B.A. (Hons) Travel Journalism dissertation by Cornelia Kaufmann

“IN WHAT WAYS DO TRAVEL MAGAZINES DEFINE THEIR READERSHIP AND HOW DOES THEIR STYLE AND CONTENT REFLECT THIS? AN ANALYSIS OF THE TRAVEL MARKET”

DISSERTATION

CORNELIA KAUFMANN STUDENT NUMBER: 07700627 B.A. (HONS) TRAVEL JOURNALISM UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL LANCASHIRE 6TH MAY 2010 PAGES: 58 WORD COUNT: 15.938

SUBMITTED IN PART FULFILMENT OF THE BACHELOR OF ARTS (HONS) TRAVEL JOURNALISM DEGREE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Declarations

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Abstract

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INTRODUCTION 1.1

Central research question

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1.2

Rationale

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1.3

Aims and Objectives

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1.4

Methodology

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LITERATURE REVIEW

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TRAVEL WRITING AND TRAVEL MAGAZINES

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3.1

Definition of “travel magazine”

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3.2

What forms of travel writing exist?

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3.3

Travel Journalism today

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3.4

Chapter summary

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MARKET SEGMENTATION 4.1

Existing travel market segments

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4.2

Consumer influences

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4.3

Chapter summary

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MAGAZINE STYLE 5.1

Content

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5.2

Writing and journalistic practice

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5.3

Use of colour and pictures

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5.4

Design and Layout

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5.5

Advertising

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5.6

Chapter summary

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COMPARISON AND ANALYSIS OF TRAVEL MAGAZINES 6.1

Cover design

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6.2

Feature types

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6.3

Writing style

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6.4

Reader interaction

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6.5

Photography

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6.6

Page furniture and colours

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6.7

Page layout

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6.8

Advertising

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6.9

Readership

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CONCLUSION

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LIST OF REFERENCES

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DECLARATIONS

I declare that the material contained in this project is the end result of my own work and that due acknowledgement has been given in the bibliography and references to ALL sources be they printed, electronic or personal.

And that:

The Word Count of this Dissertation is ……………………..

SIGNED: …………………………………………………….

DATE: …………………………………………………….....

ABSTRACT STUDENT NAME Cornelia KAUFMANN DEGREE

BA (Hons) Travel Journalism

SUPERVISOR

Dr John Luffrum

TITLE

In what ways do travel magazines define their readership and how does their style and content reflect this? An analysis of the travel market

DATE

May 2010

KEYWORDS TRAVEL-MAGAZINES MARKET-RESEARCH TARGET-READERSHIP CONTENT-ANALYSIS ABSTRACT Travel magazines in the United Kingdom seem to vary greatly in style and content according to the readership they are aimed at. The question is how exactly magazines define their readership and how their style reflects this, as well as whether the readership can be defined easily according to socio-economic or other criteria. This dissertation analyses four travel magazines and compares their design, writing style, use of photography and colours. This helps to highlight and interpret similarities as well as differences and to draw conclusions about the target audience. A close looks is also taken at the amount of advertising in the publications and the items offered, and what the advertising can tell about the perceived readership. This study identifies problems with the market analysing techniques currently in place, as target audiences for travel magazines do not often adhere to a specific age or social group and therefore have to be defined differently. The study also shows, that advertising place a major role in who the publication sees itself aimed at, as it influences the editorial content as well as the readership.

INTRODUCTION 1.1

CENTRAL RESEARCH QUESTION

The question this dissertation is dealing with is “In what ways do travel magazines define their readership and how does their style and content reflect this?” Not every reader is the same and readers are choosing the magazines they are reading based on the content and style of the publication. A great deal of consideration has to go into the publication in order to target their readers with stories and advertisements they will enjoy and provide them with the information and stimuli they are looking for. In order to find all this pre-publication information, magazines have to do a significant amount of travel market research, and segment the market to get a very clear picture of their ideal reader.

This dissertation aims to analyse the travel magazines Wanderlust, Lonely Planet Magazine, Sunday Times Travel and National Geographic Traveler, all of which are on sale in the United Kingdom, and comparing them will give insight into their style and content and how they define their readership. This will take the use of colours and photography, writing style and advertising into account.

1.2

RATIONALE

The topic is of interest, as it will provide market research for the travel publication market. Editors will also be interested, as it might lead to new findings as to how readers perceive the publication and whether that ties in with what they identified as target audience. There are many travel-related publications all around the world, catering for different audiences. Travellers, like every consumer group, can be broken down into segments. Some will read the Condé Nast Traveller, other will prefer more down-to-earth magazines like Realtravel, while another group might just read the weekend newspaper travel supplements.

The topic is worth studying as it is a market research. What group of consumers reacts to what kind of publication? Are there differences in style, layout, or language used to attract different kinds of readership? Can these audiences be clearly defined in one specific market segment or can a publication appeal to various readers?

1.3

AIMS & OBJECTIVES

The aim of this dissertation is to find out how Wanderlust, Lonely Planet Magazine, Sunday Times Travel and National Geographic Traveler cater for their audiences. For this, a close look has to be taken at what market segments exist in the United Kingdom, and what criteria are used to define them. Case studies will look at the four magazines mentioned, to compare and analyse them so that target readerships can be established.

It is expected to find that Wanderlust appeals to young backpackers, while Lonely Planet Magazine should appeal to slightly older readers who like cultural trips but will also consider backpacking. Sunday Times Travel on the other hand should appeal to those also reading the Sunday Times newspaper, and should be more conservative. National Geographic Traveler is expected to contain slightly more scientific articles looking at global travel issues and focus more on luxury travel than the other magazines in this dissertation.

This study is important, as it will reflect the trend in travel writing and implications this has for design and layout of travel publications. It will also show whether editors can feasibly have just one specific reader in mind when designing the magazine, or whether they should include elements which would appeal to readers of a different age and social background as well.

This dissertation will therefore have to look at existing travel markets, how they are identified and whether there are problems with the models currently in place. A look also has to be taken at travel journalism in general and at magazine styles, as well as how design and content can influence readers. The dissertation will also have to look at the amount of advertising and the advertised items, and how much space in the magazine is actually given to editorial content. How much of this editorial content is taken up by features and whether they are inspirational and anecdotal or chronological recounts of a holiday will also factor into the research.

1.4

METHODOLOGY

In order to carry out the research stated in 1.3 Aims & Objectives, this dissertation will have to take information from a variety of sources.

ÂŠ Cornelia Kaufmann â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Travel Journalism Dissertation â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 05/2010

Marketing text books and journals about market segmentation will be used to identify travel market segments and how exactly these can be classified. This will give an insight into how many market segments there are, and what the advantages and disadvantages of each analysing technique are. Tourism texts will provide an insight into what travellers like to see and how they behave when on holiday. This is important as travel behaviour will also factor into the kind of holidays they will take and what publication they are likely to read.

Next, books on journalism, feature writing and magazine design will give an overview of what needs to be considered by editors when a magazine is created. This will also provide ideas of how design and content can reflect readership and what has to be taken into account when it comes to article length, cover design and use of photography.

Most importantly, case studies of the four travel magazines have to be carried out, and the magazines analysed and compared to each other. This will show similarities as well as differences, and provide elements that can be discussed. This immediate comparison can then also be used to discuss layouts and styles and how they relate to the previously identified market segments.

ÂŠ Cornelia Kaufmann â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Travel Journalism Dissertation â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 05/2010

LITERATURE REVIEW

The media today portray the world as mobile, and tourist imagination is not only informed by these forms of media, but also by the act of “travelling, enjoying and exploring” itself (Crouch et al 2006: 1). The media help representing a destination as a place to be consumed. Cities become commodities. Photography plays a major part in this, as the pictures help visualise the place (Dunn 2006 in Crouch et al 2006: 158).

“The tourist gaze” that Urry describes, can come in numerous ways. We look at attractions because we know they are famous, and because our upbringing tells us that we should seek out these places during our lifetimes (Urry 1996: 12). However, at the same time, the “gaze” can be over in a second. We register the view is there, but something else might catch our eyes (Urry 1996: 10).

The tourist gaze goes so far, that even views that tourists can never achieve to capture themselves, such as aerial views, are linked with the memories of a destination. [And] our memories of places are largely structured through photographic images and the mainly verbal text we weave around images when they are on show to others. The tourist gaze thus irreducibly involves the rapid circulation of photographic images.” (Urry 1996: 140)

Ryan (1997: 25) takes Urry’s ‘tourist gaze’ further, and implies that tourists use all their senses, not only the visual. This goes with the recommendation that a place has to be “felt” in a feature, the reader needs to be able to fully imagine it. “The context, meanings and experiences of tourism can vary from holiday to holiday, from tourist to tourist. To talk of the ‘tourist experience’ seems to imply a homogeneity which, in reality, is not always present” (Ryan 1997: 28).

As Ang (2001, in McKay 2001: 170) points out: “For many magazine readers the photographs and illustrations are one of the main reasons for buying the publication.” Their “gaze” lingers on the photographs, and the readers indulge themselves in the imagination of being there themselves, and this can be seen as one of the reasons why magazines still thrive, even though television and films are readily available.

Photography in publications is used to support and enhance the images conjured up in the text itself (Crouch & Grassick 2006 in Crouch et al 2006: 47). As Bell & Lyall point out (2006 in Crouch et al 2006: 135): “The tourist has more photo opportunities than ever before. Relentless documentation accompanies every touristic experience.” It is assumed that the two unique ways of defining ‘reality’ today are tourism and the camera (Horne 1984: 22, as quoted by Bell & Lyall 2006 in Crouch et al 2006: 135).

A rising demand for tourism also raises the demand for unusual things to do and places to see. These even include places that until now have been “off the beaten track” or hidden out of sight. The tourist’s curiosity is engaged to see the ‘back regions’ and the mundane (Goffman 1974 as quoted by Davin 2006 in Crouch et al 2006: 170).

Pictures are the “I was here” proof that many travellers require in order to get satisfaction out of the tourism experience. This is made even more important by what other people have done and seen. Travellers are always influenced by what other tourists and travellers have done before them (Bell & Lyall 2006 in Crouch et al 2006: 137). There is a notion, that tourists re-enact their travel role models. In this way, eco tourists might attempt to follow in David Attenborough’s footsteps, while sports enthusiasts might re-enact A.J. Hackett (Bell & Lyall 2002, as quoted by Bell & Lyall 2006 in Crouch et al 2006: 136).

Pine and Gilmore (1998: 97 – 105, as quoted in Baron et al 2009: 106) state that “no two people can have [exactly] the same experience.” This means that an event can be described in the most realistic way, and yet the reader will not be able to experience the exact same thing. Different influences and needs factor into the understanding and interpretation of events, for different individuals.

Stanley Plog (1973, as quoted in Hudson 2008: 53) classified travellers as being either stay-at-home psychocentrics, mid-centrics or seeking-out-the-unknown allocentrics. “Travellers who are more allocentric are thought to prefer exotic destinations, unstructured vacations rather than packaged tours, and more involvement with local cultures. Psychocentrics, on the other hand, are thought to prefer familiar destinations, packaged tours and ‘touristy’ areas” (Hudson 2008: 53).

