Concept Refinement

CATEGORY	DETAILS
Film OR Magazine	Magazine
Genre	Special Interest- a designing decorating-animals/hobbies
Target Audience (Be specific)	Single people who are animal lovers/pet owners. Wealthy pet owners. People who spend good money on their pets. (the majority of pet owners)
What is your concept? (Be thorough & specific. Review the links on Blackboard)	My concept is a special interest Magazine that incorporates both decorating and designing with a love for pets, and animals. The magazine will feature different styles of pet enclosures, ways to decorate them, how to build them or where you can buy parts for them. Articles would contain interviews with the designers or people who created them. Articles would vary from being about specific designs of pet enclosures to the people who created them to how to build your own.
How did you conceive the idea for this concept?	Originally, I was researching Ideas for a home design and decorating, because I love to decorate my house and my bedroom. I thought that I could have a lot of fun with this concept, until I stated to realize that there are already tons of existing magazines with that exact same idea. Then my second idea was a magazine about pets because I love pets, but I couldn’t come up with a new approach, so I combined them.
What do you believe is unique about your concept?	There are plenty of magazines about designing and decorating homes, and plenty of magazines about caring for pets, but there aren't any about designing living spaces for pets. There are so many ways to style dog houses alone, and the style of dog houses changes as the style of how people like their homes changes too. There is also cat beds, reptile, hamster and rabbit enclosers, chicken coops, horse stables. It’s a completely untapped market and there is plenty of places to go with it, especially since the style of how people will want their pet house will change just like the style of how peoples own house changes.
Why do you believe this product will be of interest to your audience?	Since my target audience is pet owners, pet lovers, single people especially will spend a lot and do a lot for their pets. I think this will appeal to creative people also, touching on people's desire to decorate and one up one another.
FEEDBACK RECEIVED FROM PEERS	The audience asked me whether my magazine would be promoting DIY (do it yourself) projects or if it would be selling projects: I responded that while my magazine would primarily promote DIY it would also feature a few supplies that you could buy to create projects.    Another person asked me if I would only feature dogs and cats, or all types of pet enclosure designs. I explained that my magazine would have all animal enclosure decorations and designs featured.

    I probably didn't pitch my idea with as much excitement and energy as I should have. I was excited about my idea, but the pressure to impress lead me to be overcome with nervousness and pitch my concept with a slightly bored sounding tone. As a result I received a low energy low excitement level from my audience. Initially I was very put off by this. I started to think that people where not interested in my ideas because It was not interesting and that concerned me. If my audience couldn't manage to show any enthusiasm how was I going to sell this to other people? But as I thought about it more I realized that my audience was a bunch of high schoolers, who don't care about decorating and do not want to put in more time or effort with there animal, my target audience however, does. It also occurred to me that even though it didn't receive a positive reaction from those I was presenting to, I didn't exactly receive a negative reaction either. I was only asked a few questions, which I had direct answers for and I didn't have to make any reforms to my concept nor, did I feel the need to add to it. In my opinion that's a win. The questioning period also helped me to refine my idea. There where a few details I wasn't sure about that became clear during this time. All things considered, I have high hopes for my magazine concept, despite the initial lack of enthusiasm.

   When it comes to the success of magazines though, there is also the issue with how well magazines do as a whole. Of course, long before i-phones and smart TV's and digital books, magazines were a roaring business, but with everyone becoming so reliant on cell phones, the belief that print is dying is growing more popular. But evidence has shown the opposite. "In 2019 there were 228.7 million magazine readers aged 18 or older in the United States." according to U.S Magazine references- statistics and facts. "This is an increase of over 4 million readers since the previous year, and the highest figure since 2012, with the trend indicating a slow increase year on year of magazine readers." Magazines statistics show that they are still relevant amongst young and old readers alike. Magazines are also available online to read now too. Although it isn't as if the magazines will have to completely shift to online publication since print isn't actuating being in place, In fact, "publishers are taking advantage of the realization that the choice isn’t “print or digital,” but rather “what mix of print and digital?" readers of magazines also increased in the last years. here were 16 million U.S. digital magazine readers in 2015, in comparison to 3.3 million in 2011. If anything this new digital age has opened new doors for magazines.

There is also the complication of originality and its success. The question of whether the fresh take on this

magazine will sell. This concept is completely new, a totally untapped market, which means that publishers

could be taking a risk. There is no guarantee that it will be popular, but then again, it has no competitors so

there is also no guarantee that it will not. Kwame Dawes stated it well,  "It seems that the fact that there are so few of us in these positions suggests that the possibility of a rich and diverse showing of work in this country will be stunted. There is a peculiar combination of ignorance and arrogance that characterizes the feeling that art, great art, is universally obvious for its value." While he was referring to the incorporation of different races in literary institutions, he makes a good point about fresh ideas. Society has seen a lot of the same things and would be impressed by something new. In my 

case, there are many pet magazines and many decorating magazines. Both wildly popular genera's that cater to different people, but when there put together it creates an entirely different concept that's individualism will attract readers. in the same sense, editor and publisher Heather Buchanan explains how publications "thriv[e] on discovering emerging talent and building new realities. " Again, she was referring to diversity in writing but the same idea can be applied to a brand new magazine concept. It proves how readers have an apatite for fresh ideas.

    In summary, this magazine has a lot of potentially, not only is it a now take on you average pet magazine but it also adds to the already thriving world of magazines.