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The Big Issue magazine analysis

Institutional Factors and Marketing- The Big Issue

Institutional Factors and Marketing

First published in 1991 The Big Issue has gone from strength to strength to become the world’s most widely circulated street newspaper. It officially belongs to the hybrid genre of entertainment and social business and as such, runs regular reviews on films, book releases, theatre, music and art but no television listings – the entertainment aspect attracts advertising revenue while the editorial content is often critical of big business, banking and commerce and champions the political cause and role of the individual within society. David v Goliath narratives are common as downtrodden groups and disparate individuals fight corporate giants but the magazine has come under some criticism for its ‘flashy style’ as a street newspaper and as being overly commercial.

When John Bird and Gordon Roddick founded the magazine their aim was to offer homeless people, or people at risk of homelessness the opportunity to earn a legitimate income by selling the magazine – the cost of the magazine is £2-50 with £1-25 going to the trader. This was the primary objective of the magazine as an independent publication to offer a public service and to try and improve a social problem which they saw as endemic – John Bird MBE remains the Editor-in-Chief and still writes a regular column at the back of the magazine. Recently (January 2013) he appeared on BBC1’s discussion panel show Question Time surprising some viewers with his admission that he is a ‘working class Tory’. Other writers in the magazine Bird works with include professional journalists and new and established writers.

Bird’s own background was pivotal to launching The Big Issue – he was homeless at the age of 5, residing in an orphanage between 7 and 10 and had a spell in prison as a teenager. After leaving prison he slept rough on the streets of London before returning to prison in his late 20s. Four years after founding the magazine in 1995 he launched The Big Issue Foundation, a registered charity to further help the homeless. The Foundation provides magazine vendors with information, advice, guidance and support on a range of issues.

As an independent publication (published by The Big Issue Company Ltd.) it needed, and received £25,000 start up capital, donated by The Body Shop (the founder of the Body Shop, Anita Roddick was the wife of co Big Issue founder Gordon Roddick). At its peak The Big Issue sold 300,000 copies in 2001 but as sales declined over the decade (along with the circulation of all print media) it re-launched with a new look and new columnists including controversial Premier League footballer Joey Barton. Weekly circulation (every Monday) has improved to around 58,000 and presently there are 6000 registered sellers all over the UK with acknowledgement that there are also rogue traders (without large red jackets and clear id badges) who have ‘acquired’ copies of the magazine illegally. Most of the vendors conform to the male (85%) homeless stereotype, are 18-46 with broken relationships and subsequent problems given and the major reason for their homelessness

Audience Appeals

Undoubtedly there is an element of emotional fulfilment in buying a copy of The Big Issue – this feel good factor associated with charity giving has to be identified as one of the key appeals of the magazine. In making a purchase you may feel better ideologically knowing you are helping rough sleepers and the homeless. This is why ‘carers’ using psychographic research are targeted by the magazine. Using a different model of audience, the Uses and Gratifications model Surveillance very much applies as one of audience pleasures gained from reading the magazine. Information is available on socio political issues but also the entertainment aspect in that you can read about a current issue but then indulge in reviews and analysis of culture.

The target audience of The Big Issue also enjoy the fact that it speaks to them, in terms of modes of address ‘in their own language’ using an elaborated language code assuming a level of intelligence and cultural capital. This balanced approach cloaks up to a point any encoded ideology and massages carefully the readers’ understanding of key issues. Articles and stories assume some prior knowledge e.g. in the edition October 8th 2012 a piece on the American Presidential Debate required some knowledge of the American constitution and political history. Shared ideological beliefs is also a key appeal for the audience as notions of personal relationships apply – in the same edition an ironic advert for ‘Dick Sapphire’ lectures on how to make money targets the audience’s left wing, liberal leanings as they are aware the lectures are written and performed by comedian Rory Bremner­­, known for his strong political opinions on issues ranging from Health Care to Education and Politics. These are all areas audiences would expect The Big Issue to cover.

The reader is made to feel ‘independent’ by the reactionary, sometimes controversial approach the magazine has, against dominant mainstream culture. Even the adverts do not follow mainstream conventions with copy including National Book Tokens, ‘Let’s Trek for Children’ and Safer Medicines. There is an element of the alternative here with the caring, liberal audience appreciating the lack of adverts for high street brands whose primary objective is commercial gain. Along with this, even the celebrities found within the magazine are associated with more realist human interest stories while at the same time remaining aspirational as figures the target audience can identify with and relate to. The central story, “What’s your Revolution?” is a rhetorical question challenging the target audience making clear linking to the Communist Russian Revolution – this is an attempt by the magazine to return to left wing political values.

