Wednesday, February 29, 2012




People Magazine, one of the most well-known and most read "store-houses'" in today's magazine industry, makes a strong attempt to interest the female demographic. However, going further into it and targeting a much more narrow margin of that female audience, People Magazine aims for the 25-50 age range of the female demographic which is rather large. Statistically speaking, People Magazine had a circulation of 3.73 million and its revenue is topped $1.5 billion this as of 2006(Variety). It also reeled in approximately 13.5 million people according to Wikipedia making it incredibly successful.

The new issue of People Magazine, entails the "Triumph &Tragedy" of the late Whitney Houston.(1963-2012) Further investigation throughout the magazine reveals many advertisements. Clinique moisturizing lotion, Olay and Covergirl makeup, Dawn hand renewal, and certain dental products such as Colgate and Trident gum. One specific advertisement caught me off guard, that being Sun Chips. However, the ad reads "I like eating a little bit better. I also like eating a lot bit deliciouser". It suggests a healthy and delicious snack for women who may be dieting or watching their weight on the most minuscule of levels without deterring from eating a healthy snack. What proves this to be a woman's magazine in one certain demographic as an advertisement for Always Infinity Pads. Yeah...that explains alot.

People Magazine is renowned for delivering celebrity news and relaying a certain status for A-list celebrities all the way to those who've lost their fame. Certain examples include a plethora of female celebs, ranging from Rihanna to Nikki Minaj, showing off their apparel at the 2012 Grammys.

Many articles consist of celebrity jargon and hoo-ha. Brangelina at the Berlin Film festival, Jennifer Anniston's 43rd Birthday party which consisted of charitable donations rather then gifts for herself, and a full-page article about ARICEPT, a medicine for moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease with a free trial to assist in its advertisement. Due to the recent tragedy of Whitney Houston, excerpts of articles and pictures were used in the edition of People Magazine to further honor the Queen of Pop's life.

People Magazine is a prime example of  pass-along circulation which means that several or more people other than the subscriber or buyer read it. Most magazines fall under this definition but what separates People Magazine apart is that its demographic is so big and the fact that it doesn't necessarily segment a specific audience, its circulation is wide-ranging.

Michael Winerip wrote of People Magazine stating that "Most celebrity coverage skews young, but People has attained something unusual, attracting the young (18- to-34-year-olds are its biggest constituency, 38 percent of readership) while holding on to aging boomers (45 to 59 are second, 28 percent of readership).
The main demographic of readers is 70% percent of female with the median age of readers being 38. 80% of readers however are college students with 66% of readers being employed. A interesting fact to is that 42% of readers have at least one child in their household which is ironic because if you read towards the end of the magazine, you notice two ads for Johnson's baby lotion and Luvs heavy duty diapers, along with a brief article of Blue Ivy, the newborn child of pop-artist Beyonce and Rapper/Entrepreneur Jay-Z.

People Magazine, though successful and incredibly well-known, is not discrete about its target audience nor its demographic strategy. It's targeting style is far from subtle but hey, it's working for them and if its far from broke, then why fix it? Through specific statistics and factual evidence, the hypothesis announced at the beginning of the blog is right on target, as People Magazine becomes world renown for women of all demographics and will continue to do so, for years to come.
SPE/WRI 212-010 MASS COMM
SPE/WRI 212 MASS COMM BLOG #3

2 comments:

  1. Dante -- yes, People magazine is primarily read by women...it's straight from the old human interest tradition. Please continue to work on eliminating the first person from your writing -- use the style of a media critic, since that's what you are here. The placement of baby ads near the story about Blue Ivy is intentional, it is not ironic. (Google George Carlin: Irony, for a good explanation of when to use that word). Finally, why would a magazine need to be "discrete" about its targeting and signalling? I'm impressed that you did a little extra research...but never, ever, quote Wikipedia in academic writing. It's like offering Natural Light beer to President Sarkozy. :-)

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  2. Ha.. understood about Wikipedia and the beer analogy. I'll look over my blog again to work on some issues and get it right the next time.

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