Question

Group Media is an independent publishing house that sells Men’s Health and Women’s Health magazines. Explain briefly segmentation and targeting strategies of Group Media. Discuss the company’s segmentation and targeting strategies.

Answer 1

Men's and Women's Health Magazine- Positioning and Targeting Strategies

Magazines have been a traditional advertising medium for more than a century, but as a growing number of consumers go online for free or cheap content, many advertisers are moving their print advertising budgets over to the Internet. According to "Magazine Media Fact Book," consumers still have a more positive attitude toward advertising in magazines over other mediums, including TV and the Internet. The magazine-publishing market has traditionally been segmented based on content rather than on consumer demographics.

MARKET SEGMENTATION STRATEGIES

The concept of segmentation is not new or unique to magazines but is a well known method of grouping people, products and services into distinct groups. Everyone and everything can be segmented. Segmentation can be simplistic (male or female) or more detailed (age group and income bands). An example of segmentation within magazines would be Women’s Interest, which is then further grouped to reflect shoppers’ interests such as Hair and Parenthood.

Segmentation is the basis of all range reviews and, after defining the category, it is the most important stage in any category management process. It establishes the ground rules from which to review a range and can positively influence listings of titles if done correctly. The industry views these groupings as simply a way of making reporting easier, when in fact segmentation is a powerful, strategic tool in establishing your title’s position in the market. Put simply, it is the difference between being ranked 10th in one sub sector and number 1 in another. It also helps the shopper navigate the fixture whilst communicating a title’s content.

GEOGRAPHIC SEGMENTS

1. Print Magazine
2. Online Magazine/Websites

1. Print Magazine

Regional publications
These magazines are typically city or state based journals.

Sometimes they use glossy paper in magazine format, more often than not, as a function of the smaller readership levels, the regional printed magazines use inexpensive newsprint.

National Publications

These magazines are almost exclusively printed on glossy paper, magazine formatted and bound, have national circulation readership levels, and have a staff of writers.

2. Online Magazine/Websites

With the recent explosion of popularity and use rates of the Internet, there have been a number of different websites that offer bicycle specific content. The advantages of the online sites is their ability to have far more current content as well as a much larger geographic coverage. Some of the sites offer paid content, however, the majority of them offer free content with the bulk of their revenue coming from advertisers on the site. Some of the online sites are extensions of a printed magazine, others are solely Internet based.

TARGET AUDIENCE

1. Men in their mid 20s to 40s
2. Socioeconomic group – higher working class to lower middle class
3. Men/Women who want the lifestyle/physique that the magazine offers

Readership

Oct 2018 – Sept 2019 estimated readers 1017 of adults Men: 869 148 Women: 64% of the total amount of readers are from the upper middle class, middle class and lower middle class.

Narrative Content

• Immediately reader is given a series of advertisements which then goes onto the contents.
• Articles on fitness, cooking meals, sex and life improvement advice.
• Adverts of products for men to improve their appearance feature regularly throughout the magazine.

PSYCHOGRAPHIC SEGMENTS

1. Gender

• Men are shown as muscular, tanned, the 'ideal' body for a man.
• Women – mainly used to promote things. These photographs are remediated through photo manipulation.

2.Race and ethnicity

• Advertisements have models relating to the brand for example Dolce and Cabana with Italian models mainly the magazine's images are of white men and women.

3.Social class and age

• advertisements aimed at the men who are in the ages of 20 to 40 that want to better their appearance through watches, hair products, clothing.

4.Sexuality

• Men are shirtless showing their body suggesting to the reader that to get women they have to look a certain way.
• Within the magazine the women are with little clothing visually appealing to men.
• This magazine could also be homoerotic.

MARKET TARGETING FOR MEN'S AND WOMEN'S HEALTH MAGAZINE

Market targeting is a process of selecting the target market from the entire market. Target market consists of group/groups of buyers to whom the company wants to satisfy or for whom product is manufactured, price is set, promotion efforts are made, and distribution network is prepared.   

TWO MARKET TARGETING STRATEGIES FOR GROUP MEDIA

1.Concentrated(Niche) Marketing

Niche marketing is a marketing tactic deployed to target a specific market segment which is unique. Niche market is often created by identifying what a customer wants and this can be done if the company knows what the customer needs and then tries to deliver a better solution to a problem which was not presented by other firms. A niche market does not mean a small market, but it involves specific target audience with a specialized offering. By doing so, the company becomes a market leader and it becomes possible for other firms to enter that particular segment.

2.Differentiated Marketing

A differentiated marketing strategy is when a company creates campaigns that appeal to at least two market segments or target groups. For example, a store can promote a sale that appeals to people in at least two cities or locations, or a company can market a product that appeals to women in at least two age groups.