LO1 - M1: Distribution and Marketing

Distribution and marketing methods

Distribution

Vertical integration is when a company controls the production, distribution, and exchange of its products. The meaning of distribution in the context of the TEMPO magazine is where the magazine will be available to purchase for target audience members to buy and consume it. I believe that "Streetlight Haze" would be available to purchase from stores such as GAME, HMV, Waterstones, WHSmith, Amazon, Argos, CEX and eBay. I have chosen these stores for several reasons: The reason why I nominated HMV, CEX and GAME as stores for distributing this magazine is because these stores are Film, music, TV and video game stores, and I believe that members of the target audience are most likely to shop at these stores in hopes of looking for a product similar to "Streetlight Haze" and TEMPO in general.

The reason why I believe that stores such as WHSmith and Waterstones are viable store choices is because they are both book stores that mainly and only sell books of various genres and themes, as well as other products such as board games and others. Having this magazine in stores such as this will be effective, as they can be placed in more than one section - those sections being fiction, magazines and video games. Distribution of this magazine in a book store would be very effective.

Digital distribution:

As well as having physical copies of TEMPO, it can also be distributed digitally. Because of the magazine being more targeted towards an audience that enjoys gaming, that also means that the target audience must have access to digital hardware. Because of this, releasing digital copies of TEMPO might be more accessible for the target audience. It may also benefit the marketing for the magazine, as its accessibility will boost its sales (whether it is purchased digitally or physically).

In terms of digitally distributing TEMPO, it can be distributed either through a website or an application. Links to where the magazine can be accessed can be included on their social media platforms.

Promotion

One way I can promote my magazine is by having game developers and mod creators endorse / advertise my magazine - This can be achieved by contacting anyone that is planning to or has already made a "Friday Night Funkin'" mod and asking them questions in correlation to my magazine, for example, asking if I can include their mod in my magazine (by promoting their mod in my magazine, they will most likely promote the magazine stating that their content is included in it). Furthermore, the magazine could also cameo inside of one of the mods: for example, having the front cover feature inside of the game, or having it mentioned in the credits.

A very popular method for promoting a product is through the use of social media: With the rise of magazine brands moving to online social platforms, it may be beneficial advertising TEMPO online (especially considering that online magazines have usually been successful)

Another way that I can promote my magazine is by having it advertised on other magazines that also adhere to the conventions of gaming magazines. This way, the target audience will stay relevant and will attract more people that are into gaming. 

ATL Advertising

Above the line advertising means to promote and market a product to a large, typically more mainstream audience. With TEMPO, It follows the general conventions of a gaming magazine, which is quite popular amongst an audience that enjoys gaming. A large platform that would appeal to my target audience is TikTok: With the algorithm, advertising TEMPO on TikTok might benefit the marketing in terms of finding people that are within the target audience for the magazine. Another mainstream platform that can be used to advertise TEMPO is Instagram: Instagram provides businesses with promotion tools, that allow posts to reach relevant audiences and find out more about products.

BTL Advertising

Below the line advertising is tailored for a smaller and more niche audience, that specifically targets people with certain interests, ages, genders etc.

With Below the line advertising, I can find an audience that specifically enjoys games such as Friday Night Funkin' and other rhythm games (rather than just people that fall into the gaming category, as that category is large and varies from genre to genre). This could be done by setting up official accounts and posting relevant screenshots and videos of the magazine; however, this could be considered as ATL advertising. An example of BTL advertising is when one of those official account comments or re-shares posts. They could comment or repost posts that are related to the theme of the magazine, for example, videos created by game developers.