Tatler: case study blog tasks

 1) Look at the Tatler Media Pack. Go to page 2: how does the editor introduce the magazine?

They introduced the magazine to be targeted to very rich people, they describe how they targeted the magazine to the rich with a "fabulously targeted, sensationally accurate rife shot." The rifle is what the British armed forces use and maybe the London guards too. They add a sentence about them shopping a lot that sounds like how a person would say when gossiping, hinting at what the magazine is about. 

2) 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?

TATLER
Circulation 80,035
Readership 163,000
Average HHI £261,572
Female 73% ABC1 83%
AB 51% Average Age 41
London/SE 70%

This tells us that the average Tatler reader is rich, female, 41 years old and reside in South East of London. More made for an older demographic.

3) Look at page 6. What do Tatler readers think about fashion? How much do they spend?

Tatler readers spend £843 million in the past year.

They buy designer clothes and accessories and agree that they buy what they see on the magazine. 

4) Go to page 10. What are the special editions of Tatler that run throughout the year? What does this suggest about the Tatler audience? What about the pyschographic audience group that best fits Tatler?

JANUARY
Travel Guide
MARCH
Weddings Guide
APRIL
Beauty & Cosmetic Surgery Guide
JUNE
Spa Guide
JULY
Watches & Jewellery Guide
OCTOBER
Schools Guide

I feel like this suggests that the Tatler audience have lots of time as most of the guides are more about relaxation, treating yourself with gifts, holidays, and for special occasions like weddings. Except the school. Its like they have a lot of money to spend.

Pyschographic audience group that would fit with Tatler is aspirer as they show luxury brands and consider themselves to be stylish and on trend.


Media language

1) What different examples of typography can you find on the cover of Tatler? What are the connotations of the serif and sans serif fonts?

Sans serif fonts- modern/ bold/ unique. 

Serif fonts- traditional/ established/ authority 

2) How do the cover lines appeal to the Tatler target audience?

They help promote appeal to the target audience,  revealing stories that will appear in the magazine. 


3) What are the connotations of the Tatler colour scheme on this particular front cover?

Green, black, white: rich place, royal garden?, elegance class, nature and wealth.

Pastel soft White, blue, red: Union Jack flag colours.

4) How is the central image designed to create interest in the magazine? Find three reasons for your answer. (E.g. the model, the mise-en-scene such as props, costume and make-up, body position, facial expression etc.)

Having a person of colour on front of the cover of tatler, a Central image may diversify tatler readers, becoming more inclusive. As England have and had only white monarchs and white rich people as it was a white country.

The woman is shown to be wearing lots of jewellery as she wore multiple rings and a set of earrings, this shows that she is wealthy but also suggests that she is showing it off. Her hands are positioned to show her rings and her leaning against a Bush could perhaps suggest that she was of lower class before? As by namecheck, it is said that she is now the marchioness of bath, can suggest she married into a rich lifestyle. 

She is wearing a large gown with a building painted onto it, which is strange to wear outside on any occasion. The dress takes up around 50% of the magazine which makes it an intended choice. The colours on that represent the Union Jack flag and the building may suggest of other cultural places that could represent where she may have came from to represent the growing diversity. 

Representations

1) What celebrities or famous people are mentioned on the cover? Why do you think Tatler put them on the cover?

   

Boris Johnson- the was a member of the Parliament. (Even if it was mentioned as "Boris's brother max" there was a political reference.) 

Emma Weymouth  is the marchioness of Bath. (Because she is of colour and readers will be interested to know who the marquees of Bath married.) 

2) What do the cover lines suggest about the lifestyle of rich people in the UK?

It suggests that they dress so well it's fit for a queen, suggesting they spend a lot of money on style.

3) Looking at the image and cover lines together, what different groups of people are represented on the cover and how are they represented? (E.g. men/women/rich people/race & ethnicity etc.) 

Central image of a coloured women may diversify tatler readers, becoming more inclusive. As England have and had only white monarchs and white rich people as it was a white country.

They reference monarchy as readers of the Tatler are interested in the royal family. 

4) Are there any stereotypes being reinforced or subverted? How? Why?

The stereotype of  femininity is being both subverted and reinforced because she is shown wearing make-up and a large gown, however, she is not smiling and she is shown leaning on a Bush which is not very feminine and shows a more unladylike behaviour. Perhaps this is done to relate to younger audiences as they want to breach their magazines to more readers.

Social and cultural contexts

1) What types of people are NOT featured in Tatler? (Watch the clip above again if you need help with this - the clue is in the title 'Posh People')

 there are no lower class people.

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? 

This suggests that rich life is all about spending money on holidays, making yourself appear better, buy jewellery and to private schools.  That they are separated from the lower class.

3) What audience groups might be offended or insulted by the front cover of Tatler? 

Lower class people, they may feel like they aren't included or feel envious on how they flex their riches and go on holidays without having to work, which they know they will never have.

4) Find three other front covers for Tatler from different months. What issues, subjects or people are regularly featured in Tatler?

Both of these photos link as there is a woman shown in a very similar pose, however the tone is extremely different and they juxtapose eachother. 

The wedding one shows a woman in a wedding dress and her face is obscured in the darkness, there is no colour in the image, the way the woman stands seems disappointed or sad, perhaps this suggests being unhappy or trapped? This is unusual as usually people are happy during this time. Perhaps she was forced into a marriage? 

The travel one shows a woman smiling, her arms up and embracing ocean waves, the whole colour scheme is blue, white and yellow which symbolises the beach, which is often very bright and where most people travel to. This may symbolise freedom and happiness. This could be telling a story of being happily single, and then unhappily married ?

this magazine seems to promote beauty and cosmetic surgery, which is very expensive. This is an issue towards women as it feeds onto women's insecurities to make the pay to look more "beautiful".

The woman shown in makeup, extremely shiny skin, very toned face laying in what seems like liquid gold. She is in a spa. This can suggest that this is the standard that women should be doing.

The use of cosmetic surgery is a big issue as people can get addicted to it to make them selves the most beautiful they can, which often always backfires and turn them into a freak and ruin the way they see themselves.