•       The connotations of the Russian Revolution are evidenced by intertextual reference to Constructivist art which references the cultural capital of an ABC1 demographic – the fist, stars and design are common to this art movement.

•       “Time to make a change” has a double meaning by referencing a need for political change but also by referring directly to new writers – Alex Salmond as leader of the SNP has obvious credentials to write for a politically motivated magazine, Bob Crow is the reactionary, left wing General Secretary of the RMT known for bringing railway workers out on strike while the Archbishop of York is an outspoken block cleric on issues of multiculturalism and homosexuality. The controversial Premier League footballer Joey Barton is included as a controversial figure who has been subject to considerable criticism and media speculation.

•       Dame Stephanie Shirley is the only female writer on the front cover which anchors the male dominated narratives and viewpoints contained within the magazine – Dame ‘Steve’ Shirley (adopting the name Steve to help her in the male dominated business world) is a businesswoman and philanthropist whose work has focussed on creating work opportunities for women with dependents.

Genre

•       As a hybrid magazine of entertainment and social business key entertainment conventions include reviews on television, film, book releases, theatre, music, the arts (see some display adverts). As identified before these entertainment aspects draw in advertising revenue as this is one of the key appeals of the magazine (see above). Front covers are nearly always entertainment based with frequent use of celebrity to anchor a narrative – see front page deconstruction below. The Big Issue remains an unusual hybrid as entertainment magazines are rarely hybridised with social business and as such this positions the magazine as having a USP.

•       In terms of social business, the magazine runs so called ‘serious stories’ – social issues e.g. AIDS in Africa, Wikileaks, liberal politics, ‘David and Goliath’ stories which commonly focus on individuals and their struggle against corporations in classic binary opposition. Definitions of social business are businesses that are associated with working for the benefit of the people e.g. Charities, Education, Healthcare, Housing…This is clearly identifiable as a key convention of The Big Issue as it places this as an ideological imperative. Businesses foregrounded often associated with a more caring approach include Virgin, Innocent Smoothie, Co-op Bank, Organic Milk, National Book Tokens, Skillset and the University of the Arts. Critical of big business, banking and commerce the articles are often anti-government, state control and use of power. Despite the unusual hybrid The Big Issue retains some of its generic features including regular articles at the back of the magazine by John Bird and a guarantee of a ‘big splash’, colour cover that is challenging and provoking.

Representation

•       Pluralistic representations reflect the fact that the magazine is independent – it offers a diverse range of representations but a key focus on minority groups e.g. the homeless which positions it as a media text that like The Guardian, foregrounds narratives about minority groups. Connotations of being politically liberal and socially aware and against mainstream representations are written into the magazine despite the prior admission as identified earlier of John Bird’s Conservative political sympathies. The Big Issue wants however to be seem as the antithesis of right wing political ideology and this is evident from front covers and content analysis.

•       In relation to gender the magazine has a male dominated narrative despite the alleged 59% readership (according to The Big Issue). I personally rarely see the magazine purchased by female consumers and the content seems to stereotypically target ‘male issues’. This is a problem for The Big Issue as it wants to appeal to both genders. The magazine is sold not exclusively but commonly by male vendors and homelessness in terms of statistics is a ‘male problem’. As difficult as these statistics are to interpret there are many, many more homeless males in the UK than female and as a result ABC1, educated male consumers are more likely to be aware of this.

•       Representations of Age is interesting - The Big Issue allegedly has a younger target audience according to the magazine’s own demographic analysis but many articles suggest a need for cultural capital associated with an older demographic e.g. one article on William Shatner as James T Kirk would present ‘problems’ for a younger reader. In this regard however statistics indicate that homeless people in the UK are more under 45 than over 45 with a significant percentage under 35. Representation of art and culture are preferred to mainstream entertainment which again would stereotypically attract an older audience with a positive focus on representations of working class culture despite the middle class readership.

