Watch this trailer for BBC's Posh People - a documentary about Tatler, the oldest magazine in Britain.
1) Based on the trailer, what type of people produce and read Tatler? Consider demographics and psychographics?The type of people that produce and read Tatler would be upper class people who have an average household income of "£200,00+"
2) Look at the Tatler Media Pack 2018. Go to page 2: how does the editor introduce the magazine?Page 2 shows how the author has introduced the magazine. In my opinion she has done it in a way to single out the minority of a rich audience that Tatler attracts. The use of her vocabulary shows she believes that this magazine is the very vest thing for rich people.
3) Now go to page 4 of the Media Pack. Focus on the print magazine (NOT tatler.com - the website). List the key demographic details: age, gender %, ABC1 % (social class), HHI (Household Income), % of those living in London and the South East. What do these demographic details suggest about the average Tatler reader?Average HHI; £261,572 //This suggests that Tatler readers spend alot of their money on
Female; 73% fashion,clothes etc.. Also, they're very rich people with a high
ABC1; 83% income rate. However, the age of the readers are quite old in
Age; 41 comparison to the models used which could suggest that they
London/SE; 70% are trying to continue to live their life as young people.
4) Look at page 6. What do Tatler readers think about fashion? How much do they spend?Tatler audiences feel very strongly about fashion and spend a lot of money on it. This is obvious because of the fact that almost all of Tatler's reader's own designer fashion and accessories. Since they have a lot of money they spend a lot of it e.g on fashion around £843 million has been spent on fashion in the past year, which is frankly quite a large amount of money.
5) Go to page 10. What are the special editions of Tatler that run throughout the year? What does this suggest about the pyschographic groups who read Tatler?Tatler runs many special additions throughout the year, many of which are based on usually expensive themes (Travel; Weddings; Cosmetic Surgery; High Education; Jewelry and Watches). These expensive themes evidently suggest that the psychographic groups that read Tatler are rich and spend a lot of their time on costly activities like travelling and clothing rather than important things that could benefit loads of people.
Media language
1) How many of the 12 magazine cover key conventions feature on this edition of Tatler?
Around 7 of the key magazine cover conventions can be found on this edition of Tatler. At the top of the magazine, the title of the publication can be found in quite a large serif font. This Tatler magazine doesn't have a slogan used however, it has a large image (of Georgina Bevan). Also, it has many cover lines, talking about celebrities; parties; clothes and other things. There are no free offers since it's audience are of a much older, richer demographic so it isn't very necessary to include free offers. This Tatler magazine has the colour scheme of black, white and pink which suggests a theme of elegance and femininity. This cover also has name checks, such as James Corden, which draws in a larger audience.2) What is the font choice used in the title and what does this choice connote? The font used in the title is a serif font which implies that the magazine is elegant. This is because serif fonts are usually seen as traditional and sophisticated since they were used in the past for important things (like gravestones).
3) What font is used for the cover lines? What does that choice connote?
The font used for the cover lines is a sans-serif font which suggests that the magazines content are modern since sans-serif fonts are most commonly used in computers, a modern invention.
They appeal to Tatler's audience because a majority of their target audience is raised in a generation that prefers modern times to tradition, so the sans-serif font shows them that the magazine has modern themes inside, thereby encouraging them to read the magazine.5) What are the connotations of the Tatler colour scheme on this particular front cover?
This Tatler magazine has the colour scheme of black, white and pink. These colours suggest a theme of elegance since black and white are colours that connote wealth and sophistication and pink implies a feminine and confident theme, together creating an elegant and empowering theme for this magazine.6) How is the central image designed to create interest in the magazine? Find three reasons for your answer. (E.g. Mise-en-scene such as props, costume and make-up, body position, facial expression)
The central image of this magazine is a model. She is pictured wearing golden clothing, which creates a sense of wealth since gold is expensive, making the magazine seem wealthy also its target audience is of a richer demographic so they feel more interested in the magazine. She is pictured looking directly at the camera, making it seem as she is looking at the reader, making the reader feel connected and eager to buy the magazine since she is looking at us.
Representations
1) What different groups of people are represented on the cover? (Look at the image and text/cover lines)
On the cover, the groups of people who are represented are Celebrities; Millennials and Aristocrats.
They suggest that rich people spend a lot of their time partying ("EVERYONE'S PARTY GUEST LIST") and spend lots of money on fashion ("NEW ACCESSORIES").3) Are there any stereotypes being reinforced or subverted? How? Why?
The stereotype of the rich only spending their money on superficial things is being reinforced here since the cover only references partying and fashion, making it seem as if that is all that the rich do. This makes them seem as if they care about nothing other than materialistic things.
4) Are there any misrepresentations or under-representations of groups? What might this suggest about the target audience?
The richer demographic is represented as being superficial. In contrast to this, however, there is no representation for the working / lower classes of the UK, therefore excluding them from the magazine, since nothing in them will apply to them. This suggests that the target audience is only toward richer people since they are the only group being represented in this magazine.5) What would be the preferred and oppositional readings to this cover of Tatler?
The preferred reading of this cover is that you should buy the magazine if you are wealthy. This is because a majority of the cover lines talk about fashion and partying, which is what a lot of people enjoy doing. for the target a making them think that the magazine is modern and could apply to their lives, additionally, the sans-serif font further enforces this point. The colour scheme of this cover could make the reader feel as if they are sophisticated since pink; black and white are colours that are associated with elegance; beauty and make the cover seem sleeker in design, thereby making it sophisticated.
On the other hand, the oppositional reading of this cover would be that Tatler is a very niche magazine, and could deter their audience from reading it. This is because only one group of people is targeted in this cover (richer people) and that may make people who aren't rich feel excluded, making them less likely to buy the magazine. Also, the central image is of a woman wearing makeup and the cover line that refers to the image only talks about her appearance. This could make women feel objectified and superficial since they are good for nothing except looking good.Social and cultural context
1) What aspects of British life or people are NOT reflected in Tatler? (Watch the clip above again if you need help with this - the clue is in the title 'Posh People')Tatler does not reflect the struggles of work, money or lower class life. In a majority of British lives, money is not inherited and instead worked for, unlike Tatler's target audience. Also, Tatler never touches on public schools and similar public services.
2) Tatler runs special issues on holidays, spa breaks, cosmetic surgery, watches and jewellery and private schools. What does this suggest about the magazine's representation of life in Britain?
Tatler represents life in Britain as being very superficial and niche. Tatler shows Britain to be very rich and having money for everything, even though this isn't true for the majority of the UK's population.3) What audience groups might be offended or insulted by the front cover of Tatler April 2017?
The audience groups that might be offended is the lower/working class; men; women; richer people; celebrities, for a range of reasons, from being under-represented(lower/working class; men), to being represented incorrectly(women; richer people; celebrities).4) Find three other front covers for Tatler. What issues or problems are regularly featured in Tatler?
The issues that are usually touched on in Tatler are Beauty, Relationships, Money, Parties, Royalty, Fashion and a few other things.