More and more travellers are becoming more mid-centric or allocentric, and they seek out new experiences, in the hope that they will learn something new. Publications have to cater for this phenomenon and cover articles that deal with new experiences their readers can try. As Hudson states (2008: 59) “One of the major trends in tourism today is the desire of the tourist to have a learning experience as part of the vacation.” The reader will decide on the basis of the stories covered in a travel publication, whether to buy it or not. Therefore, the buyer’s decision-making process must be known to marketers and publishers, in order to generate a publication that will get the reader’s attention (Hudson 2008: 68).

Just like Plog (1973) segmented travellers on a psychometric scale, the Westvlaams Ekonomisch Studiebureau did a survey in 1983 to categorize Belgian adults according to their behavioural intentions while on holiday (Johns & Gyimóthy 2002: 316). The study identified the segments as “Active sea lovers, contact-minded vacationers, nature viewers, rest seekers, discoverers, family-oriented sun and sea lovers and traditionalists.” This ties in with what Shoemaker (1994: 8 – 21 as quoted by Johns & Gyimóthy 2002: 318) found in his study of benefit realization. The three major segments Shoemaker identified are “get away/family travellers,” “adventurous/ educational,” and “gamblers / fun oriented.”

Field’s 1999 study of travel behaviours of domestic and international students at a southeastern university found that foreign students list sightseeing as a main activity, while domestic students would rather just go to the beach. As a result of this, Field suggests that cities and regions with prominent museums should target the foreign student segment, instead of the domestic one (Field 1999: 378). The study also found that females are more willing to travel than males, and that the undergraduate market segment travels more and also uses public transport more readily than the rest. It was also found that single students are more likely to travel than married ones, or those in serious relationships (Field 1999: 380).

Hudson (2008: 8) calls marketing a “process intended to find, satisfy and retain customers”, while the product itself creates revenue. Therefore, the relationship between product and customer is paramount. In the case of travel publications, the readers identify themselves with what they read, and marketing has to make sure that

this relationship lasts (Hudson 2008: 9). Several factors work on influencing consumer behaviour. Hudson identifies them as “motivations, culture, age and gender, social class, lifestyle, life cycle and reference groups” (Hudson 2008: 41). While motivation is generally considered the main influence of buyer behaviour, the other influences should not be ignored. Especially the cultural and social background of an individual can determine whether he buys a product or not.

All travel publications are also a clever use of advertising. They create awareness for a destination or a new trend, they inform, expand the market, help educate the readers about what is going on in the world and might even help to influence the image of a destination (Hudson 2008: 263).

With many publications printing work submitted by freelancers it becomes apparent that “in addition to collecting experiences, individuals are showing an increasing desire to convert them into images and stories, which in return enable them to engage others” (Hudson 2008: 430).

It is argued, that purpose-made publications are a result of post-industrialism, as consumers have greater affluence, a wider choice and are in general considered to be more demanding (Middleton & Clarke 2001: 107). Thinking back to Plog’s traveller classifications, it becomes apparent that most people could be classified as midcentrics, as they are expressing their individuality and move away from mass-tourism (Middleton & Clarke 2001: 119).

Literature exists across societies, and has helped shape the way we visualise the world, ourselves and each other. However, this also depends on the skill of the writer, whether he can portray his own personality and lifestyle into the article, and encourage his readers to explore (Robinson & Andersen 2003: 4). In their 2003 book “Literature and Tourism”, Robinson and Andersen concentrate solely on armchair travel, and travel narratives published in book form. They completely ignore the aspect of travel magazines. It should be considered, that readers might be more likely to pay a small price every month for something new, instead of spending more money on a single book.

Literature in any form is concerned with the representation of a place. The place needs to be put into context, so the readers can make sense of it (Barke 2003, in Robinson & Andersen 2003: 83). “Much literature does, of course, provide the reader with important signposts in order to assist the process of imagining, but there never can be an exact, one-to-one correspondence between the objective ‘reality’ of a place, how that ‘reality’ was experienced by the author, and how it then conveyed to the reader” (Barke 2003, in Robinson & Andersen 2003: 84).

Barke also argues that the travel writer becomes a tourist himself, but his immersion in another culture and place takes on a special meaning. By writing about a place, readers will associate the place and culture with what the travel writer has recorded. However, this can be of disadvantage, if the writer portrays the place negatively, and in effect, a destination and its tourism industry can be deeply affected, of not ruined, by this (Robinson & Anderson 2003: 97).

What places are covered in a travel publication is determined by the geographic location of the consumers. Whether it is easy to get to a destination once they have read about it will influence not only their tourist behaviour, but also their buying behaviour. If a magazine only caters for places that cannot be reached, it will lose its markets (Holloway 2006: 72).

TRAVEL WRITING AND TRAVEL MAGAZINES

In order to analyse travel publications and their markets, what is meant by “travel magazine” needs to be defined for the purpose of this dissertation. A closer look must also be taken at the variety of travel writing in present day society. In this dissertation, only travel-related publications available in the United Kingdom will be considered.

3.1

DEFINITION OF “TRAVEL MAGAZINE”

According to the Oxford Dictionary (2005), the word “magazine” is defined as: “A type of large thin book with a paper cover, that you can buy every week or month, containing articles, photographs, etc., often on a particular topic.”

The same dictionary defines “travel” as “going from one place to another, especially over long distance” (Oxford Dictionary 2005).

Travel magazines will include topic-related news, as well as advice pages. The middle of the magazine is usually made up of several features about places, people or activities.

3.2

WHAT FORMS OF TRAVEL WRITING EXIST?

Travel narratives are always popular reading material. This can be founded in human curiosity, as well as the desire to compare the exotic to the familiar and find explanations (Blanton 2002: 2). Often, travel features are about some sort of selfdiscovery the writer went through, and in many cases, the route to this discovery is through travel itself (Blanton 2002: 59).

Due to centuries of travel writing, certain associations have been attached to places and regions around the globe. Wheeler however suggests, to finally treat travel narratives as what they are, “culturally-biased texts instead of documents of pure fact” (2002: 106 & 111). It is the writer’s requirement to make the reader interested, and to encourage him to seek out the same experience. But it is then the reader’s responsibility to interpret the

experience for himself, in his context, and not to take everything that has been written at face value.

What is colloquially known as “armchair travel” usually refers to travel narratives in book form. Most often, these books are auto-biographical, and cover an experience the author has had, or a journey he has undertaken. Many of these experience reports contain humourous elements, but travel narratives can also be thought-provoking or even melancholic. The advantage of these travel narratives is that the author can go into more detail and write about more than one anecdote.

Guidebooks are another form of travel writing. Very factual and not anecdotal, these books tell people precisely what there is to do in any given place. While narratives can be inspirational, guidebooks are companions while travellers are on the road and contain some history, cultural facts and maps, as well as addresses and prices for hotels and restaurants, so that the traveller can plan his journey.

The type of travel writing most people will be most familiar with comes in the form of travel supplements in weekend newspapers. Just like Business or Sport, Travel is another section of the newspaper and in the UK at least is featured in Saturday and Sunday national papers, mainly The Guardian and its Sunday-equivalent The Observer, The Independent, The Daily Telegraph, The Times and the Sunday Times. Some tabloids as well as some regional titles contain travel pages as well, although they do not enjoy the same prestige as the national press supplements.

These supplements make up a few pages in the papers containing travel news, some features around a certain topic, and lots of holiday advertisements. Some papers even include their own, small travel magazine, which can be kept for future reference and contains news and features as well.

Travel agent and holiday brochures also include a rudimentary form of travel writing. Although highly objective and promotional, hotels, cities, regions and sometimes even countries rely on this form of writing to attract visitors.

Over the last few years, the art of blogging and hosting websites about one’s own travel experiences has increased drastically. Although technically classified as a form of citizen journalism, writing about your own travel experiences is also a form of travel writing. With this form, however, one has to be careful, as it is unedited, the facts are not checked and these travel accounts are highly subjective.

This dissertation will focus on travel magazines, however. These magazines can have specific activities as themes, e.g. sailing, or they can be for audiences preferring a certain type of travel e.g. backpacking or cruise ships. The writing within these magazines is largely feature-based and articles can range from first-hand accounts to top ten lists of places to see, with a few news stories and advertorial content mixed in as well.

Across the range of travel writing, there is hardly an activity or place today that has not been covered in some form yet. Holland and Huggan argue that there is a greater degree of mobility in the world, and that previously hard-to-reach destinations are now coming into reach for more and more travellers. Therefore, travel writing has seen an increase as well (2003: 2).

3.3

TRAVEL JOURNALISM TODAY

For a long time, travel journalism has not been considered a valid form of journalism because it does not seem to employ journalistic values such as “objectivity, editorial independence and public relevance.” Many travel features read therefore like they have been written for a book, instead of a journalistic outlet such as a magazine. Throughout travel journalism, subjective accounts can be found, and they are encouraged by the editors (Fürsich 2002: 61).

To call travel writers “tourists with typewriters” would downgrade the entire genre. Rather, present day traveller writers face the task of re-exploring regions of the world that have been discovered previously, but which remained unfamiliar until now. They also aim to revive familiar places by taking a fresh look at them (Holland & Huggan 2003: 3). Major cities have been written about in abundance, and coming up with a new angle on Paris or New York is a challenge for travel journalists. The same can be said © Cornelia Kaufmann – Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Travel Journalism Dissertation – 05/2010

about activities. Whereas overland trips and holiday cruises have been featured in many articles across the range of travel journalism, new activities, such as Couchsurfing gain popularity and offer the writers some more freedom in their approach to the story.

Especially in urban areas, travel publications have spread. Instead of exhausting the subject of travel, new ways are invented to keep it lively. But this also means that the distinction between traveller and tourist becomes more and more blurred over time. The question arises whether travel writers still aim to find new and exciting things to do, or whether they just follow the beaten track and repeat other people’s experiences (Holland & Huggan 2003: 206).

The role of travel journalists is to convey the “Other,” which means they have to explore the foreign – be it cultures or places – and relate it to the familiar. (Fürsich & Kavoori 2001: 163). However, the “other” for the writer is not necessarily the “other” for the reader, as this depends highly on social and cultural background.

3.4

CHAPTER SUMMARY

It can be said that travel writing mainly comes in the form of subjective, continuous narratives. The publication style (e.g. book, magazine, newspaper travel section) does not influence the writing style very much. Although the narrative has to be edited down to length for newspapers and magazines, the writing itself will still be feature-style and subjective.

Travel journalists today have to re-discover old places and find new, interesting and unusual angles to keep their readership. But the readers also have to understand, that every travelogue they read will be a biased text, as the writer is heavily influenced by his own background, and relates as well as compares it to what he has seen and experienced on the journey.

MARKET SEGMENTATION

Field defines market segmentation as such: “Segmentation is the division of a market into distinct subsets of consumers who require specific products or services and marketing actions” (Field 1999: 375). Bieger & Laesser add that “segmentation criteria can include purpose of travel, buyer needs, price, and user demographic, economic, geographic or psychographic characteristics” (Middleton 1994; Bieger 1998 as quoted by Bieger & Laesser 2002: 68).

As no two individuals are the same, the travel market has to be segmented in order to target the desired readership. As Chisnall (1985: 264) is quoted in Middleton & Clarke (2001: 105): “Market segmentation recognises that people differ in their tastes, needs, attitudes, lifestyles, family size and composition etc. […] It is a deliberate policy of maximizing market demand by directing marketing efforts at significant sub-groups of customers or consumers.”