•       Compared to any genre of magazine The Big Issue has low production values but compared to most other so called Street Magazines has higher production values. Again, as with most magazines The Big Issue is sustained by advertising revenue and by The Big Issue Foundation and supported by www.bigissue.com. The cover is often flamboyant, revealing a high level of cultural and political awareness (see above covers which use intertextual links to an Alfred Hitchcock film to link to budget cuts and debate on the power of television) but also understanding the cover is the main point of sale. The Big Issue is sold (points of distribution) in city centres, built up urban areas, train stations and shopping centres with the bulk in London where there is a high percentage of Romanian vendors. The magazine, although dealing with national issues is up to a point globally published being available in Australia, Japan, South Africa, South Korea, Namibia, Kenya, Taiwan and Malawi where content is bespoke to country and culture.

Why is minecraft so successful?

Minecraft is what's called a sandbox game, where the player creates the game themselves by manipulating the world within it. There are no specific steps or goals, so everyone playing the game is having a different experience.

Customizability- Not only can you make Minecraft look different with skins and resource packs, but you can also use mods to completely change the game. For example, in Project Ozone 2 Kappa Mode, the modpack (a collection of mods put together for entertainment). There are vast options from making jet packs, to flying like a bird, to exploring other planets, to following the quest line, magic mods, tech mods, computers INSIDE of Minecraft.

·         The Player base- Minecraft computer alone has sold more than 25 million copies. The player base is huge, therefore increasing marketability in the sense where those 25 million people tell their friends to buy it.

·         Never ending/open world- A video game with no story line sells very well because you can do whatever your heart desires.

·         Share-ability- The fact that you can create things for other players and easily post it online is huge. This creates an online fan base.

·         Game Modes-This goes along with customizability. You can play hardcore, regular survival, creative, and even download a map to play adventure mode. If that's not enough, you can spectate friends in spectator mode.

The opportunities are endless. There is so much that you can do. There is something for everyone, whether you like the underground aspect, gardening, animals, circuitry (Redstone), playing with others… Whatever you can think of creating, you can create. You can choose your own journey, goals, and game play (creative, survival, adventure, spectator). The world is pretty much endless, and it is full of diversity in biomes, animals, and scenery. There is nothing that you have to do. Most games give you a story, and you’re supposed to do what the game tells you to do, then it’s over. Minecraft is different. It combined the survival aspect of a game, and the creativity to make a game that holds many people’s attention. That’s how Minecraft became so popular.

 Minecraft totally embraces the fact that its players want to share their experiences and allows them to build and use their own servers to do so. Forget automatic matchmaking, Minecraft encourages player’s active engagement in building a strong community. Minecraft was one of the first games for years that saw players go out of their way to build and maintain their own servers just to play together.

Minecraft sports one of the most vibrant and active gaming communities seen to date. Gamers are proud of their creations and niche sites will feature especially amazing worlds. Add to that the thousands of YouTube videos, Facebook fan pages and numerous fan sites and you see why Minecraft commands so much power in the gaming world.

Goal-less gameplay is one of the single most important aspects behind Minecraft’s success. It hasn’t got any clear or specific goals. The only real goal is that you as a player enjoy your time in the world. This gives players a feeling of ownership over the gameplay. The game promotes active engagement and is fueled by word of mouth – the most powerful form of advertising there is.

Minecraft became so popular techno giant Microsoft bought it from its original creators last year for £1.5 billion. As of 2014, Minecraft has sold more than 54 million copies for computers, consoles, and mobile devices. Merchandise bearing its logos - hoodies, wallets, necklaces - can be found wherever computer game spin-offs are sold.

Minecraft is now more successful than Persson could possibly have imagined. As well as being played by millions, it is used as an educational tool in schools and has even been employed by urban planners to see how the public want spaces developed. Every major games studio now have games lined up which have been influenced by Minecraft, Larsson says - the most high-profile of which so far has been the immersive world of Disney infinity from Disney interactive    

Mine craft Terminology

Group power point production

BBC Radio 1 breakfast show- Facts and information

"Radio 1 controller Ben Cooper jokingly put the decline in Breakfast Show ratings down to Grimshaw “scaring off the over-30s”, who accounted for around 90% of the outgoing listeners. The station as a whole has lost 830,000 listeners year on year, down from 10.5 million in the same period in 2014, however, the BBC said that more than half a million of those were over 30 years of age – outside its target age of 16 to 29."

