Alix Kelly

A2 Media Studies Advanced Portfolio Evaluation

Question 3 - What have you learned from your audience feedback?

For this question, I conducted a focus on the social networking site Facebook. I created a private focus group, the participants were asked to comment on the group about my final product, they saw two pictures, one of my front cover and one of my second page. This is how it will have looked.

They were asked to answer 7 questions:

1. How effective is the masthead?2. How effective is the layout and design

of the newspaper? (does it follow the typical conventions of a local newspaper)How effective is the layout and design of the newspaper? (does it follow the typical conventions of a local newspaper)How effective is the layout?

3. Are thAreAre the stories/articles conventional?

4. What WWhat are the positives?5. CanCan anything be improved?6. WouWould you purchase this newspaper?

The participants have now commented on the group and given me some feedback on my final product. Here is an example of what one of the participants replied. To summerise, the audience have agreed that the masthead is bold, eye catching and looks effective on the front cover. They also think that it stands out in the primary optical area. This is good because my aim was to make the masthead look convetional and effective towards the audience.

Alix Kelly

In terms of the layout, I wanted my newspaper to look professional and sophistcaed towards the audience whilst following a traditional and conventional local newpspaer. The target audience belivevd that my layout was typically conventional, the positioning of the text is very professional. I have also learnt from my audience feedback that the layout is clear and easy to understand as well as being similar to the likes of the MEN which is one of the products that I research in my product reaesrch. This tells me that my newspaper has been succesful because I research the MEN newspaper and analysed the different convetions that it uses to attract the target audience.

The narrative of my articles and stories are supposed to be interesting conventional following the genre of crime. This is usually viewed in a local newspaper magazine. The narrative was to follow the likes of Todorovs 5 stages of equilibrium. Although, they would start with a disequilibrium to create an enigma for the audience. The participants have told me that they found the articles interesting, they also belived that it was conventional of a typical local newspaper. They were interested in that articles being directed at a local audience and it could have an effect of them.

I asked the audience to give me some positive feedback and also some improvements. To start, the audience generally did not believe that much improvement was needed because it already looked very professional and sophisticated; they also said that they couldn’t think of anything to improve on in general. However, on participant did say that I could maybe improve the newspaper by making the body on the front cover and second page the same width to make it look more consistent.

Alix Kelly

In terms of the positives, there were quite a lot of the same comments; mainly this is aimed at the layout of the newspaper. They liked the professionalism of the newspaper, making it look like a real local paper that they have posted to their door or seen in a shop. The colour scheme that I have also used has been successful; the red borders used have been eye catching to one of the participants. This is successful because this was decided by the primary market research I conducted at the start of the year. A few comments have also said that the images I have used are very strong and are very conventional to a local newspaper. I have learnt that the images have helped the target audience relate the articles and have also helped them establish on the area in which the article is based on.

Finally, I asked my target audience if they would purchase this newspaper, all responses said yes. This has made my newspaper very successful, this has taught me that my product research and market research has been successful and I have adapted my research to my final product and attracted my target audience. This has also helped me learn that I have successfully used the different software’s such as Photoshop and devices such as the SLR camera to make my final product look professional and sophisticated to my target audience.