STRATEGIC DOCUMENT

_Strategy and promotion Freya Tacey FA6015

_in my day.

_Contents

Introduction - Page 4

Project Management & Risk Assessment - Page 28

Rationale - Page 5 Promotion - Page 29 Target Demographic - Page 9 Timeline - Page 31 Attitudes & Values - Page 12 References - Page 33 Consumer Habits - Page 13 Appendix - Page 35 SWOT Analysis - Page 15 Market Analysis - Page 17 Creative strategy - Page 20 Budget & Funding - Page 21 Social & Ethical Responsibilties - Page 25

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_Introduction _In my day, Is a biannually distributed, political and social zine that acts as a platform in which the older end of Generation Z, currently aged 18-25 will be able to discuss their opinions on world and societal issues. We are living in a time period where the political and social climate is heavily active and everyone has an opinion and a format to voice them on.

The zine will be comprised of written pieces, graphic design, typography, photography and art. The tone of the zine itself will be written and created by me, and shall be soft and gentle in terms of its tone and graphics. One of the components of the zine will be that it will feature submissions and collaborate with its target audience to provide visibility for the topics discussed and will create a sense of community.

The zine acts as a physical platform that enables conversation to take place in both written and creative formats, using any form of expression as a valid opinion, ranging from written pieces, graphic design to art and photography.

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_Rationale The time to educate ourselves and act, is now. Never has there been such a politically and socially charged time to be alive, social media is acting as the magnifying glass, revealing to us that we have to change and work towards a better future for all. In my day will be providing the platform for the voices of thousands, whilst only a select few will be chosen for each issue to talk about subjects they are passionate about, they speak on behalf of millions. This new era of caring and sharing inspires creative conversations as designers, artists and musicians align themselves with causes that chime with the concerns of the next big consumer demographic (WGSN, The caring economy).

We are living in a world where the opinion of generation is not valued, we are seen as too sensitive, the ‘snowflake generation’, and this leads to us not being taken seriously. We don’t have a platform that provides a positive spotlight to what we are saying and that will discuss the issues we are facing without judgement or cynicism. If you look at platforms such as the daily mail or the guardian, that of which are aimed at older generations, too often are their pages are filled with pieces written about the appearance of celebrity’s appearances or discussing the information of people’s private lives. In my days goal will be to discuss subjects, and not people. In my day will bring back a creative renaissance in which creative expression and freedom will be recognised and admired, Art is social communication.

Although one can imagine a lover improvising a poem privately into her lover’s ear, for the most part art is expressed in the form of objects that endure through time, and travel beyond the immediate. (Oatley,k Creative expression and communication)

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As a species, we have always expressed ourselves creatively, which manifests as culture. Culture is a documentation and reaction to life, that we are all contributing to without realising.

So, by creating a platform for these voices to be heard, people can connect amongst a sense of community and have access to information. A lot of these opinions and information is passed through word of mouth and social media but doesn’t have a collective physical space. People would express an interest because humans have a need for connection, connecting with others is important. Social connection can lower anxiety and depression, help us regulate our emotions, lead to higher selfesteem and empathy, and improve our immune systems. By neglecting our need to connect, we put our health at risk. It will also allow creatives to showcase their work and advertise it to readers, so that readers can discover creatives that inspire them.

This is backed by a survey conducted on Instagram of 108 respondents aged 18-25, of mixed gender and race said; 86% think gen z’s opinions on the world are NOT valued and taken seriously within society.

96% believe gen Z are often stereotyped to be uneducated, lacking experience and are seen as too sensitive.

86% value creative expression (art, music, photography) equally as a form opinion as written/spoken words.

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_Target Demographic My main consumer demographic will be of Generation Z, born between 1997-2012, aimed more specifically at 18-25, with a huge social media presence from being the ‘internet generation’.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, we spent a majority of our time inside, on our phones, consistently being updated on the state of the world, which has caused awareness but also stress.

