Institution Research: Bauer

History of Bauer:

“Bauer Media UK is an entertainment network of iconic, multi-platform brands. The business became part of the Bauer Media Group, Europe’s largest privately-owned media group, in 2008. Founded in Hamburg in 1875 and now in its fifth generation of family ownership, the Bauer Media Group operates in 19 countries including the UK, Germany, Poland, Australia, New Zealand and the USA and has 11,000 employees worldwide.”

Bauer has been managed by the Bauer family for five generations, ever expanding since it was founded in 1875. With their first UK launch being Bella magazine in 1987 under the name H Bauer Publishing, Bauer became the third largest publisher in Britain. Bauer then went on to purchase many other media groups such as Emap radio in 2008 and ACP Magazines in 2012.








How Bauer targets different audiences:

On the Bauer media website, there is a page dedicated to audience types where readers can look into different audience types that Bauer target as an institution.

Bauer targets a younger audience with an image which stereotypes youth as fun, smiling and conventionally outgoing. The image is taken in the sun which is interesting as that implies youths that Bauer targets are bright and happy. This could influence my magazine as I feel it is important to target the audience in a positive way.

Bauer has targeted older women by entitling them as "game changers." Again, this is a positive spin on the audience type as it can make older women feel powerful and important. The picture used is a sophisticated woman dressed in a smart, floral jacket looking to be in deep thought and concentration. The other woman looks to be explaining something to the other woman, which proves her sophistication. Both ladies are fashionable and classy, which is how I would like to target the audience of my magazine as. 



On the home page of the Bauer website, cross media convergence is used as there a slide show advertising different Bauer networks and businesses, for example radio stations such as Magic and their new station "hits radio." However, "we are Bauer" is printed on each advert along with the statistics "25 million people, 107 brands..." etc. This implies that Bauer want to advertise how big of a company they are as this advertises how successful the company is.

I have found that there are many niche magazines produced by Bauer, such as Angling Times, Sprit and Destiny and Bird Watching. This suggests that Bauer doesn't just target mass audiences. On the other hand, Take a Break magazine is very well known and targets a much wider scale of audiences. This implies that Bauer have varied magazines of genre and audience.



Grazia, being Bauer's only fashion magazine, advertises high fashion, news and beauty. Also, Grazia focuses on culture, which opens expands the audience worldwide. The magazine is sophisticated and classy, and targets an AB demographic. However, one thing that differs to the magazine I am producing is the age, as Grazia targets ages 25-45 and mine will target 16-25. This creates a gap in the Bauer market as there are no other fashion magazines.

Bauer has a range of magazines, for example more niche mags such as sporting and cars. Other mass audience magazines include gossip, music and radio stations. An example of a gossip and celebrity magazine produced by Bauer would be Heat magazine.

Heat doesn't target a specific age range, however according to https://www.statista.com/statistics/380770/heat-monthly-reach-by-demographic-uk/, 60% of the readers in this servey are aged 15-35. This suggests that my magazine will fit in well being produced by Bauer as they have magazines that appeal to younger audiences. However, heat magaine there is a large gap between male and female readers, which is why I feel creating a magzine that appeals equally to both genders is important as there is a gap in the market.



Research 3: Fashion Magazine Front Cover Teen Vogue and Brand Identity

It is important that magazine front covers have synergy and a brand identity. This front cover in particular has created synergy from the colour of the models clothing. For example, a lot of shades of pink and white have been used for the fonts and puffs in order to link to the picture. The masthead has been created the exact same through all magazines, however the colour of the masthead changes accordingly to how the model is dressed. This is something I would like to take into consideration when creating my front cover, as I like how the fonts and colours have been decided after the picture was taken.

Brand identity is created here as this implies that Teen Vogue magazine is the "best." Having an off lead entitled "best of beauty" suggests that Teen Vogue articles only discuss the very best of fashion and styles, encouraging people to buy the magazine. This helps to create brand identity as this is now what readers of the magazine expect, to be updated on the latest and greatest fashion trends.

This clearly targets a younger audience as it specialises in social media which is typically something associated with teenagers. The use of alliteration in a bigger, bolder font works here as it gives the reader a taste of what the off lead is about.

This front cover has inspired me to create synergy between the model and the fonts around the photo. I have also decided that I will use the same masthead and fonts on my website that I am using on the magazines, with the only difference being colour.