It is therefore assumed that a publication is at its most successful, once the target audience has been defined and catered for. Even within these market segments, smaller sub-groups can exist, and it is important to know what the publication caters for. While a specialist magazine only attracts readers with this special interest, e.g. cruise holidays, a publication with a broader target audience might not attract as many readers, as it is not specific enough and potential consumers are only attracted by one specific feature (Chisnall 1985: 264, as quoted in Middleton & Clarke 2001: 105).

4.1

EXISTING TRAVEL MARKETS

Traditionally, UK markets are segmented by social class and by employment of the head of the household. This socio-economic segmentation was introduced shortly after the Second World War. A

Higher managerial, administrative or professional

Middle managerial, administrative or professional

Supervisory or clerical, junior managerial

Skilled manual workers

Semi- and unskilled manual workers

Those at lowest levels of subsistence

Figure 4.1 Social classification by employment, previous version (until 2001) (Holloway 2006: 72, Figure 4.6)

However, since 2001, a new version of social classification is in place. This system takes into account the percentage of the population employed in the listed occupations.

Higher managerial, large employers and professional (e.g. doctors, clergy) – 8% Lower managerial and professional

Figure 4.2 Social classification by employment, New version (since 2001) (Holloway 2006: 73, Table 4.1)

(e.g. writers, artists) – 19 % Intermediate managerial and professional (e.g. medical, legal secretaries) – 9% Small employers and own account workers (e.g. hotel, restaurant managers) – 7% Lower supervisory and technical (e.g. plumbers, mechanics) – 7% Semi-routine occupations (e.g. sales assistants, chefs) – 12% Routine occupations (e.g. waiters, couriers) – 9%

Within market segmentation, Holloway (2006: 73) points out that not all consumer groups are accounted for. While researchers and analysers focus on occupation and education, as well as social-class, they leave around 29% of the market, made up of students, and unemployed people unaccounted for. “It perpetuates the belief that behaviour can be ascribed largely to occupation, which, given the changes taking place in twenty-first century society, can be a misleading fallacy.” There are more and more travel magazines available today, that do cater for young and on-a-budget travellers. Instead of focusing on social standing, emphasis should be placed on why customers travel, and why they frequent certain publications (Chisnall 1985: 264 as quoted in Middleton & Clarke 2001: 111).

The market a publication is aimed at is important, and it has to be considered whether this market already exists or needs to be developed. It is easier to maintain an existing market, but the quality has to stay at a high standard for buyers to pick up the magazine in the shops on a regular basis (Hudson 2008: 165).

An established brand name, such as the Sunday Times or Lonely Planet can help introducing readers to a new publication. The newspaper and guide book publisher respectively, have both launched magazines that carry their brand names, and readers will expect a certain familiarity in style between the main product and the new one. If

the reader is satisfied with the experience the publication delivers, then it is likely that he will purchase the same publication again, developing brand loyalty instead of buying the magazine just for an interesting sounding feature.

4.2

CONSUMER INFLUENCES

It is easier to segment a market according to its use of the product, than it is to segment it by education. Buyers are influenced by their peer group, as well as their reference group – the group they want to belong to. Purchasing behaviour can be verified easily by researchers (Holloway 2006: 74). Therefore it can be assumed that consumers which have values in common might also have similar purchasing behaviours.

As the new social classification shows, it is not as easy anymore to segment a market according to social standing. Waiters might well be educated at degree-level and interested in cruises, while doctors might want to go backpacking to get away from it all for a while. The fact, that the segment of students is completely ignored in the classification, does not mean that there is no product out there especially designed for them. On the contrary, it seems that there are now magazines especially aimed at an audience aged 18 to 30, and this dissertation aims to verify this. Consumers like to express their individuality, and do not see themselves as members of a massive market. Therefore, segmentation of the market is crucial, both to consumers and suppliers.

The dynamics of travel have changed over recent decades. It is no longer just affluent Westerners visiting far-away countries. As the market opens up, so do travel opportunities all over the world, and people travel for business as well as leisure. There is more contact between different cultures, and people are more interested in travel related journalism, for advice as well as entertainment (Fürsich & Kavoori 2001: 153). Fürsich & Kavoori argue, that travel journalism is influenced by the way advertisements are placed in magazines and that the travel industry could exploit the genre. The location of the advert, as well as the product it offers, should not contradict the article it appears next to. Advertising should also be appropriate for the readership of the publication. “Travel journalism needs to be closely evaluated for its tacit allegiance to both advertising and the travel industry” (Fürsich & Kavoori 2001: 154).

Field’s survey findings have to be considered by travel publications aiming at the student and graduate market. Domestic readers might be more interested in going abroad, than seeing local sights. This has to be considered when defining a target audience and editorial style.

Bieger & Laesser’s study of market segmentation by motivation revealed that “the sociodemographic situation of individual travellers seems to be the least relevant.” They found, however, that anticipation of a trip or destination determines travel behaviour (Bieger & Laesser 2002: 75). Therefore, travel publications can influence travel behaviour as well, if they manage to conjure up the right images and words to get their readership thinking about going on a trip there themselves.

Zeithaml, Berry and Parasuraman (1993: 1 – 12, as quoted in Baron et al 2009: 172) came up with four key factors that might influence a customer’s expectations. These are “word-of-mouth communication, personal needs and preferences, past experiences [as well as] external communication – e.g. ads.” All these factors have to be catered for, in order to create a successful product. Not every consumer will react to all these factors, but each factor is crucial in its own right to get the reader’s attention.

With travel magazines, it can be said that more and more magazines have a specific focus, whether it’s luxury holidays, cruises, city breaks or overland tours, accounting for more and more niches in the tourism market. It seems their main concern is to attract readers interested in this sort of travel behaviour, rather than a specific social class. In many cases, destinations are covered for several budgets, and give alternative sleeping and dining information for those looking for more or less luxury than the writer himself. This seems to have its origin in guide books, which also offer this sort of information for several budgets, knowing that not all readers might be able to afford the priciest options.

What can be said for sure is that the UK market for travel publications is definitely fragmenting. “Titles proliferate as the publishers chase smaller bands of readers who share a common interest” (McKay 2001: 205).

4.3

CHAPTER SUMMARY

Markets can no longer be solely identified by social class. Motivation and opportunity, anticipation and interest figure into the decision-making process. Readers are likely to choose their travel publication according to the holiday they seek.

When a publication manages to conjure up the right images of the holiday the reader dreams of, it is likely to be picked up. Although the age of the audience can determine the tone of the magazine, so can reference and peer groups. It is assumed that publications are now more targeted at people with the same values, rather than those coming from the same social background.

Some magazines have adjusted to this by giving guide book – like information for various budgets for accommodation and restaurants tested, knowing that their audience comes from all sorts of income groups.

MAGAZINE STYLE

Every publication has its own, distinctive style that aims to attract the reader and cater for his needs. A magazine’s house style is its signature, and used to identify the brand. If done right, the style should reflect the audience it is aimed at.

For this, the overall content of the publication has to be considered, along with consumer interaction, use or lack of colour and pictures and overall writing style. The amount of advertising and the high or low profile of the advertisements (e.g. expensive luxury resorts or campervan hire) also figures into the identity of the publication, and does give a good indication of who it sees itself aimed at.

This chapter will look at what has to be considered in every successful magazine, to have references for case studies later in this dissertation.

5.1

GENERAL CONTENT

To create editorial content that is genuine and targeted, the editor must know the specific target audience. This can even go so far as to have a single reader identified. The best editors have this reader in mind when designing the magazine, and the specifics about the reader include age, occupation and education, family composition and hobbies (Morrish 1996: 26).

While the content of the magazine is of importance to the reader, it also forms the basis of a trust between readers and editors. The readers trust that the editor will leave out material that are not of interest to them. Next to this, the overall design of the magazine, as well as the cover, is important. The cover determines whether a reader will pick the magazine off the shelf and buy it – photos and promotions of the main features inside the publication help in this process. But also the photographs used, the colour scheme of the magazine and details like the size and readability of the fonts used determine whether the magazine is a success or not (Morrish 1996: 43). As Morrish points out (1996: 106):

“One obvious distinction between a high-quality publication and a lesser one is consistency. […] Most offices have a style book […] to supplement some agreed work of reference.”

Many magazines have regular columns and pages that appear in every issue. This reassures the reader, and also holds the layout together. Often, these “regular features” are advice pages and readers’ letters, and can be prepared in advance. Although they might appear to be boring, and not as glossy as the rest of the magazine, they are valued by readers and extremely important to the publication’s appeal (Morrish 1996: 134). Consumer interaction becomes more and more important, which is why all magazines encourage readers to write letters to the editor, or take part in competitions. According to Baron et al (2009: 100), “consumers need to be given the opportunity to engage in the service.” Many publications now include feedback questionnaires and articles written by readers to tailor the publication exactly to their readership’s needs.

Most magazines have a very specialist subject-matter, and therefore readers who have an interest in that specialty will seek them out and buy them (Wheeler 2009: 9). Some features do not need to be topical, and are not timed-in with world events or trends. These stories might be advice pieces, or previews, but what they need is a “peg”, something to hang the story on, for it to work and be of interest to the reader (Wheeler 2009: 21).

Often several travel magazines publish similar stories around the same time. That is because even though they might have been written for a specific target audience, other writers will find a spin or angle to the story, that makes it interesting for their own readers (Wheeler 2009: 47). Also, major travel-related events of the year like festivals or exhibitions are written about by nearly every magazine. As these stories are on-diary 1 , the magazines have time to prepare the story according to their readership. But to appear topical, the publication date is usually the closest possible to the event, and so it can appear as if all magazines write about the same story.

Baron et al point out one of the most fundamental needs for travel writers and editors: “What made the experience so memorable was that it touched the emotions and feelings of the participants” (Baron et al 2009: 101). Readers need to get a feel for the 1

Dates are known well in advance and can therefore be in the diary or calendar

place through the writer’s words alone, they need to get the feeling they were there, experiencing it with the writer. Real stories make the best stories, which is why editors love well-written, authentic features and the reason why features usually dominate the publication’s written content. The more features there are, the better the chances of the reader identifying with at least one of the writers.

5.2

WRITING AND JOURNALISTIC PRACTICE

According to Wheeler (2009: 2), the most effective travel writing in magazines comes in the form of long narratives or features. Ideally, the reader should be transported to the place described, even though he might never visit there. The reader’s imagination should be engaged, and the writer therefore should be able to savour the atmosphere of occasions and places. Conveyance of the place is crucial to the story’s success.

Pico Iyer (2005 as quoted in George & Hindle 2005: 16) suggests that writers should treat their readers like friends they share a passion with, when telling their stories. But they have to keep in mind that they need to win this friend over every single time with their enthusiasm and specificity. Harriet O’Brien argues that a good travel feature is just a very good feature about travel. The same rules of feature-writing apply, no matter what the topic of the story is (O’Brien 2005 as quoted in George & Hindle 2005: 33). “Whether your reader is an active or an armchair traveller, whether he’s planning a similar trip or reminiscing about one he’s taken or simply enjoying a vicarious view of the world, it’s up to you, the writer, to give him the kind of story he wants” (Zobel & Butler 2007: 8).

