Adbusters and Woman

How significant are economic factors in the magazine industry? Refer to Woman and Adbusters in your answer. (30 marks)

Introduction:
– Explain how economics and profit are a priority in the magazine business however there are often exceptions whereby the social agenda/message takes priority.
-Introduction to ‘Woman’ (target audience, time, conglomerate)
-Introduction to ‘Adbusters’ (target audience, targeted people/conglomerates)

Magazine info:
-Significance of ownership in relation to major publishing conglomerates and independent publishes outside of the mainstream commercial area.
-The nature of the magazine industry during the 1960s –dominated by very few publishing companies
-‘Woman’ sells 12million copies per week.
-Contemporary magazine industry, still dominated by major publishers however a much wider range of titles are available and more competition. –Independent publishers need to find a unique selling point in order to appeal to audiences.
-Different sources of funding/revenue for magazines.
-Significance of advertising and how adverts are chosen for a specific audience.
-Production values are shaped by economic factors.
-Historical contexts –economy, post war recession, austerity gives way to new consumer boom in 1960s
-Power and Media Industries (Curran and Seaton)

Curran and Seaton:
-The idea that media is controlled by a small number of companies primarily driven by the logic of power and profit.
-The idea that creative media is generally limited over variety, quality and creativity in itself.
-More socially diverse patterns of ownership help to create conditions for more varied and adventurous media productions.

Woman
-Owned by IPC (created in 1963) -> largest in the world, profit and power driven.
-Woman is a product of capitalist industry.
-Diversification of the parent company into news, magazines, book publishing – horizontal integration.
-Different release date to ‘Woman’s Realm’ -> audiences might buy both = maximum profit.
-Advertising reflects mainstream products e.g. Max Factor, Breeze
-Economic stability – expenditure on quality product – high production value, interview with celebrity Alfred Hitchcock.
-Limiting choice and viewpoint for audience (lack of diversity of opinion)

Adbusters
-Independent, non-profit magazine funded by subscriptions, sales of copies + donations.
-Does not feature advertisements.
-High cover value (£10.99) reflecting lack of advertising
-Magazine has high production values and print magazine of quality
-Owned by Adbusters foundation -> organizes campaigns such as Occupy Wall Street and the magazine embodies an anti-consumerist ideology.
-Adbusters subverts the traditional relationship between magazine advertising via use of ‘culture jamming’ for example the use of the “Louibouton” ‘advert’.