Generation Z is the most socially active generation to date, we are the first generation to have access to profound amounts of knowledge, at the very tips of our fingers, we have the power to reach thousands of people in just 280 characters or less. We are generation of change, from pushing the #blacklivesmatter movement, highlighting political issues and bringing awareness to the importance of mental health, we are doing more than any previous generation. but this zine is a space for anyone to view, but its content will be made by young people, the target audience and motto for this zine is ‘by young people, for everyone’.

Results from the poll previously discussed tells us that; 96% Say the last year has made them more socially aware.

88% think this is due to social media.

89% get most of their information through social media.

78% feel this has caused stress and emotional strain.

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_Attitudes & Values _in my day is for the inquisitive and compassionate soul, those curious about the way that the world and the people within it, aimed at people that are intelligent both academically and emotionally. Gen Z match these attributes and brand ethos of the zine, “They’re the most self-educated generation in history” (ref), a generation of socially aware activists containing the next leaders and societal trailblazers; Gen Z takes an unfiltered and unabashed eye to the political circumstances of their upbringing.

Compassion is in their DNA and caring is the new cool. Selfexpression comes very feeling-focused for Gen Z. After all, it’s all about feeling together and vocalising their emotions. They refuse to escape from reality – they would rather face and solve problems, or express and embrace their vulnerability and imperfection (WGSN, The Gen Z equation).

The survey said; But 93% feel that being made aware has made them more likely to research ad educate themselves on social issues.

91% are more likely to speak up and take action on social and world issues.

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_Consumer Habits In a time when millennials wear their politics on their profile pages and generation Z chooses social activism over selfindulgence, caring becomes a new form of social and cultural currency (WGSN, The caring economy). My audience are passionate about social activism and are keen to expand their knowledge, by providing them with this platform I am giving them the foundations to start working towards a more socially aware and better future.

This is what my audience had to say about how it wants to consume its content from in my day.

84% Say they would prefer a physical zine over a digital 95% Actively want to see creative expression within the zine 55% Would prefer graphic design as the visuals over photography

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_SWOT Analysis _Strengths -Gap in the market, provides a voice that people are interested in getting involved in.

-There is current shift in people purchasing more niche publications over big name ones (Kermond, When niche is nicer) -An original and innovative concept.

-Produced as a work of passion so customers feel passionately about the product. It has a constant audience since the ones who read niche magazines are not addressed by other media. When you work in niches, it is more likely to create messages that resonate strongly with the customers and create long lasting trust, fidelity (Brown, Marketing to niche audiences).

_Weaknesses -Everything is primarily digital within our current climate, which could lead to there being a lack of print sales.

-There is no predictability in whether people will purchase the zine -My target audience of generation Z don’t have a huge budget.

-Being run by one person can be overwhleming, especially whilst trying to manage an interactive online presence to connect and ensure loyalty with the consumer base.

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_Opportunities -Lockdown lifting which will increase the economy, we are leaving a pandemic that highlighted social issues and made my target audience more socially aware and keen to feed their knowledge.

-The potential for more issues of the zine to be published.

-Independent book/zine retailers may want to distribute the zine, increasing audience reach. _The past few years of the brutal print versus online wars, there has been an interesting backflip. In the magazine world at least, print has become the new premium form. “In the same way that we all thought vinyl was dead and gone in the music industry and now records are top end … there’s been a renaissance, with many of these magazines becoming art forms.” (Pilby, The niche magazines riding out the gloom).

_Threats -The current buying climate is unpredictable.

-People may not want to submit/collaborate with the zine. _ The first threat that niche magazines could face are the effects of recession and the fact that the market of magazines is in crises (even if statistics show that mainstream magazines suffer of sales losses while niche magazines have an increase in revenue).

-Moreover, a lot of other media exists and are very popular, as television but most important of all, the internet. We hear a lot about internet’s immense potential and popularity, and the death of custom printing and the migration of news stories toward tablet computers and other e-readers so we must be careful with this information and be aware that other media can be a threat.