Breakfast show running order

Timings	What happens...
6:30:00	News and weather
6:30:53	Radio 1 Breakfast show Ident
6:31:16	Nick Grimshaw introduction
6:32:00	Sting (Short Jingle)
6:32:20	Song: Tom Walker - Leave a light on
6:34:57	Song: Ellie Golding - On my mind
6:38:11	Nick talking about coming back after holiday
6:38:34	Song: Wolf Alice - Don't delete the kisses
6:42:11	Nick Welcoming viewers and Fiona. Talk about going back to work.
6:43:22	Talking about the new year and the holiday
6:44:14	Nick references the viewers
6:44:46	Song: En Vogue - Don't let go
6:47:05	Sting and charts reference
6:47:39	Song: Jason Derulo - Tiptoe
6:50:34	Talk about Jan slam competition and previous sporty prizes won. Today's prize is Sam Smith tickets
6:53:52	Song: Ramz - Barking
6:56:53	Nick referencing the Jan slam
6:57:27	News - Steve Holden. includes; Travel, sport, weather and entertainment
7:00:32	Sting
7:00:50	Reference to Jan Slam - In an hour the word that needs to be said when answering the winning phone call will be revealed.
7:01:50	Song: Craig David - I know you
7:04:55	Song: Miley Cyrus - Malibu
7:08:42	Song: Duke Dumont & Gorgon city - real life
7:11:43	Talk of holiday, new years revolutions and the previous prizes with a random caller who picks the next song between choices given
7:15:03	Song: Kanye West - Power
7:18:10	Trailer for a film
7:18:59	Song: J Hus - Bouf Daddy
7:22:00	Jan slam referenced again and question that needs to be answered to win prize; What is the name of Sam Smith's number 1?
7:25:44	Song: Disclosure & Sam Smith - Latch
7:27:42	News with Steve Holden
7:31:13	Song: Mabel - My Lover
7:34:18	Song: Arcade fire - Everything now
7:37:43	Nick and shenade talk about Golden Globes Gossip. (Banter).
7:42:50	Song: Fuse ODG - Boa Me
7:45:41	Sting including 2017 highlights
7:46:18	Song: Taylor Swift - Gorgeous
7:48:51	Reference of competition and talk of on flight films including Dunkirk, Happy feet & Joy
7:52:39	Song: Shawn Mendes - Nothing holding me back
7:54:50	News with Steve Holden
7:57:45	Sting, Nick welcoming viewers & lines closed for today's Jan slam. Word = Lonely
7:59:59	Song: Clean Bandit - Miss you
8:03:02	Song: Coldplay - Clocks
8:06:40	Song: Jax Jones - Breathe
8:09:18	Jan slam: Caller answers with correct word & wins prize. Reference to tomorrow's prize
8:13:11	Song: Rihanna & Calvin Harris - This is what you came for
8:16:46	Nick reveals tomorrow's prize; tickets to Katy Perry, Backstage passes & behind the scenes tour. Contest info and question: What is Katy Perry's 2016 No. 1 single called?
8:21:29	Song: Katy Perry - Firework
8:25:10	BBC soundlist advert
8:25:50	Song: HAIM - Nothing's wrong
8:28:20	what is coming up in today's show
8:28:50	News with Steve Holden
8:32:05	Song: James Arthur - Naked
8:35:43	Song: Diplo & Sleepy Tom - Be right there
8:39:20	Nick and Shenade talk about Golden Globe gossip & celeb gossip including Ed sheeran
8:44:46	Song: Sigrid - Strangers
8:48:09	Sting and Radio 1 app advert
8:48:48	Song: RAYE - Decline
8:51:50	Nick talks about the daily mixtape coming up and his tune of the week...
8:54:40	Song: Justin Timberlake - Filthy
8:58:54	Nick talks about this song, sting, talks about this weeks content.
9:01:37	Song: Ed Sheeran & Eminem - River
9:04:29	Song: Avelino - 1 in a million
9:07:42	Song: MK - 17
9:10:40	Talk about tomorrow's Jan slam including the prize, question, contact info, terms and conditions
9:14:25	Song: Paramore - Fake Happy
9:17:34	Song: Dave - No Words
9:21:11	Sting, Talk about mixtape and January. Talk about his previous plans over the weekend; spin class. Also, his relationship with Fiona
9:25:28	Song: NF - Let you down
9:28:43	Talk about viewer comments
9:29:08	News with Steve Holden
9:32:25	Mixtape: Basement Jaxx - Good luck Kelis, feat. Andre 3000 - Millionaire DJ Fresh - Gold Dust Jay Z - Excuse me miss Aaliyah - Try again Aloe Blacc - I need a dollar Amerie - 1 thing Kanye West - Touch the sky
10:00:00	End