The writer’s personality is key in targeting his audience. The kind of journey he undertakes will determine the story he writes, bearing in mind that a considerable amount of his readers will be interested in taking the same kind of holiday, whether it’s backpacking or a package tour (Campbell 1995: 4). Just repeating the facts in the story is not enough to keep the reader happy and is rather expected of a guide book than a travel magazine. As travel author Bill Bryson (1995, quoted in Campbell 1995: 7 – 8) points out: “There is an assumption (…) that just because [someone] went there and they had a good or an interesting time, that there is something intrinsically interesting about their

trip, and that isn’t so at all. You are obliged to make your journey interesting enough that it will seize the reader’s attention and keep it engaged.

All content has to be readable, in the publication’s style and it has to make sense to the readers, no matter whether an experienced professional wrote the story, or a first-time freelancer (Hicks & Holmes 2008: 51). Good language skills and a good grasp of grammar and punctuation are essential for writers and make the sub-editor’s and proof reader’s job easier.

The language and use of colloquialisms has to be adjusted by the writers, depending on the publication and readership they are writing for (McKay 2001: 58). And whatever the story, readers have an interest in people. Bringing in a personal angle, or writing about fascinating people the writers have encountered on their travels will provide a better feature than a straight-forward, fact-checking piece (McKay 2001: 65). This is because we as human beings are curious and we want to know how others live. Festivals that may have a long tradition for them might be alien to us, and readers are interested in who is participating and for what reason. Also, by experiencing the encounters in the stories, the far away destination comes closer to home and suddenly has a face that the reader can identify it with. It is no longer just a place somewhere on a map; it suddenly has a whole character.

Hicks & Holmes (2008: 12) point out, that the reader himself might be quite knowledgeable about the subject of the publication, and this should not be underestimated. If the reader feels patronised, he will eventually stop buying the magazine and find one that suits him better. This means that although every story has to be 100 per cent accurate, specialist terms do not always need to be explained.

Something many features have in common are bold introduction paragraphs, or drop intros 2 . A good opening is essential, but many features include a standfirst, written by the sub-editor, to explain what the story is about, so that the writer can be creative with the story (Morrish 1996: 119). Unlike on news stories, feature headlines do not have to be explicit. “They can use word play, allusion, comment, whimsy, emotion instead of straight information” (Hicks & Holmes 2008: 77).

Drop intros allow writers to start the story with an anecdote, instead of covering all the important facts first, as they would in a news story

Travel features are often brought to life by the author’s voice throughout the article. While some might seem breathless from a trek, others might appear to have been written over a glass of wine. As newspapers often have celebrity guest columnists, so do travel magazines. In those cases, the writer is of paramount interest, not necessarily where he has been or what he has done. In most cases, it just seems to be free advertising and a free trip for the writer. Moss (2008: 36) argues that the readers are the ones losing out on good copy that a talented travel journalist could have provided. There is also the notion that “some objectivity, lots of honesty [and] all kinds of knowledge” are lost, as the piece will be mostly about the celebrity, and less about the place, culture and people he encountered 3 .

Reporting should be objective, but still “coloured by the personal” (Holland & Huggan 1998: 12 as quoted in Robinson & Andersen 2003: 10). According to Robinson (2003: 45), even the most undesirable place can be enlivened by various techniques. Whether it is puzzle-solving, accidents, description of incidents, a mystery, drama or surprise, they will still conjure up the “inspirational feelings of spontaneity, release and escape.” George & Hindle (2005: 48) suggest a simple trick to focus the story and find an angle: “When you meet people and they say: ‘So, how was France?’ what’s the first story that comes to mind?” Usually, the first thing that comes to mind is the most memorable, so a story can be developed from there. Traveller editor Jonathan Lorie agrees, but says that sometimes “bad trips make the best articles” (Lorie 2005 as quoted in George & Hindle 205: 167).

When writing about a destination, the story should be attractive, and yet contain all the useful facts and information needed (O’Neil 2006: 16). Editors are not looking for a chronological account of the writer’s holiday. They are looking for lively written features, and the writer’s enthusiasm for the subject (O’Neil 2006: 58 – 59). As with accompanying photographs, a story goes from wide angle to detail in description. It should also cover the key elements of a traditional news story: the where, when, who, why, how and what. (O’Neil 2006: 114 – 116). Travel stories have to attract readers who have been there before, as well as those who have not. The feature should contain something new or unusual, in order to keep the reader’s attention fixed.

Many celebrities also use ghost writers to write their work for them, so the account is even less authentic

“People read travel stories for many reasons: to explore ideas for vacations, to travel vicariously, to confirm their own experiences, to learn about the world” (O’Neil 2006: 182)

5.3

USE OF COLOURS AND PICTURES

Many publications use a mixture of well-known images and new or unusual perspectives. This can have to do with the nature of the article itself, or the aspect it is covering. New perspectives invite the readers – or tourists – to seek out these new places. However, Urry fails to mention that the “gaze” does not necessarily have to do with photographs alone. The surrounding story also factors into a reader’s decision to go to a place, try a new thing – or not. While focusing on photography, Urry completely ignores travel publications, which build their articles around “tourist gazes”.

Photography plays a major role in what we perceive as gaze-worthy. The photos show us an “ideal” view, which we then try to find ourselves (Urry 1996: 86). These photographs help us form ideas about what a place will look like, what it is like there and what there could be to experience. Pictures are also used as proof, that a place really is as it was described. As Sontag (1979: 109) is quoted in Urry (1996: 139): “Photography seems to be a means of transcribing reality. The images produced appear to be not statements of the world but pieces of it, or even miniature slices of reality. A photograph thus seems to furnish evidence that something did indeed happen – that someone really was there and that the mountain actually was that large. It is thought that the camera does not lie.”

However, the photographer can choose what to depict, and therefore guide the “gaze” accordingly. It is sought, that the object is portrayed in the best possible way (Sontag 1979: 109 as quoted in Urry 1996: 139). Urry also notes, that as more and more tourists take souvenir photographs, they not only take the picture, but they are being photographed themselves, and might end up in other tourists’ souvenir photographs as well (Urry 1996: 138). Barthes (1981: 34) and Sontag (1979: 111) note on this, that photographers also become “amateur semioticians”, as they have learned that a thatched cottage, for example, represents “ye olde England”, and “a person with a camera draped around his/her neck is clearly a ‘tourist’” (as quoted in Urry 1996: 139).

When producing a travel magazine, the choice of words, pictures and symbols used to “capture the message” is essential to engage and capture the target audience’s attention (Middleton & Clarke 2001: 243). According to the target audience, the over-all colour scheme should be carefully selected. A younger audience might like bright, vibrant colours not just in photos but also in headlines or colour-boxes on the pages. Flipping through various magazines aimed at an older audience, one sees that colours are only used to stand out, and that the magazine’s over-all colour palette is consistent, with not too much of variation.

5.4

DESIGN AND LAYOUT

A pure block of text is hard on the eyes for the reader, and hard to follow as well. Every page has multiple “entry points”, at which a reader can start getting into the story. This might be a headline, a caption, a picture or a pull quote. Generally, we read from the top left to the bottom right of a page, so entry points have to be carefully placed so the reader does not get confused (Frost 2008: 59). This way, more than one thing on the page is likely to catch the reader’s eye and draw him in. Strong pictures, as well as colours and bold text stand out and give the reader an immediate clue what the story will be about.

When there is just one piece of text on a page, such as a feature, the photo “must dominate the page” (Frost 2008: 66). And while multiple pictures per page can work well, they should vary in size and shape in order to make the page appear more active (Frost 2008: 72). “An unusual shape can add drama and interest to a page” (Frost 2008: 119).

When laying out a page, page size has to be taken into consideration. Bigger pages mean that bigger pictures can be used, while A5 size magazines can easily be carried in handbags (Holmes 2001 in McKay 2001: 165). Monthly magazines are designed to be just that: monthly magazines. They are meant to be kept, and read over a few sessions, instead of all at once (Frost 2008: 15). Design-wise, two things have to be kept in mind: the page should be readable, and the page should not look too crowded. Therefore, a careful eye has to be kept on column width, and the amount of columns

used per page (Frost 2008: 17). Another trick used in the industry to make the page look fresh and well balanced, is the use of white space.

White space is exactly what it sounds like – the space left blank on a page. This can be achieved through runarounds and white frames on pictures, setting them further away from the text. Also, the amount of leading used on the text – the white space between two lines of text – can be adjusted. Obviously, leaving more space between two columns also contributes to the over-all effect. Many magazines regularly start stories one-third into the page, to create white space at the top of the page, and maybe use a stronger colour for the headline to really set it off against the white. When considering which design would suit which readership, one has to bear in mind, that good design isn’t automatically good design for someone else (McLean 1969: 3 as quoted by Holmes 2001 in McKay 2001: 159). The design, especially that on the cover, can influence the reader. It tells the reader exactly what the publication is about, who it caters for and what writing and editorial style should be expected, just by glancing at it (Swann 1991: 133 as quoted by Holmes 2001 in McKay 2001: 162). The cover should contain at least one picture, the name of the publication and information about the main stories in the particular issue.

5.5

ADVERTISING

In many cases, editors and the advertising department strive to get appropriate ads placed next to an article or feature. It is the writer’s responsibility to maintain journalistic practice, and not fall into the advertising trap (Daye 2006 in Crouch et al 2006: 14). Because travel features are often written in the first person, the writer gains the right to interpret the place and event from his own perspective (Daye 2006 in Crouch et al 2006: 14). In theory, this means that the writer is free to say whatever he likes about the place, but in actual practice it might lead to the advertising being withdrawn if it happens too often.

The amount of advertisements can also have an impact on the publication’s retail price. Magazines that can be picked up for free, at a hostel, for example, generate all their revenue through advertising or sponsors. This is why many free papers and magazines have so much space devoted to advertisements.

However, the types of advertisements placed in a publication are an immediate clue as to what target audience the magazine strives to attract. A magazine that includes ads for expensive cars or jewellery is not very likely to cater for backpackers, whereas a magazine that has ads for YHAs and cheap van hire might not necessarily cater for those seeking a five star holiday.

5.6

CHAPTER SUMMARY

When designing a magazine, colour and photographs are crucial. The best stories could be inside the publication, but of the cover design and the over-all look of the magazine do not attract readers, the words are wasted.

Most travel articles come in the style of features, and there are many ways of attracting a reader’s attention to the story. This can be done by clever design tricks, such as use of bold text, white space, pull quotes, standfirsts and pictures.

A publication’s colour scheme is usually set up with the target audience in mind, which means bright and energetic colours for younger audiences, and generally more subdue colours and slightly less variation for magazines aimed at older markets.

The advertising can also tell a lot about a publication’s perceived target audience. Advertisements for expensive holidays or items are more likely to be found in a magazine for travellers interested in luxury and style, than in a magazine that can be picked up for free at a hostel. The advertising should not be underestimated when it comes to defining a target audience, and can give even more clues about the social standing of the readers than the style and content of the magazine itself.

COMPARISON AND ANALYSIS OF TRAVEL MAGAZINES

For the purpose of this dissertation, one issue of four travel magazines that are on sale in the United Kingdom will be analysed and compared, in sense of content, style and readership.

