then you can rest assured knowing it will continue to thrive online

Conclusion

After reviewing both Time Inc. UK and Bauer Media Group, I have concluded that Time Inc. UK would be the best company to distribute my product. The main reason for this choice is that there is definitely a space for this genre of magazine in their product portfolio however the same could not be said for Bauer who already publish ‘Q’ magazine and I feel the two would be competing against each other under the same label which is nonsensical. Furthermore, I foresee the future of magazines to become primarily digital rather than physical and I feel Time are the best prepared to make the switch.