Looking into competitors for our magazine was important for me to carry out as it means that I can research into their audience, social medias, content, media packs and aesthetics. By researching into competitors i can see what works well for each and what doesn’t work as well to be able to make sure our magazine doesn’t make the same mistakes.

To find our competitors i went into magazine shops, newstands and online to find those with similar content. Focusing on the magazines which were interview based, that had creative content and that they were multimedia brands. I found a variety of magazines that were interview/profile based content, however only a few focusing on the same topics, such as creators or those making a difference and inspiring others. There for i believe i found 6 perfect competitors to focus on, 3 smaller magazines brands and 3 bigger known magazines brands. The six magazines ill be focusing on are; LAGOM, THE GREAT DISCONNECT, DUMBO FEATHER, THE GENTLEWOMEN, INTERVIEW and 1883 MAGAZINE. Shown bellow is the each magazine front over and a small description taken from each of their websites.

Pricing is something i looked into as our target market will be similar to our competitors, there for our magazine needs to fall within a price range readers will be used to and willing to pay. It would not sell will with our target market is we started to charge £20-£30 for VOIX magazine if readers that would be interest in the content could get similar things for a lot less, it would loose us customers and loyalty.  Price ranges for our competitors are £6-£15 there for as a magazine we will fit within the same price category.

Something else i have began to research into is how often they publish a year and where they stock their magazines. Knowing where who each of their stockists are is important as we are then able to see where is most popular, the locations and if its available online. It means as a brands we are able to choose the best options for us and our target market, knowing where they shop the most and sell best around our competitors to create a higher interest and sales. All our competitors stock online, and they are mainly all stocked in bookshops and newsstands some within less well known smaller retailers. I think for our magazine our best option for stockists is being within retailers such as Foyles and Whsmith along with smaller independent retailers such as Brighton magazine and charlotte street news. As a magazine we will be stocking all over the UK and aim to be able to build up the brand to be able to ship globally.

Another thing that i have focused on is looking into their target markets. Researching into ho whey describe their readers, what their demographics are, their ages, incomes and lifestyles. As a group we are beginning to build up psychographics for our magazine to base our choses around. By knowing what our competitors market towards means its easier to create small SWOT analysis on what works best to draw in the attention of our target market from layouts, to the content to price ranges.

LAGOM MAGAZINE

• £10.00
• ‘Lagom is a lifestyle magazine connecting a global community of like-minded creatives who care about thoughtful design, independent travel, and a balanced approach to life.’ https://readlagom.com/who-and-what-is-lagom
• Published twice a year
• Stocked all over the world (Foyles, Magama, The Tate)
• Partners – they work with brands who share their messages and vision. (Sugarspace, The Ghostly Store, MailChimp…)
• Target readers who are interested in hearing other peoples stories. Those looking for inspiration and advice on how to have a career and lifestyle in their passion.
• A magazine that will have a  balance between interviews, creative projects and space for everyday tasks.
• White space with a focus of graphics and font types.

Lagom magazine

https://readlagom.com/who-and-what-is-lagom

DUMBO FEATHER

• £8.00
• ‘Dumbo Feather magazine has provided a platform for people to tell their stories. The people in our pages are not necessarily famous. They are changemakers, leaders, artists, writers, lawyers, activists, philosophers, teachers, builders, scientists. They use their craft to make the world a better place and, by telling their story, they are motivating others to do the same.’ https://www.dumbofeather.com/about/what-is-dumbo-feather/
• Published 4 times a year
• Australian based publication however is stocked all over the world.  Its found in independent retailers.
• Partners of the magazine, Bank Australia, KeepCup, EcoStore…
• The target readers who are looking for motivation.
• A magazine that has an exchange and discussion of new ideas.

https://www.dumbofeather.com/about/advertise/ 

THE GREAT DISCONNECT

• £15.00
• ‘The Great Discontent (TGD) is a print and online magazine featuring inspiring, in-depth conversations with today’s artists, makers, and risk-takers. Focusing on beginnings, creativity, and risk, TGD provides a memorable look into the lives of its subjects via long-form interviews and short features, a podcast, a live event series, and film-based projects.’ https://shop.thegreatdiscontent.com/pages/about
• Targets readers who are enthusiastic and are looking to be inspired or challenged.
• Published 3 times a year
• Online shop and stocked all over the world. Stocked in retailers all over the world as well as the smaller bookstores and boutiques. (Magma, Foyle, good news, Tate modern, Magazine Brighton)
• Work with brands are connect with readers in a compelling way, and work with them in a range of way such as; interview sponsorships, digital and print, event partnerships and podcast sponsorships.

https://thegreatdiscontent.com/advertising

THE GENTLEWOMEN

• £6.50
• ‘Offers a fresh and intelligent perspective on fashion that’s focused on personal style – the way women actually look, think and dress. Featuring ambitious journalism and photography of the highest quality, it showcases inspirational women through its distinctive combination of glamour, personality and warmth.’ http://thegentlewoman.co.uk/about
• Published 2 times a year
• Online stocked and in retailers, Subscriptions  pushed on website.
• Targets female readers, ages 25-40 with a high income with the extra to spend on luxuries. Those who live in the city and are fashion conscious.

INTERVIEW MAGAZINE

• £7.90
• ‘Interview is an authoritative magazine about life style: fashion, art, beauty, cinema, music. Our heroes are the up-to-date and well-known characters. The magazine contents are made of exclusive materials (surveys and interviews, expert classified columns), reliable news from proven and authoritative sources.’ http://www.interviewrussia.ru/public/mk/mk_2015_eng.pdf
• stocked in popular retailers such as Whsmiths, Amazon and Brighton magazine.
• Targets modern women of ages 25-40 who are stylish and confident. They have a creative community following and very loyal readers.

1883 MAGAZINE

• £10.00
• ‘1883 is a On-Going Multimedia Platform and Lifestyle Brand dedicated to showcasing the freshest emerging talent and ideas from the worlds of fashion music, film, travel and arts.’ http://www.1883magazine.com/about/about
• Target 18-35 year olds, who have an interest in the creative industry. Getting the attention of loyal fans of artists.
• Published in the US and UK and stocked within known and independent retailers. offering a range of different covers depending on the articles inside. Online stocked and pre-orders offered.