Wanderlust is an A4-sized 128-page, full-colour, glossy magazine, based in Windsor, Berkshire, UK and owned by Wanderlust Publications. The issue used for this case study was Issue 109, published in February 2010. Wanderlust has eight issues per year. The magazine’s retail price is £3.99.

Lonely Planet Magazine comes in a paper format slightly shorter but wider than A4. The magazine has 138-pages, and is full-colour, with glossy cover and matt inside pages. It is owned by BBC Worldwide and Lonely Planet and based in London, UK. It has 12 annual issues, and costs £3.50. The issue used for this case study was Issue 15, March 2010.

Sunday Times Travel is a 170-page strong magazine, with a paper format marginally bigger and wider than A4. The magazine is printed in full-colour on matt paper with a glossy cover and comes out in 12 annual issues with a retail price of £3.60. Sunday Times Travel is owned by Times Newspapers Limited and based in London, UK. The issue analysed is Issue 75, April 2010.

National Geographic Traveler is an American publication with a paper size smaller and narrower than A4. It is printed on 86 pages in full-colour on matt paper, with a glossy cover and is published eight times a year. The magazine is owned by the National Geographic Society and based in Washington D.C., USA. The issue discussed in this case study is Vol. 27, No. 1, January/February 2010, with a retail price of US$ 4.99 and £4.99 in the United Kingdom.

6.1

COVER DESIGN

The cover is the magazine’s most important selling tool, and the first thing that tells the reader a little bit about the publication itself, as well as the content of the particular issue. © Cornelia Kaufmann – Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Travel Journalism Dissertation – 05/2010

Picture 6.1 Cover of Wanderlust magazine, issue 109, February 2010

Picture 6.3 Cover of Sunday Times Travel, Issue 75, April 2010

Picture 6.2 Cover of Lonely Planet Magazine, issue 15, March 2010

Picture 6.4 Cover of National Geographic Traveler, Vol. 27, No. 1, January / February 2010

The cover in all four cases is a full-page, brightly-coloured picture, which could stand by itself. The picture relates to the main story in the magazine, and the colours of the masthead 4 as well as the splashes 5 are chosen to either pick up or complement the dominant colours of the picture. As mentioned in 5.4 Design and Layout, the cover design should tell the reader what the publication is about, who it is for and what content should be expected (Swann 1991: 133).

In the case of Wanderlust, the cover shows the red walls of a temple, with a young monk dressed in orange sitting in a niche, reading (see Picture 6.1). The masthead picks up the orange of the monk’s robes, while the splashes are either orange or white to create contrast. These are the main stories in the issue, and the font size shows how important they are. At the bottom of the cover is a two-line splash advertising competitions as well as destinations covered in the magazine. Wanderlust’s strapline is “Passion for travel”, indicating that the magazine is aimed at those who enjoy travelling. Also, the title “Wanderlust” itself, gives an idea of outdoor pursuits and backpacking.

4 5

Masthead – a publication’s title on the cover On the cover, splashes are the little headings advertising the stories inside

Lonely Planet Magazine’s cover is the only one that does not have a strapline to say what the magazine is about. Instead, the Lonely Planet guidebook logo is used, which is easily recognisable. Their picture of the Twelve Apostles in Australia ties in with the main story of planning a road trip along the Great Ocean Road (compare Picture 6.2).

Lonely Planet Magazine has been voted Travel Magazine of the Year, which they announce in a bright orange colour patch at the top of the cover. The same orange background colour is then used in the splash headlines. Lonely Planet Magazine is also the only magazine to include a caption on the cover.

The cover of the Sunday Times Travel magazine shows a beach with turquoise water and white sand, and a single person walking along it. Although the main splash is for the “Value for Money Awards 2010”, the cover photo ties in with the second largest splash “Indian Ocean – The total guide” (compare Picture 6.3). All the splash headlines are in pink, while the description is either white or black. The masthead is white, “The Sunday Times” is written in the style of the mother newspaper, while the word “travel” spans the width of the page and is written in a sans-serif, lowercase font.

Sunday Times Travel’s strapline is “Be informed. Be inspired. Be there” and can be found underneath the masthead in a small font size, but in uppercase. A small pink ribbon in the top right corner of the cover announces that Sunday Times Travel has a new look, and the same pink is picked up again in a colour patch at the bottom of the page which displays featured destinations.

National Geographic Traveler’s cover is the only one that has a frame around the picture. This yellow frame is also the logo for the National Geographic Society, which immediately tells the reader that the society and the magazine are related. The cover photo is of a jungle hut with a clear blue sky above. The magazine’s strapline “All Travel, All the Time” is set in light blue, and barely readable against the picture (compare Picture 6.4). The masthead consists of the logo of the society, while the word “Traveler” is set in uppercase and centred at the top of the page in light green. The green picks up the jungle theme of the picture. The picture is also linked to the main cover story “Into the Sun – 12 off-the-radar places to get away” as the jungle hut suggests seclusion.

The splashes are in light green, light blue and white, contrasting the picture. While two stories are advertised in uppercase letters, the other six stories are in upper- and lowercase. National Geographic Traveler is the only magazine to include page numbers for the stories on its front cover, making it easier for the reader to find the article.

Wanderlust is the only magazine to use a bold and attention-grabbing colour on their cover. While all the cover shots are well-composed and have contrast in them, Wanderlust’s cover is the most noticeable.

6.2

FEATURE TYPES

Every issue of Wanderlust contains features in a variety of formats, which were given section names so that readers can find them more easily. These sections are: “Travel Blueprint”, “Frontier”, “Wildlife”, “Culture”, “Active”, “Travel Icon”, “Short-haul”, “Issues” and “City”.

The “Blueprint” section deals with a region and contains short trips descriptions and suggestions or places worth visiting along the way.

For the “Frontier” section of Wanderlust, the writer travelled to Peru to explore the remote Chachapoyas region and pre-Incan ruins. A feature on Wild Cities – urban hubs with wildlife close by – makes up the “Wildlife” section. Ten such cities are described in short articles.

The “Culture” feature in Wanderlust, explores Thailand on an old railway line off the tourist path. This is the title story and takes up nine pages at the centre of the magazine. A feature on climbing Iran’s Mount Damavand is the “Active” part of the magazine. The article gives insight into the difficulty of climbing Mount Damavand, and the best route to the summit.

The “Travel Icon” feature is very straight-forward. An icon or event – in this issue it is Japan’s cherry blossom season – is discussed from a personal angle. But next to this account, several boxes with specific topics explain the icon in more detail.

As Wanderlust is based in the United Kingdom, the “Short-haul” section contains a destination easily reached from the British Isles. Cities and outdoor trips are highlighted and recommended, although this feature is considerably shorter than others. The “Issues” section looks at one big issue that causes concerns in the travelling community, while “City and Beyond” is a guidebook-style section, spread over a double page. Attractions, restaurants, hotels as well as worth-while excursions are recommended with short descriptions.

Lonely Planet Magazine has fewer sections than Wanderlust, but publishes five long articles – all of which would have their own section in Wanderlust – in the “Features” section. Other sections include “Easy Trips”, “Writing Home” and “Insider”.

The “Easy Trips” section looks at ten European destinations that are easy to reach from the United Kingdom and should be visited for festivals or other events. “Writing Home” includes three short pieces written by two well known travellers, as well as one of Lonely Planet’s correspondents. The travellers writing for the analysed issue are Dan Cruickshank and Lonely Planet guidebooks founder Tony Wheeler.

Dan Cruickshank’s feature looks at exploring the city of San Francisco in a day, and includes a bit of history as well, but the feature itself does not even take up a whole page. As much space is given to the words as to the accompanying pictures (compare Picture 6.5). Tony Wheeler focuses on various artists’ homes and studios that are open to the public. Just like Dan Cruickshank’s article, this story fills just one page of the magazine. The last article of the “Writing Home” series also takes up a single page and is about the kingdom of Tonga, highlighting changes in society. It is important to note that all three articles are placed on left-hand pages of the magazine. This will be discussed further in 6.8 Advertising.

The first long feature in Lonely Planet Magazine is also the main cover story, about planning the perfect trip along Australia’s Great Ocean Road. Spanning a total of 16 pages, the writer highlights six places worth seeing. Each destination has its own section in the feature. The last double page spread is a “Make it happen” summary, including suggestions for a variety of budgets, which resembles Wanderlust’s “Footnotes”.

Picture 6.5 BBC Four’s Dan Cruickshank writes for Lonely Planet Magazine (issue 15, page 32). Both the text, and the picture collage make up two columns each. Although Cruickshank is a famous traveller, his feature is one of the shortest in the magazine.

Lonely Planet Magazine’s other features also look at countries, from Greenland to Peru and Cambodia, all of which are accompanied by “Make it happen” pages. They vary in length between ten and 14 pages. The shortest is a small feature on wilderness in Great Britain, which forms the end of the “Features” section. Together, these five features make up the centre of the magazine.

Sunday Times Travel has distinct and colour-coded feature sections “The Total Guide” and “The Big Trip”. This issue’s “Total Guide” is to the Indian Ocean, and consists of three smaller pieces each giving personal accounts of the Maldives, Mauritius and the Seychelles, as well as providing information about where to stay and what to do. While the article on the Maldives focuses on in-active luxury holidays, the story about Mauritius is written by a resident who recommends some places off the tourist track and the Seychelles feature looks at the wildlife of the islands.

The three “Big Trip” features in Sunday Times Travel are the only ones that have long narrative text. The first article is a feature about Andalucía’s Moorish heritage and architecture and the article is accompanied by several brightly-coloured photographs. “Reality bites” is the title of the second feature, which deals with the Italian region of Liguria and its cuisine. The photo spread at the start of the feature might confuse the reader as it does resemble an advertisement – this will be discussed further in 6.7 Page

Layout. The third feature covers a drive down the East coast of the United States through six states and the American culture. Each feature is accompanied by a “Get me there” page at the end.

Although there are several smaller pieces in National Geographic Traveler, there are only two articles which have feature-length. Located towards the centre and back of the magazine, these two are also the only articles with photo-spreads.

Short pieces come in the categories “Smart Traveler”, “One on One”, “Real Travel”, “Hotel Central”, “City Life” and “The Long Weekend”. “Smart Traveler” contains one longer article about skiing and eco-tourism, as well as several advice and opinion pieces. “One on One” is a Question and Answer style interview 6 while “Real Travel” contains one story about being on the road. “Hotel Central” takes a look latest accommodation tips while “City Life” explores Santa Fe and Vancouver in its two articles. “The Long Weekend” takes a look at the best short trips in the world for culture and outdoor pursuits but focuses mainly on Northern America. The cover story “Into the Sun” sums up twelve warm and sunny destinations but the actual title is “Great Winter Escapes”, which can be confusing for the reader.

While Wanderlust has distinctive categories and styles for features, the other magazines seem to mix styles and feature themes more easily. As there does not seem to be a consistency of style within the sections of the other three publications, readers do not know what exactly to expect. As Morrish (1996: 43) is quoted in 5.1 General Content, readers will have to trust the editor to only publish content they will be interested in.

