Journal #1: Maxim. Cosmo. Playboy. Playgirl. Elle. Men’s Health. Vogue. These magazines spend millions of dollars researching the male/female mind so that they can market to it…to you. How well do you think that they understand the male or female psyche? Do you think that you fit in the average demographic to which they are marketing? Why or why not?I believe these magazines do a great job marketing to male/female minds. They spend millions of dollars researching and they succeed by making money back. I believe when these magazine are researching female/mind, they are focusing on the "wants."
Let face it, when a man is at the convenient store, and a glossy half-naked bunny catches their eye, it is all want. And for a small fee, the man can take home that bunny.
The same goes for a woman's want. I went to vogue.com, and I am automatically bribed with an "exclusive red bag", it looks so good and for only a years subscription, I can have this "exclusive red bag." That flashy red bag catches the women's eye, the word "exclusive" pulls her in, and the fact it is part of a sale? deal.
So what is it that playboy.com is flashing, in order to sell magazines? Boobs. Right on the home page, I am bombarded with breast. This really isn't as appealing to me personally, but Vogue has done their research for me and so they choose to use bag.
But women must have more "wants" then just bags and fashion, and this is where Playgirl steps in. Playgirl has spent their millions of "research dollars" on what women find sexually attractive, much like what Playboy does for men. When entering the Playgirl website, the homepage is a bit more reserved then Playboy (I'm guessing the rest of the website is less then shy). The opening page lures a women in by showing bare the upper bodies of men. See a connection? The exact same bait that Playboy is using, but with the opposite sex.
Magazines like Playgirl, Vogue, and Elle cater to the wants of a females mind. Each magazine caters to a different kind of want. Not every woman finds interest in Playgirl, Vogue or Elle, every woman is different. But the research tries to represent women as a whole. By reading a magazine, I'm sure all my wants are not filled, and probably very little of my needs, but I've been entertained. And Americans WANT to entertained.
I've also noticed women's magazines have a lot more celebrity related articles and focuses. This must mean, magazines have found that women want gossip. For most men, the knowledge of who's dating who in Hollywood is more like torture than pleasure.
Which is why men love car magazines. It's those types of things, most women just don't get it. Why look at pictures of shiny fast metal? Because it's his want. Which is why magazines like Men's Health, focus on more manly things, like working out, getting buff, and of course sex. On the cover of a Men's Health magazine, titles are read saying things like "The truth about exercising machines", "go beyond bacon", "get rid of that gut" and 30-red hot sex tips." Male and female magazines seems to always comes back to one thing- sex. So what are those researching saying about us?
I believe these magazine have researched what the mind of a male/female wants and then they cater to it. Is it exercising routines, recipes, flirting technique's, latest fashions, best deals, gossip, sport legends, sex tricks, shiny cars, cash filled entertainment, makeup and hair tips? Yes, yes it is.
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