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_Market Analysis We are launching into a very politically tense climate within the world, things have always been this way within life, but social media is highlighting how constant this is within our lifetime. This provides a gap in the market for a niche physical format such as in my day to occupy the space. Society will be consistently changing and new challenges will arise, allowing for the discussion of new topics to be incorporated into the zine. Providing a publication such as this will allow others to feel validated and listened to, which is important and will be beneficial for relieving stress and emotional strain whilst also educating people.

The survey backs up this analysis: 86% feel that being able to discuss these issues in an open and safe forum would relieve the stress and emotional strain 95% agree that creating a zine providing a forum to discuss these issues would be beneficial 93% would be interested in a zine that did this

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_Concept Strategy _in my day Is a written, photographic and graphically designed zine that acts as a platform for young voices to be heard and valued, Generation Z is not taken seriously by older generations and media such as the Daily mail or the guardian, due to their youth and lack of knowledge/experience, but the reality is that from social media, Generation Z is educating themselves on important subjects on society and the world at a much faster rate due to the instant information, they have access to facts and figures and opinions from across the globe. However, the way that Generation Z communicate is primarily through social media, meaning that this information is scattered and its users will not have a collation of all the information in their hands, there is a lack of a physical format that has a collation of people knowledge and expression, which is where in my day comes in.

We will also be utilizing Instagram as our digital output to reach the internet audience; we can’t target an audience whose primary source of information is through social media without having a social media presence to benefit from that. The Instagram will also allow us to source talents and people who want to submit content for the zine This will also allow us to create a community in which like-minded people can communicate with instant access and allow discussions to take place within our consumer base.

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_Budget & Funding In regards to in my day being aimed at generation Z, I will be taking into account that a majority of the demographic will have little to no income, so therefore the pricing will be ranged at the lower end of the scale, this will also make it more likely to be purchased as consumers in general prefer a lower price point when considering whether to purchase a product. The aim of creating a community and source point for information takes precedence over creating profit. _in my day so far has been funded and will be continue to be funded out of my own pocket through my day job as a floor supervisor at a bar. With it being a small-scale production produced primarily by myself through Adobe programmes and contains some submissions and content contributions from other young people, the cost of manufacturing stays low. The initial print run will see 200 copies produced. If the zine was to gain traction/popularity and make profit, I would begin to include advertisements of brands that align with in my day’s ethos to help expand the spending costs to create a larger zine in its scale of content.

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As stated previously the initial run of _in my day, will see a limited 200 copies of an A5 publication consisting of 16 sides + 2 for the cover and back (36 pages in total). It will be manufactured using a recycled uncoated paper stock, 400gsm for the exterior, 190gsm for the interior pages, with a staple binding. The printing company Mixam will be used for the production, which will cost £178 for the 200 copies, which means 69p per copy. With already having access to my own photography equipment, and using on location shoots, it cuts the costs of equipment and studio rental.

Meaning that the only running cost would be of the editing software which would be covered by my own income. The price would be set at £7 per copy, resulting in a £1222 profit.

Any profit created will be redirected into the production and manufacturing of a second issue, I will not be taking any profit for myself as the goal of the in my day is to create a sense of community and I want to see that come to full fruition.

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_Social & Ethical Responsibility _in my days slogan is ‘a soft and gentle space, to talk about the hard stuff’, the core objective of this publication is to be socially aware and provide awareness. We will stand by providing a platform for young people to voice their opinions and let them feel heard and validated in their views. Creating a sense of community.

In my day will never be used as a platform to attack or discuss individuals, but its content will be aimed at tackling issues that we face as a species and will only seek to change the current institutions that do not benefit everyone equally.

In my day will be printed from recycled paper, and will always choose a sustainable route in terms of production. The core values of in my days brand is inclusivity, and good morale ethics. We will always be transparent in where our content comes from, especially with contributions and collaborations being one of main sources of content, so will always give credit where credit is due, through posting their work on the instagram page and tagging them, so that consumers will be able to look at their previous work.