6.3

WRITING STYLE

The first thing that strikes Wanderlust readers is that the magazine is mostly written in the first-person, past tense which immediately sends the readers the signal that the writers have been there. Only the articles which offer more advice and information, such as “Blueprint” are written in the third person. Writing in first-person, the readers get the impression of being spoken to, and it does make the accounts feel more authentic as well. As Baron et al (2009: 101) are quoted in 5.1 General Content: “Readers need to 6

Printed in interview style with the question and answer, either to emphasise the importance of the interview or to break away from long narratives

get a feel for the place through the writer’s words alone.” Anecdotes also make it easy for the reader to follow the story as it unfolds, and the reader will get a sense of being there with the writer.

Lonely Planet Magazine’s articles alternate between being written in the first-person past tense, and third-person past tense. This depends on the feature’s angle – whether a personal experience is the main focus or cultural or even historical information is being conveyed. However, the magazine alternates from story to story, starting with “Writing Home” and continuing through all the features, which shows that it was done deliberately. It does make it interesting for the reader, and stops the magazine from sounding monotone. Even the articles written in the third-person include quotes from local people which give them a personal voice, so the reader might not even notice immediately that the writing style has changed.

All the features in Sunday Times Travel are written in the first-person, past tense, and yet, they differ greatly in their approaches to their subject matter. Unfortunately, the very first proper feature, about the Maldives, is a good example of what not to do. The article contains a chronological account of what the writer did while relaxing in a resort hotel. Although one snorkeling trip is mentioned, the reader learns more about the buffet at the particular hotel. Nothing specific is mentioned that would make the hotel stand out, which makes it boring for the readers. As mentioned in 5.2 Writing and journalistic practice, O’Neil (2006: 58 – 59) suggests that editors look for lively accounts and enthusiasm, instead of chronological accounts. Ed Grenby, the editor of Sunday Times Travel, did not keep this in mind when he wrote the article. Placing this particular article at the very front of the feature section does not encourage readers to read on, for fear the following articles might sound similar. As Bill Bryson (1995) points out in 5.2 Writing and journalistic practice, writers have to seize the readers’ attention and keep them engaged.

However, the following features about Mauritius and the Seychelles both have a personal approach. Mauritius is being looked at from a local’s point of view, with a touristic input from visiting friends. The main angle of the Seychelles story is the wildlife conservation there, mixed with anecdotes from the writer’s friend who lived there. The three features of “The Big Trip” are all written in the first-person, past tense and looking

at the culture and heritage of the places visited. They are personal accounts of what has been discovered, mixed with some historical background to help explain the current situation.

Both long features in National Geographic Traveler are written in the first-person and present tense which immediately gives the reader the idea of seeing the scene unfold. Using the present tense makes the story current and dynamic, and National Geographic Traveler is the only magazine to use this writing style. The “Real Travel” story is also written in the first-person, however, as it looks back on an experience and compares cultures, it is written in past tense.

All other articles in National Geographic Traveler are advice pieces, and therefore written in the third person. This creates some distance between the personal features and the impersonal informative articles. The magazine is also the only one using American spellings, as it is an US-based publication.

6.4

READER INTERACTION

Most magazines cater for their readership in various ways. Being able to send photos and letters in gives the reader a sense of helping shape their ideal publication and engage in the service (see Baron et al 2009: 100 in 5.1 General Content).

Wanderlust includes photographs and letter sent in by readers on the very first few pages of the magazine. Lonely Planet Magazine does include reader photos on double pages in the “Postcards” section at the start of the magazine and all the photos are very eye-catching (compare Picture 6.6), but the reader letters are hidden between advertisements. Unlike Lonely Planet Magazine, Wanderlust’s reader photos mostly depict the reader at iconic locations. Sunday Times Travel hides the reader section “Travel Club” at the back of the magazine. The pictures and short letters automatically enter a competition.

There is just one page in National Geographic Traveler devoted to letters and stories sent in by readers. The reader travel story is accompanied by a tiny photo, while the letters are all in response to an earlier issue of the magazine, and not about experiences the readers have had on the road. However, the issue contains a special

about the 21st annual photography contest which was open to readers, and the winning pictures are included in the magazine.

Throughout Wanderlust readers can find competitions to take part in and the very last page of the magazine is taken up by three “Serendipities” written by readers. This gives the readers a voice, and it resembles a dialogue between publication and consumer in which consumers tell Wanderlust’s editorial team about their own experiences.

Lonely Planet Magazine only includes one big competition for readers to take part in, but it is advertised on the front cover. Sunday Times Travel includes big competitions in its “Travel Club” section, for luxury holidays in, while National Geographic Traveler does not contain any competitions at all. Picture 6.6 A “Postcard” sent in by a reader is spread out over a double page, with a description of how and why the photo showing a Tibetan family on a pilgrimage to Drepung Monastery was taken at the side. Lonely Planet Magazine issue 15, pages 12 and 13.

Wanderlust’s “Footnotes” pages are designed to nourish the reader’s passion for travel and encourage him to either seek out the same experience or get an idea for the next journey with recommendations and maps. The same can be said about Lonely Planet Magazine’s “Make it happen” pages, which look a bit tidier and less colourful than the “Footnotes” but include prices for every budget. Sunday Times Travel also includes “Get me there” pages at the end of every feature, and even makes up a complete section with them in “Instant Escapes”. The “Intelligent Travel” box at the end of the National Geographic Traveler features is shorter than the destination information pieces in the other magazines and only mentions basic information about the country visited, and

gives addresses for the places covered in the article. This only helps readers to recreate the exact trip.

Less interaction but more advice is offered in Wanderlust’s “Check In” and “Check Out” sections at the front and back of the magazine respectively. These pages are designed to inform the readers about important travel dates and upcoming events, as well as the latest reviews and travel equipment. Including these two sections in the magazine shows that Wanderlust knows its readership and what the readers will like and care about and they round up the magazine. Lonely Planet Magazine’s “Insider” section is similar to “Check in”. New boutique hotels and accessories are promoted in the “Hotlist” of Sunday Times Travel, while “Travel Smart” looks at everything from cheap hotel deals to guidebook alternatives. Almost half of the National Geographic Traveler is made up of an impressive amount of advice pieces, and there is no section that keeps them all together.

Wanderlust and Lonely Planet Magazine, show their table of contents on a world map (Picture 6.7), on which markers indicate the destinations covered. This gives an immediate overview for readers with less geographical knowledge, while Sunday Times Travel readers are presented with a table of contents and a list of countries covered. National Geographic Traveler spreads its table of contents over two left pages, with an advert on the right-hand page. It starts with listing the features on one pages, and the “departments” on the next, showing that “Smart Traveler” and the personal columns and interviews are regular features of the magazine and expected by the readers as they contribute to the publication’s appeal (Morrish 1996: 134 in 5.1 General Content).

Lonely Planet Magazine’s biggest help for readers is that it always includes six mini guides to cities or regions at the end of the magazine. These guides can be torn out and folded over so that they fit into every pocket and they include all the vital information travellers need to know. This shows Lonely Planet’s origin as guidebooks, and reassures readers that the guidebook and magazine belong together.

Picture 6.7 The Contents page of Wanderlust contains a world map, on which locations featured within the magazine are indicated. Wanderlust issue 109, February 2010.

6.5

PHOTOGRAPHY

All the photos in the magazines are brightly coloured and eye-catching, although National Geographic Traveler’s pictures are not as vibrant as those in the other magazines. Most photos are either of landscapes or iconic buildings which are immediately associated with a place. Some photos show people to highlight traditions or national identity. In many cases, these photos show an “ideal” view, and establish what is “gaze-worthy” (Urry 1996: 86 in 5.3 Use of Colour and Pictures).

The size of pictures within the magazines varies greatly, from small insets to A4-size and double-page spreads. When a Wanderlust story requires more pictures, they usually come in groups of four to six per page, with the caption on the opposite page, so nothing distracts the viewer, while Lonely Planet Magazine prefers to put either three pictures of column width across the top of a page, or down the outside margin. The three main features in Sunday Times Travel, all include pictures that stretch over one page onto the adjacent one but very few pictures are used as background pictures. Four pictures with various measurements for runarounds seem to be the norm with the longer stories, and they mainly take up three-quarters of the page.

Picture 6.8 A colourful and eyecatching photospread at the beginning of Lonely Planet Magazine’s Peru feature. This immediately sets the tone of the feature and gives readers an idea what the place described will look like. Lonely Planet Magazine issue 15, pages 66 and 67.

Pictures accompanying the advice articles in National Geographic Traveler are small, and there is usually just one photo per story. The photos have a maximum width of two columns. Establishing shots can span the page, but no photo is bled to the edge.

Some of the photos in Wanderlust look like polaroid pictures, and are placed on the page slightly askew. This relates to the backpacking and taking instantly-visible snap shots. Not aligning them perfectly with the edges of the magazine also makes them look as if they’ve fallen out of a pocket and give the page a more dynamic and personal feel. Lonely Planet Magazine only uses this technique once, but does include a background so that it looks like an open notebook (compare Picture 6.5). Sunday Times Travel and National Geographic Traveler do not employ this technique, and all pictures in Sunday Times Travel are bled and aligned perfectly with the edge of the page while National Geographic Traveler only bleeds pictures for the main features. Although this consistency is reassuring for the reader, there are fewer options for creative layout ideas as “unusual shapes can add drama and interest to a page” (Frost 2008: 119 in 5.4 Design and Layout). Unlike the other magazines, Lonely Planet Magazine re-uses its cover photograph to illustrate the feature.

6.6

PAGE FURNITURE AND COLOURS

Pull-quotes 7 , captions and crossheads 8 are all used on a page to give the reader more entry points to the story. “Page furniture” refers to elements that are on nearly every page like page numbers and date lines, but since many features are broken up into smaller parts of text with the help of pull-quotes and crossheads, these terms will, for the purpose of this dissertation, be included in the general term of “page furniture”.

Within Wanderlust, pull-quotes are in colours that are also reflected in the pictures, and usually span the width of the page, underneath or above a photograph. The pull-quote is much larger in font size than the body text, set in single quotation marks and usually goes across two lines. It is cornered off from the main text by a striped line underneath the quote (see Picture 6.9). As well as the pull-quote, the 5-line drop caps 9 , crossheads and introduction of the caption are all in the same colour. As mentioned in 5.3 Use of Colour and Pictures, younger audiences might expect brighter and more vibrant colours throughout the magazine, not just in the photos. Usually, the most eye-catching colour is picked out to be used for page furniture to help break the story up visually. All of the photos are brightly-coloured and contrast rich. Each story has a different colour theme, to make it unique and it also helps the reader to find a story more easily. Picture 6.9 The pull-quote (above the picture), crosshead (left column), and the first few words of the caption (top righthand corner) all pick up the dark orange colour of the monks’ robes. Wanderlust Issue 109, pages 66 and 67.

Lonely Planet Magazine does not use crossheads and pull-quotes are either written on full-page pictures in bold, next to pictures or above columns of text in normal font. 7 8 9

Abstracts from the text, usually set aside or in different font / size to get the reader’s attention and pull him into the story. Sectional headings within the text The very first letter of the story, extending down the side of several lines of text

The first paragraph on a new page contains a drop cap, which can vary in length. Just like the first word of the story, the first word of the separate paragraph in Lonely Planet Magazine is written in all caps style. Captions are either inset on the pictures or next to them, and dark grey in colour when on white background. Only the story on Peru contains captions in blue, which are inset in the text with a 5 mm runaround 10 , so that the text leaves out a rectangular shape for the caption.

