Vibe Magazine ResearchBy Emily Hopwood

History of the magazine brandVibe magazine launched in 1993 with the publisher ‘Time.inc’ This was then bought by Millar

Publishing in 1996, this company also bought the magazine Spin that had a wider genre range

and covered different types of music. The magazine was then sold to a private equity firm in

2006, The Wick’s Group. In 2009 it was announced that the magazine was shutting down

completely with immediate effect. InterMedia Partners then bought Vibe magazine after it had

shut down and merged it with ‘Blackbook’, a biannual magazine. in 2012. In 2013 it was

announced that Vibe Magazine along with Vibe.com and VibeVixen.com had been sold to Spin

Media. They wanted to make the magazine available digitally so that the magazine was still able

to be worked on. They cut the magazine to publish quarterly as well. The magazine also

published a spin-off magazine called ‘Vibe Vixen’ Aimed at Vibe's female multicultural

demographic. Vibe Vixen included features on beauty, fashion, and female entertainers. R&B

star Ciara appeared on the inaugural issue's cover.

Expanding the brandIn addition to magazines, Vibe also publishes Hip-hop culture books. Other ways the

Vibe brand are promoted is through the use of an online based magazine called VIBE

Online. The magazine also has something called VIBE On Demand, an on-demand

network that is available to the magazine's audience more frequently. VLN TV is an

online video channel that is also available to the audience. There is also a section to

the magazine from VIBE Film; MVibe, a wireless content provider for hand-held

devices as well as CD and DVD lines distributed under the same name. The Vibe

Music Mixer is an app created by the magazine is available for iPhone and iPad.

There were also vibe awards that Vibe hosted in 2003- 2007 there were issues

surrounding the awards as incidents occurred with performers and guests. There are

also events called ‘Best Rapper Alive Tournaments’.

Logo and header analysis on the website The header and logo on the website show that the magazine has an ultimate colour scheme that it sticks to. This is reflected in the magazine as most of the covers incorporate this colour theme, either in the masthead or cover lines. The logo is clearly the feature showing that this is the website for the magazine, if this was a different font the audience may not recognise this to be the case. The sans-serif fonts are also an indication that the magazine is for a more mature audience. The social media links are clearly shown in a darker colour, this appeals to a younger audience and makes the magazine more accessible. The magazine ‘Vibe Vixen’ also has a link on the banner, this is a magazine that features and appeals to a female market, it has the same type of content and genre as the original ‘vibe’ but is more female based. This is as well as ‘Vibe Viva’ which is more of a latin style of music and features latin artists and news.

Website features The website home page mainly consists of advertisements. This shows that the magazine gains revenue from these adverts. It also shows that the magazine's audience may also be interested in these types of products/websites- showing more about the target audience. The main story on the homepage of the website also appeals to the audience, this is evident as the magazine features ‘EarthGang’ a rapping duo that is relatively new or unknown to the audience, this means that the audience feels that they are getting something beneficial and new from the website. Below this were many other stories about r&b music. Also, there was a whole section of the website dedicated to fashion and style, this also conveys the audience’s interests. There is an overall lack of colour apart from the adverts, even the featured images were in black and white, this could convey a level of sophistication or simplicity.

Videos There was also a sidebar that followed down the whole of the magazine’s homepage. This shows the audience all of the features they may be interested. These videos and side messages were the only part of the magazine's website that was not in grayscale. All feature r&b singers and people that have some association to the audience or genre itself. This also allows the audience to explore all features of the magazine without having to click on all of the separate links. This makes it relevant to the audience as they may be in a rush or wish to find something on the website that they could not locate in the magazine. Or, the audience could be using the website as a way of substituting the magazine.

Magazine information Vibe magazine was originally founded by famous music producer Quincy Jones, the magazine specializes in rap and commercial music. Vibe magazine has a circulation of 300,943. 98,504 was non-paid. The magazine costs £2.50 and can be purchased in a wide variety of shops from news agents to stationary shops. This low price is due to the type of audience the magazine is trying to attract. Vibe magazine’s target audience is 12-24 year olds, it is aimed at young and urban audiences who follow hip hop when first launched. This information is somewhat out of date as the magazine has developed and changed since this time. In 2012 the magazine became to involve more commercial music so that the magazine could attract a wider variety of people interested in hip hop/rap music. In 2015, the magazine uses both rap stars and also features actors and comedians and overall has a wider audience range.

Anal

ysis

of

Vibe

co

ver

Masthead and Strapline

The masthead of the magazine is ‘VIBE’. This use of the masthead shows the magazine's status as it is semi-covered by the model. This implies that the magazine is well-known

enough to hide half of its masthead and still be recognisable to its audience. The faded bottom of the masthead shows the ‘fade’ into the rest of the magazine. This could also show the

different intensities of the magazine. The colour red connotes danger within the magazine, this could also suggest why the masted has a gradient colour scheme, to show the audience that there is both a rebellious side and softer side to the magazine. The strapline or banner at the top of the magazine shows that there is a particular colour scheme for the magazine as there are red and black colours on the cover. The term ‘vs’ creates a conflicting mood and therefore interest with the audience to see the outcome. The fact that the magazine masthead can still

be read shows that they also interest new audiences and is still able to show people that aren’t aware of the magazine what it is and what it’s about.

Main Image The main image is of a contemporary R&B singer Miguel. He is very popular amongst the audience of vibe magazine. His posing in this picture shows an edgy side to the magazine as well as himself. This is also shown through the use of sunglasses, this could connote that the future is bright for Miguel, promoting his successes both current and future. It could also suggest that he is too famous to even remove his glasses as blacked out glasses are usually used to hide from photographers. His hand gesture is synonymous with heavy metal and is commonly used as another sign of rebellion. The jewelry he is wearing shows his success and the fact that he wants to show the audience about it means that he feels the need to present his fame- this could be so that the audience can feel aspirations to become like him. His mouth also represents anger and rebellion, matching the entire magazine. The suit jacket suggests formality and success, this is heavily contrasted by there being no clothing under the jacket- this shows that the celebrity is still not a typical stereotype of a successful man, in the magazine this is presented as a good thing.

Anchorage Text

This cover line is used to introduce the audience to the celebrity endorsement. This particular anchorage text includes the celebrity and what he is talking about in the magazine. The use of the red and black colours show the overall colour scheme of the magazine’s cover is continued. The use of the titles; ‘Sex, Drugs and R&B’ have been chosen as the designer knows that all three topics will attract the audience’s attention. ‘Sex’ has been used to attract the reader as it is a personal and sensitive topic, this means that the audience will believe that they are going to find a lot of typically unasked questions ‘Drugs’ is used as it offers a personal insight to the celebrity endorsement. Finally ‘R&B’ is used to attract the audience further as it is evident from the magazines genre that this is why the audience typically purchases the magazine. This text is in red, which again shows danger and importance. The word ‘Miguel’ is the largest and boldest text on the whole cover, this shows that the magazine wishes to catch viewers attention through the use of Miguel.

Plugs

This list of other things the audience may be interested is shown on the right-hand side of the magazine, this means that by showing the audience all of the content in the magazine, they are attracting the people that may not be interested in the celebrity. It also highlights the magazine’s genre as it contains all of the things someone who is interested in R&B music would be interested in. This also conforms to the magazine’s distinctive colour scheme on this issue.