Print Channels and Media Convergence
...the content. Finally, I will evaluate the balance between both versions of People. My past experience with the internet has always had a lot to do with advertising. It seems as though each time I enter a new web site, I am bombarded with a dozen advertisements trying to persuade me to learn more about their product. Needless to say I was stunned when I went to research the advertisements at the online site for People magazine. After searching all areas of the site, I was bewildered to find only four advertisements on People Online. Furthermore, three of the four ads that I did find were related to People itself. The ads were for Teen People, Marketplace @ People, 33% off the cover price of the magazine itself, and the 2000 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Calendar. The print version of People, as with most any print magazines, was full of a variety of advertisements. After looking over these ads, I developed a clear sense of how the ads were selected. Many of the ads were for trendy, materialistic goods. These ads tie in well with the editorial content which mainly focuses on the lives of celebrities, and who of course is more trendy than the Jennifer Aniston and Harrison Ford types that Hollywood has glamourized at our consent? By glamourizing these celebrities in a way that is envious to most of us, it is not surprising that advertisers have put glam-appeal products in People. The assumed idea is that the audience that wants to be like the celebrities they read about will probably use the products that are associated with those celebritites. The target audience for people magazine is comprised of readers over the age of 18, with interest in the media and celebrities. Readers are not required to have a higher education level. I believe that the advertisements positively influence the reading experience of People. This magazine is written in a way to keep the readers current with the trends among celebrities. The ads in People do just that. Products such as Lean Cuisine, Lancome Paris, Pantene Pro-V, Captain Morgan, and the Chevy Malibu all exemplify style, youthfulness, and trends that the celebrities themselves have enveloped. The ads in the online version of the magazine target the same audience. In this case, however, the advert...