Research and Planning: Distribution

The main difference between major and independent distribution strategies is the distinctive amount of money that needs to be saved by the companies, when distributing.

Major distribution strategies include the use of partnerships locally, nationally and internationally. They will use major marketing strategies of merchandise and items, as well as using the new generation of the Internet (media 2.0), to do simple, cheap things such as viral marketing to promote themselves. Viral marketing also proves cost effective so that the major companies don’t have to worry about spending loads of money on the thousands of prints that they do for every magazine. Major distribution strategies consist of a broad array of aspects to get involved with its audience as much as possible.

This links to independent distribution strategies, where they also rely on the internet to produce things for their audiences at a cheaper cost (mainly because the internet does not involve any inks or printing :///and it does not cost to use the internet). Viral marketing is also what independent companies do to distribute because it is a fast way to get popular. Independent distribution strategies may also reply on sources such as newspapers, books and small radio stations.



However, major distribution strategies use convergence and synchronisation to benefit their own companies and gain more of an audience by spreading themselves across the TV and radio magazines as well. Frontline, for example, is one of the four major distributors for the magazine industry. Bauer is one of the main three publishers in the UK and is a huge private publisher, ranging mostly throughout Europe. After having a sure success from the breakout of the ‘Take a Break’ woman’s magazine which sells millions, and with success from the magazine ‘Bella’ beforehand, the owner spread to TVQuick and TVChoice in the 1990’s. It then went to Emap’s Radio, resulting in so much of a wide spread company that the name was changed to Bauer Radio and Media regarding its new television and radio status.

Independent distributing companies rely on small corner shops and online subscriptions to sell their magazines. However, major distributing companies can provide postal subscriptions and are able to sell their magazines in both small newspaper shops, to major leading stores, such as Asda, Tesco, Morrisons, WHSmiths etc. The graph here shows the examples of this, and gives reason as to how these mainstream magazines can distribute so successfully.


I found this graph of this link: http://www.frontline.ltd.uk/frontline/about/supply_chain.html

Major labels mainly has an audience profile which consists of young adults. Kerrang, for example, is a mainstream which has an audience profile for the:

“Individually minded, independent of thought and musically experienced, an audience defined by attitude, passion and loyalty.”

– Which is a quote from the website http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/Brands/Kerrang/

This would affect the way that the magazine is distributed, because it should be distributed in areas which give you/consist of musical experience, has attitude and gives indie music. Following this, Kerrang is broadcasted on the TV (on Sky and Virgin Media), it also has its own radio station (called Kerrang! Radio) and obviously, has its own magazine. This is convergence.

However, independent companies such as Vice has a very opposite approach to what mainstream companies such as Kerrang has. In my opinion, the audience type for this magazine would be for for an older audience, average people, having an interest in many different things, intelligent and middle class. Consequently, they are available in smaller retail places, such as Urban Fitters, Size or Retro Bizarre (as an example of some in Birmingham).

In Conclusion to this Research [IN REGARDS TO MY MAGAZINE]

My audience profile:

You are part of the younger generation, know your facts about music, like to think of yourself as a radicalist, most likely a student of some aspect and you enjoy living life to the full, most likely being a post-modernist.

• I shall use a major distributing company for my magazine, because it is of one of the mainstream genres and shall be most successful if it is distributed through a major company.
• Therefore I shall use leading stores to sell my magazines, such as Asda, Morrisons, Tescos, WHSmiths etc.
• I shall also use online platforms, (making use of media 2.0). Therefore I shall use facebook, mypace and twitter to connect to my audience, because these social networking sites are very useful for viral marketing, as that saves ink and printing costs. It also speeds up the promoting process.
  
• I also want to distribute my magazine on the TV and radio to ensure a broad basis in order to reach as wider audience as possible.