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_Project Management & Risk Assessment With the objectives of this zine being quite profound, I believe there are risks in people not wanting to purchase the zine, however with the zines purpose not being that of profit but of education and creating a community, a loss in finances is a risk that I am willing to take for the betterment of society.

There is also a risk in potential discourse from people holding different views, yet in my day will only host non hostile discussions and allow people to speak their peace as long as it remains in an educational and non-hateful/inciting manner.

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_Promotion An Instagram will be created to reach Gen Z directly on one of their most used platforms, and this will be promoted through sharing work and regular posting to gain followers and spread word of the zine. Contributors and collaborators will be asked to promote the zine in return for having featured their work within the publication and showcasing them on our Instagram.

If we begin to make a large profit, we will be able to pay for collaborations.

We will target Gen Z by speaking to them, by promoting and advertising the zine through starring on podcasts on Spotify with similar and relevant themes to the zine and talking those topics.

This allows us to target the specific audience of people interested in the topics the zine represents. “they’re not just listening to podcasts, Gen Z and Millennials are tuning into podcasts regularly, with over a third (37%) of 13-37-year-olds saying they listen weekly or more.”(YPulse, 7 in 10 Gen Z and millenials are listening to podcasts, here’s what you need to know) Podcasts will allow us to be in control of what we say and from our own mouth, be able to get across what the zines mission is. An prime example of a podcast we would feature on would be the polyester zine podcast, where they have biweekly guests to speak about topics that mean something to them.

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_Timeline

March- Aprilexperimentation, planning of content, sourcing of talent, customer research.

Jan-march- concept realization, research and development.

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Late Mayof instagra posting te cont

Early May- Production of content and curation of the zine.

- Creation am, beging easers and tent.

Late June- Promotion of the zine by featuring on podcasts. Interact with consumer base on instagram to increase reach.

Early June- Finalizing of the zine, then sent into production, ready for release. Begin taking preorders.

July- Launch of _in my day.

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_References Kermond, C. (2015). When niche is nicer: The true winners in the magazine wars. Available: https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/when-niche-isnicer-the-true-winners-in-the-magazine-wars-20150408-1mdhgl.html. Last accessed 17th of May 2021.

WGSN Project. (). The Gen Z equation . Available: https://www.wgsn.com/ fashion/article/79358. Last accessed 15th May 2021.

Oatley, K. (2003). Creative expression and communication of emotions in the visual and narrative arts. In R. J. Davidson, K. R. Scherer, & H. H. Goldsmith (Eds.), Series in affective science. Handbook of affective sciences (p.

481–502). Oxford University Press.

YPulse. (2019). 7 in 10 Gen Z & Millennials Are Listening to Podcasts— Here’s What You Need to Know. Available: https://www.ypulse.com/article/2019/10/28/7-in-10-gen-z-millennials-are-listening-to-podcasts-hereswhat-you-need-to-know/. Last accessed 5th May 2021.

WGSN. (2015). The Caring Economy. Available: https://www.wgsn.com/ fashion/article/62168. Last accessed 25th April 2021.

WGSN. (2020). Marketing to Generation Z. Available: https://www.wgsn. com/fashion/article/67056. Last accessed 10th April 2021.

Pilby, C. (2009). The niche magazines riding out the gloom. Available: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/press/the-niche-magazines-riding-out-the-gloom-1622760.html. Last accessed 6th of May 2021.

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Brown, L. (2012). Marketing to niche audiences. Available: https://www. marketingmag.com.au/hubs-c/marketing-to-niche-audiences/. Last accessed 6th of May 2021.

Farber, T. (2012). Niche magazines: giving readers a sense of owenership.

Available: https://themediaonline.co.za/2012/07/niche-magazines-givingreaders-a-sense-of-ownership/. Last accessed 6th of May 2021.

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_Appendices

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_Appendices

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