Every page contains the Lonely Planet logo on the bottom of the page next to the page number, and the top right-hand corner of the right pages displays the country the story is about, a technique which is also employed by Sunday Times Travel. This acts like a chapter line on the top of book pages, to help the reader find and remember the place in the magazine.

The size of drop caps varies from article to article in Sunday Times Travel, and the only consistency is their black colour and bold setting. Headline colours vary, as do fonts and sizes. Pull-quotes are set in a colour that appears in one of the pictures and which is used throughout the feature.

Crossheads are only occasionally used in Sunday Times Travel, and span the width of a column, while captions also vary from spanning the width of a page to small insets on the actual photo. The colour used in the headline is continued through the feature in crossheads, pull-quotes and the “Get me there” section.

Every section in National Geographic Traveler starts with a red box which contains the section title in white, uppercase letters at the top of the page. This continues throughout the magazine, and makes it easy for the reader to identify the section. The following pages in every section include the title on the top outside margin of the page. The words are printed in red and black, and upper- and lowercase. The margin at the bottom of the page only contains the page number and publication title, but not a dateline. The size of drop caps and the line-length of standfirsts varies, however the drop cap is always extends down the side of the entire standfirst, and standfirst can stop midsentence (compare Picture 6.10). Within the Rome feature new paragraphs start with a small drop cap, while the first line of that paragraph is set in uppercase. The New 10 An invisible frame around an object that restricts anything from coming closer to it than the width specified, creating white space around text boxes or pictures.

Orleans feature does not use as many drop caps as the Rome feature, but does use uppercase letters for starting new paragraphs. While the Rome feature does not contain any pull-quotes, the article about Mardi Gras in New Orleans uses colourful pull-quotes which reflect the colours of the accompanying pictures, but sets them like a buffer between two pictures.

Picture 6.10 The feature about New Orleans’ Mardi Gras festival is contains colourful pull-quotes which pick up the colour of the costumes, as well as a drop cap created from throw-beads, which are typical for the celebration. National Geographic Traveler, Vol. 27, No.1, pages 76 and 77

Most of National Geographic Traveler’s captions are either in red or black, and span the width of a picture, unless they are set in the picture. Often, one caption is used as a summary of all pictures.

6.7

PAGE LAYOUT

The overall page layout can say a lot about a publication. Whether the page looks tidy, colourful or disorganized can decide whether the target readership will pick it up and read it or not, keeping in mind that people can have different ideas of “good design” (McLean 1969: 3 in 5.4 Design and Layout).

Wanderlust, Lonely Planet Magazine and Sunday Times Travel generally leave a 2 cm wide margin at the bottom of every page blank. Only full-page pictures are bled 11 to the edge of the magazine, and the only text in the margin is the page number, publication title and date line (compare Picture 6.9). National Geographic Traveler has a smaller 11 Bleeding – letting pictures run to or over the edge of the paper, so that there is no margin when the magazine is trimmed. Pictures can also be bled to the inside margin, in which case they run up to the fold.

page size than the other magazines, and the bottom margin is only 1.5 cm instead of 2 cm, to optimize space on the page. Generally, the body text 12 in Wanderlust is set left aligned, ragged right 13 and in two columns per page for features, and four columns for advice pages such as “Footnotes”. The columns can vary slightly in width, if captions or boxouts 14 are set on the margins of the page. The headline colour, font and size varies from article to article, and includes serif and sans-serif fonts, as well as those simulating handwriting. All body text, pullquotes and standfirsts 15 are set in a serif font, while crossheads are generally in a sansserif font.

Lonely Planet Magazine also uses the left-aligned, ragged right setting for its text. While the body text is always in a serif font, headline fonts and sizes can vary. Standfirsts, pull-quotes and captions are set in a sans-serif font, and pull-quotes use single quotation marks.

The body text in Sunday Times Travel is set left aligned and ragged right in a serif font, while the “Get me there” pages are set in sans-serif script. The three “Big Trip” features are mostly in single columns with wide bastard setting 16 with a few pages containing two columns of the same width. “Get me there” and advice pages generally have three columns to a page, although this depends on the amount and size of the pictures used. National Geographic Traveler is the only magazine that uses justified text settings throughout the publication.

For the “Active” feature about climbing Mount Damavand, Wanderlust decided to reflect the “Vertical axis” in its page layout, and place photos and text diagonally on the pages, setting the text in a single column (compare Picture 6.11). This immediately makes the article interesting and eye-catching due to the unusual design. The main features in Wanderlust and Lonely Planet Magazine are introduced by a double-page photo spread of a single picture. These spreads only contain the headline and standfirst and the picture reflects the destination. 12

Main text of the article While the lines of text are all flush against the column side on the left, the actual line length varies on the right. The lines are not stretched to fit the column width. 14 Panels or colour patches with mostly advice or further information, but also separate sides to the story. Set in a box to set it off from the main text, and might include a frame. 15 Text between headline and body text, giving the reader more information about the story’s topic and angle. Can include bylines as well. 16 Wider or narrower than usual column width 13

Picture 6.11 The title of Wanderlust’s “Active” feature “Vertical Axis” is reflected in the page design. Issue 109, pages 76 and 77.

Lonely Planet Magazine keeps changing the amount of columns used on a page. With three columns as the normal setting, the publication sometimes uses pictures across the width of one or two columns. Placing pull-quotes and captions within the middle column and leaving the rest of this particular column blank to create white space is also a technique employed. This means variety for the reader, as no double page looks like the next.

Sunday Times Travel does not use photo spreads, but rather two or more pictures on facing pages. The only exception to this is the article about the USA road-trip, which starts with a picture of various things you’d expect in a glove box: maps, polaroids, tickets, shades and a can of soda. This really sets the scene for the feature (compare Picture 6.12).

National Geographic Traveler is the only magazine that splits its stories up. While a story might continue from a previous page on one side of the page, another story might continue or start in the leftover columns. This is a technique usually employed by British newspapers 17 . The stories are divided by thin, double column rules 18 , and in some cases one of the stories is set in a single column or bastard setting so that it does not confuse the reader.

17 18

For example when the front page story continues inside the paper. A thin line between stories, at the side, top and or bottom, depending on layout, that separates stories.

Picture 6.12 Setting the scene for the USA road-trip feature with items usually found in a glove compartment. Sunday Times Travel issue 75, pages 102 and 103.

6.8

ADVERTISING

The amount of advertising, as well as the services and products advertised in a magazine can tell consumers a lot about the publication and its intended readership. The inside front cover, as well as the back cover, are a magazine’s most prominent advertising spaces, followed by right-hand pages inside the publication.

Wanderlust seems to target advertiser for specific features and places adverts either before or after the story on full pages. However, the magazine also includes “Marketplace” section, which is dedicated to small adverts and usually contains six to eight ads per page. Throughout the magazine, the advertisements are placed mainly by backpack tour operators and overland companies as well as tourist boards. Several companies also place several advertisements throughout the magazine to get optimal exposure. The overall amount of advertising in Wanderlust seems to take up around 30 per cent of the magazine, but it is spread out and does not distract the reader.

While Lonely Planet Magazine also tries to tie advertising in with features, many ads are unrelated to the story they appear next to. As mentioned in 6.2 Feature Styles, the publication gives away many right-hand pages to advertising. Traditionally, the righthand page is the first page readers will notice when opening a magazine, so placing © Cornelia Kaufmann – Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Travel Journalism Dissertation – 05/2010

advertising there is strategic as all readers will see it. However, it also takes prominent space away from the editorial content, confining it to left-hand pages and inside margins. Lonely Planet Magazine also includes a four page advertorial 19 , which might confuse the reader as it looks like a feature and is set in the same style as the rest of the magazine but is marked as an advert. The magazine also contains a “Directory” section for smaller ads. More tailor-made holiday operators and cruise-lines seem to advertise in the publication, although there are some adverts placed by overland companies, and tourist boards, car manufacturers and camera makers place adverts in Lonely Planet Magazine as well. It seems that the ratio of editorial to advert is at 60 per cent to 40 per cent.

Sunday Times Travel contains an advertising double spread on pages 2 and 3 which are traditionally the most important pages in publications as they are the first the readers will see. The advert is for Cathay Pacific Airways, and it is not the only advertisement for an airline in the magazine. Many luxury hotels and resorts, as well as tour operators specialising in luxury breaks advertise in the publication, and prices for the recommended holidays and services regularly exceed £1,000. Next to the service providers from the travel industry, Jaguar, Lloyds TSB and Swarovski all place advertisements in Sunday Times Travel.

Some of the adverts are not related to the pieces they appear next to and spread throughout the magazine. A “Directory” section at the end of the publication includes smaller adverts for tailor-made trips and resorts.

Readers of Sunday Times Travel might get confused with the layout of the opening photo spread of the “Reality bites” feature in “The Big Trip”. The double page holds eight photos, all of which are food-related. The bottom quarter of the page only contains the headline and a short standfirst on one page, and a narrow caption on the other. With the destination name in the top right-hand corner, the feature might be mistaken for an advertisement by readers who are just flicking through the magazine. This is due to the amount of pictures used, as all other features start with at least one full-page photo.

An advertisement written in feature style, that has to be clearly marked as advert

Out of National Geographic Traveler’s 43 right-hand pages, 20 contain full-page advertisements. This means that nearly half of the prominent pages of this publication have been devoted to commerce instead of editorial content. Only towards the back of the magazine does editorial content become more important and is allocated right-hand pages as well.

The advertising in National Geographic Traveler is not specifically linked with the articles. In fact, many items advertised are luxury items like cars, watches, headphones and mobile phones. Other advertisers are tourist boards as well as service providers like credit card issuers and cruise lines. Unlike the other magazines, National Geographic Traveler does not include a “Directory” section.

Sunday Times Travel seems to allocate 40 per cent to 45 per cent of its publication to advertising, and also uses more full-page and double page advertisements than Wanderlust or Lonely Planet Magazine. Flicking through National Geographic Traveler, it appears that the publication consists of at least 50 per cent advertising, if not slightly more. Advertising also seems more important to the National Geographic team than the editorial content of the magazine, as the important pages are almost all taken up by fullpage ads.

6.9

READERSHIP

Based on the observations mentioned in previous sections, it was concluded that Wanderlust appeals to a young but most importantly dynamic readership, with enthusiasm for the outdoors as well as occasional city or culture breaks, regardless of social standing.

The experiences covered, and accommodation prices listed, suggest that the youngest readers are in their mid-twenties and working individuals. The magazine would also be aimed at educated and well-travelled readers, who seek new experiences. Wanderlust seems to focus on sharing a passion with the readers, instead of sharing an income group. The amount of advertising from overland tour operators suggests a readership aged up to 30 or 40 years (the usual age group for overland treks is 18 – 30, with exceptions). However, there are reader photos in the “Your travels” section which show travellers who are well in their sixties or over (one couple photographed on their 40th

wedding anniversary). Therefore, the readership has to be defined by their common interests in backpacking, nature and getting away from overrun places. On Plog’s psychometric scale (compare 2 Literature Review), Wanderlust’s readers would therefore be defined as allocentrics or curious mid-centrics.