Research 2: Fashion Magazine Front Cover GQ and Codes and Conventions

I like the medium shot of this magazine cover as it shows off the model's suit, implying his high class and wealth, which is something I need to take into consideration when creating my front cover to match the AB demographic. Also visible is a clearly expensive watch, which also shows off his wealth. His facial expression is not like most other male magazines, as the model is smiling and looking mischeivous rather than straight. This suggests that men don't have to be serious to looking classy and sophisticated, as the model achieves high class and quirky at the same time. I like that this challenges conventions of facial expressions but follows them with looking into camera. I feel that I would like my male model to have a fun facial expression, as this gives the magazine a less harsh feel and would be more inviting for young males.

I like the synergy that is created throughout the front cover as the the puffs all link to the mast head, which is red and blue. The use of blue stereotypically links to the magazine as specifically for males.

The off leads are interesting because they specifically link to men, for example "the cheap man's guide to looking expensive." This makes the magazine exclusive to males, which is something I do not want in my magazine. This has made me realise I would like to advertise my magazine for both genders, and make it as clear as possible on the front page.

Research 1: Fashion Magazine Vogue Front Cover Codes and Conventions

I feel that the costume used here has both classy and youthful qualities. Firstly, as it is a full legth, slimming dress it fits the target audience of AB demographic as it is classy and makes the model look very elegant, which is a convention of many high class fashion magazines. However, in contrast to this, the use of sequins and and multi colours brings youth and excitment to the costume as it is bright and exotic, which will attract a young audience. I feel that a costume with these qualities will be perfect for one of the front covers for my magazine as it merges both high class with youth, which fits perfectly with the target audience.


I also find the background very interesting as the model's dress is suitable for a catwalk/famous event. The background contrasts to the dress as it represents nature and natural beauty, which varies from sequins. This doesn't follow usual front cover magazine conventions, however I feel that it gives the message "its okay to be different," which I am considering being a message for my magazine.

Here, I like that a mutural colour has been used for the masthead as it is not a stereotypical colour to any gender. I would like to use a colour for my masthead that doesn't follow any conventions as the magazine is going to be produced for both male and females. I also like how sleek the font used is, as I feel that this implies the magazine has class, and is for a more intelligent audience.




In conclusion, after studying this magazine front cover I have decided that I would like to consider mixing both high class and young fashions together to fit the target audience. Also, I like the use of contrasting background with the costume and model, as this would link to the concept of my magazine being diversity and inspiring. I have also realised that I would like a unisex colour for my masthead, however I need to keep in mind that it suits the synergy created by the picture and front cover of my magazine.

Concept of my Magazine

The initial idea for the concept of my magazine is all about accepting who you are, finding yourself and expressing yourself however you want freely. My magazine is going to include a wide range of styles so young people will feel inspired, and not be afraid to dress differently to mainstream styles. In the magazine I plan on merging styles together, for example using country fashion conventions with high class by also using flashy jewellery and professional make up. Mixing up styles should encourage the audience to experiement with their fashion choices, causing young people to find more diverse fashion styles and learn not to follow mainstream styles.

Initial Ideas

I have chosen Brief 3, Magazine and Online for my course work. I have chosen this option because I feel there are various types of magazine that haven't been completed before in this TA demographic, for example a magazine aimed at both young males and females.
I feel that it is important to create a magazine that challenges gender conventions, for example dressing a woman in a suit or putting a man in pink. Also, I aim to empower both males and females to not follow stereotypes, and insire them to express themselves in whichever way they want.


I aim to give young males a magazine to read that doesn't only focus on sports and the gym, with the intention of challening conventions of other male fashion magazines. To do so, I plan on making males look classy and sophisticated in high class clothing such as suits and ties instead of gym wear, and plan on using particular camera shots such as low angled shots to make men look important without being sporty.


In order to create a sophiticated, high-class demographic look I am going to search in charity/vintage shops for clothes and accessories to dress up the models I have chosen. The models' hair and make up will be styled accordingly to what they are wearing, keeping the style youthful yet smart at the same time.




Although the target audience is aimed at an AB demographic, the magazine will also feature articles about achieving high fashion in a cheaper way, as the age group is 16-25 therefore many of the readers won't have a large amount of money.


Also included in the fashion magazine and on the website will be articles linked to politcal, social and cultural context as these could be a concern to the target audience as they typically are intelligient and will have an interest in concerns.


Initial Ideas - focus on  both male and female fashion
focus on making males look sophisticated and smart, not just sporty
intend on modelling both male and female fashion together for events such as festivals/parties etc.