Although Lonely Planet Magazine’s features cover a variety of places and cultures, the excursions described and recommended would appeal more to sophisticated city travellers than explorers. This can be seen in the optional activities suggested, which include tours of historic neighbourhoods and wine sampling, but not hiking or mountain climbing. Also, the advertisements featured in the magazine suggest that the readership has a bit more money to spend, and even the budget accommodation recommended starts from £50 per night.

Based on these findings, it was concluded that Lonely Planet Magazine’s readership is well educated, affluent and between 30 and 60 years old, but not fitting into a specific social class as identified in 4.1 Existing Markets. Readers enjoy city trips and tailored trips to foreign countries, but they will not stray off the tourist path unless it has recently been suggested to do so. Although they appreciate the outdoors, they travel in a bit more comfort. It has also to be kept in mind that the mini-guides might appeal to readers, who need the information but do not want to buy a full guidebook. Therefore, the best way of defining the readership would be by Plog’s psychometric scale, in which Lonely Planet Magazine’s readers are mid-centrics leaning towards the allocentric. However, at the same time criteria such as common interest in culture and city breaks as well as affluence can also be used to identify the readership.

Sunday Times Travel does not include any sort of active holiday feature or outdoor adventure. Instead, the magazine covers luxury spa resort vacations and trendy yet well-known destinations, where activities include cooking classes and historical excursions. The advertising focuses on luxury products and services, many of which cost more than £1,000. The average price for a suggested room in the “Get me there section” is between £100 and £200 per night if not more.

This leads to the conclusion that Sunday Times Travel is aimed at a sophisticated, welleducated readership above the age of 40. Readers either have high-paying and high-

demanding jobs or are retired, and seek more relaxation on holiday than activity. City breaks and regional exploring, as well as island getaways are the main trip-types that appeal to the audience. Readers of Sunday Times Travel are also likely to share the centre to centre-right political views of the mother newspapers The Times and The Sunday Times. Plog would define the readership as mid-centric, even leaning towards the psychocentric, as destinations covered in the magazine are either well-known or offer services the audience would expect to find on holiday. According to the old social classification, Sunday Times Travel’s readership would be ABC1 (compare 4.1 Existing Travel Markets), as these social groups would be tempted by the advertisements and are affluent enough to afford luxury holidays.

National Geographic Traveler seems to be aimed at armchair travellers who enjoy pieces about eco-tourism and culture but only in well-known places. All the destinations have been written about before, and even the experiences covered are not new. As they state themselves on page 4: “National Geographic Traveler reports on destination of distinction and character, and we support efforts to keep them that way.”

The amount of luxury items, services and destinations advertised suggest a sophisticated readership with well-paid jobs. Readers are 40 years of age or over (the oldest reader to send in a letter is 90) and they enjoy cultural holidays and relaxation, and do not care for outdoor pursuits unless it includes winter sports. The publication is also clearly aimed at the American market, with American spellings, American services like Amtrak advertised and destinations like the Caribbean and North America featured more than Europe. On Plog’s scale, they would resemble the mid-centric to psychocentric segment, which either stays at home or within their home country. Readers only venture out to well-visited and culturally important cities. Here, as with Sunday Times Travel, readers are more targeted according to their income than their travel preferences. National Geographic Traveler therefore has a readership that would be defined as mainly AB in the United Kingdom.

CONCLUSION

The aim of this dissertation was to find out whether travel magazines have a defined readership that adheres to established market segments, and how the style and content of these travel magazines reflects their target audiences.

It was found that the four travel magazines analysed in the case study all have distinctive styles, and some seem to cater better for their readership than others. There are also differences in how they treat their features. Wanderlust and Lonely Planet Magazine both use brightly coloured pictures and vary their page design. While the former provides every feature in its own sections which helps the reader choose which articles he would be interested in, the latter sums up most of its features in just one section. It was also found that Lonely Planet Magazine’s readers are less inclined to be backpackers than the magazine’s alliance with the guidebook brand suggest. Sunday Times Travel also has distinct sections, but the writing styles vary greatly. National Geographic Traveler was found not to be as scientific as expected due to its link to the National Geographic Society. Instead, it turned out to be the magazine with the least features, and only covering famous destinations.

This dissertation has shown that although especially colours, photography and a variety of features can define the tone of the magazine and make it appealing for the readership, it is the advertising that actually gives the best clue of who the publication is aimed at. Since all service providers had to do market research to find out their target consumers, an analysis of all the advertisements in one publication should give a clearer overview of the target readership.

It was also shown, that publications can have diverse readerships if they share a common interest, and market researchers should use a number of analysing techniques instead of only focusing on the socio-economic segmentation as is often the case. Although Plog’s model was devised over 30 years ago, travellers today can still be classified as psychocentric, mid-centric or allocentric, depending on their travel preferences, and in this case study it was the best technique to define readership, as social classes would have been too diverse, especially for Wanderlust. It is also better

than rating readers according to occupation, as that would not take students or retired readers into account.

Although travel magazine editors can plan for their perceived target audience and design the publication accordingly, they should include either content or design aspects that would appeal to more readers than they see themselves aimed at. This research has shown that many magazines have readers from different age groups, so the design should be balanced.

In conclusion, it can be said that travel magazines do reflect their readership in design and layout as well as content. However, it was not expected that the target audiences could be made up of more than one specific market segment. Instead of the magazines defining their readership and designing the pages accordingly, it was found that the content and style, as well as the advertising of a publication define the readership.

More research has to go into the circulation of travel magazines, and whether they rely on subscriptions. It also has to be analysed, whether depending on subscription sales instead of readers picking the magazine up in a shop has influence on the design, especially the cover layout. Factoring into this is also reader loyalty. Further research should include whether subscribers stay loyal to one publication and why, or whether their travel and reading preferences change as their life circumstances change. To exactly analyse and define target audiences, full data research would have to be carried out to find out exact age groups and occupations.

Wanderlust was the only independently-owned magazine, but not the most expensive. It also had the most diverse readership. As three of the four magazines studied are products of well-established brands Lonely Planet guidebooks, the National Geographic Society and the Sunday Times newspaper, research would also have to go into whether this influences readers, their expectations, loyalty and cover price of the magazine.

ÂŠ Cornelia Kaufmann â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Travel Journalism Dissertation â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 05/2010

LIST OF REFERENCES

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Holmes, T. (2001) ‘Magazine design’ in McKay, J. (2001) The Magazines Handbook. London: Routledge Horne, D. (1984) The Great Museum: The re-presentation of History. London: Pluto as quoted by Crouch, D. & Grassick, R. (2006) ‘Amber Films, documentary and encounters’ in Crouch, D., Jackson, R. & Thompson, F. (2006) The Media & The Tourist Imagination – Converging Cultures. London: Routledge Hudson, S. (2008) Tourism and Hospitality Marketing: A global perspective. London: Sage Publications Iyer, P. (2005) in George, D. & Hindle, C. (2005) Travel Writing. London: Lonely Planet Johns, N. & Gyimóthy, S. (2002) ‘Market Segmentation and the Prediction of tourist behaviour: The case of Bornholm, Denmark’ Journal of Travel Research. Vol. 40, pp. 316 – 327, London: Sage Publications Lonely Planet Magazine (2010) Issue 15, March. London: Lonely Planet / BBC Worldwide Lorie, J. (2005) in George, D. & Hindle, C. (2005) Travel Writing. London: Lonely Planet McKay, J. (2001) The Magazines Handbook. London: Routledge McLean, R. (1969) Magazine Design. p. 3 Oxford: Oxford university Press as quoted by Holmes, T. (2001) ‘Magazine design’ in McKay, J. (2001) The Magazines Handbook. London: Routledge rd Middleton, V.T.C & Clarke, J. (2001) Marketing in Travel and Tourism. 3 edition. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann

Middleton, V.T.C. (1994) Marketing in Travel and Tourism. Chichester: Heinemann as quoted in Bieger, T. & Laesser, C. (2002) ‘Market Segmentation by Motivation: The case of Switzerland’ Journal of Travel Research. Vol. 41, pp. 68 – 76, London: Sage Publications Morrish, J. (1996) Magazine Editing. London: Routledge Moss, C. (2008) ‘Travel Journalism: The road to nowhere’ British Journalism Review. Vol. 19, pp. 33 – 40, London: Sage Publications National Geographic Traveler (2010) Vol. 27, No. 1, January/February. Washington D.C.: National Geographic Society O’Brien, H. (2005) in George, D. & Hindle, C. (2005) Travel Writing. London: Lonely Planet nd O’Neil, L.P. (2006) Travel Writing – See the world, sell the story. 2 edition. Cincinnati: Writer’s Digest Books

Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of current English (2005) 7th edition, 3rd impression (2006), Oxford: Oxford University Press/Cornelsen Pine, B.H. II &Gilmore, J.H. (1998) ‘Welcome to the Experience Economy’ Harvard Business Review. July – August, pp. 97 – 105 as quoted in Baron, S., Harris, K. & Hilton, T. (2009) Services Marketing: Text and Cases. 3rd edition. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan Plog, S.C. (1973) ‘Why destination areas rise and fall in popularity’ unpublished manuscript of the Travel Research Association. This has subsequently appeared in the public domain as Plog, S.C. (1977) ‘Why destination areas rise and fall in popularity’ in Kelly, E.M. (ed.) Domestic and International Tourism. Wellesley: Institute of Certified Travel Agents as quoted in Johns, N. & Gyimóthy, S. (2002) ‘Market Segmentation and the Prediction of tourist behaviour: The case of Bornholm, Denmark’ Journal of Travel Research. Vol. 40, pp. 316 – 327, London: Sage Publications Robinson, M. & Andersen, H.C. (2003) ‘Reading between the lines: Literature and the creation of touristic spaces’ in Robinson, M. & Andersen, H.C. (eds.) (2003) Literature and Tourism. London: Thomson Robinson, M. & Andersen, H.C. (eds.) (2003) Literature and Tourism. London: Thomson Robinson, M. (2003) ‘Between and beyond the pages: Literature – Tourism Relationships’ in Robinson, M. & Andersen, H.C. (eds.) (2003) Literature and Tourism. London: Thomson Ryan, C. (ed.) (1997) The Tourist Experience. London: Cassell Shoemaker, S. (1994) ‘Segmenting the U.S. Travel Market According to benefits realized’ Journal of Travel Research. Vol. 32 (3), p. 8 – 21 as quoted in Johns, N. & Gyimóthy, S. (2002) ‘Market Segmentation and the Prediction of tourist behaviour: The case of Bornholm, Denmark’ Journal of Travel Research. Vol. 40, pp. 316 – 327, London: Sage Publications Sontag, S. (1979) On Photography, Harmondsworth: Penguin as quoted in Urry, J. The Tourist Gaze. London: Sage Publications Sunday Times Travel (2010) Issue 75, April. London: Times Newspapers Limited Swann, A. (1991) Graphic Design School. p. 133 London: Quarto as quoted by Holmes, T. (no date) ‘Magazine design’ in McKay, J. (2001) The Magazines Handbook. London: Routledge Urry, J. (1996) The Tourist Gaze. London: Sage Publications Wanderlust (2010) Issue 109, February. Windsor: Wanderlust Publications

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