How do contextual factors shape their production, distribution, circulation and consumption of magazines?
1 - What is the dominant ideological perspective of Adbusters?
Read this article and answer the questions below: (OR: just google ‘Adbusters Mags with No Ads Huck magazine’) Advisory warning – some swearing...
• What is the ideology/ethos of Adbusters?
• How does Adbusters subvert traditional magazine conventions, especially in relation to
advertising?
• How does the magazine interact with its audience?
2 - Constructing audiences and constructing brand identity using digitally convergent media
Curran and Seaton didn't just explore power and profit in the media industries: they also explored how these systems of power can be utilised by producers to better target audience. So, for Curran and Seaton, the audience doesn’t just already exist: it is made by the producer of the media product.
Use the Adbusters website (adbusters.org) to explore the following SHORT questions, with short snappy answers (two sentences maximum for each bullet point!). Make sure you wack in loads of screenshots from the website too.
- In what ways does Adbusters construct it’s audiences?
- How does the website reinforce the brand identity of the magazine?
- Is there a clear ‘house style’ that is evident across the magazine and the website?
- What does the website offer that is different from the content of the magazine?
- How does the website extend the brand (e.g. through videos, merchandise etc.)?
- How does your magazine use social media (e.g. to market the latest edition or offer additional content)?
- How can readers interact with the magazine through the website and social media?
3 - Ideology in practice and how adbusters interacts with its audience
Check out these two pages:
Summarise key points about the following:
• The campaigns (e.g. Occupy Wall Street and Buy Nothing Day) that the Adbusters Foundation runs.
• The controversies and criticisms of Adbusters.
• Other products that extend the Adbusters brand
This article from Adbusters proved to be particularly controversial. Why did this article see this issue withdrawn from sale in many outlets? (warning: contains graphic images)
This article from Adbusters proved to be particularly controversial. Why did this article see this issue withdrawn from sale in many outlets? (warning: contains graphic images)
4 - Discussion: media ownership and the effectiveness of Adbusters as an instigator of revolution
- To what extent does Adbusters challenge the ways in which power is distributed in the media industries?
- Who owns Adbusters? What is it’s purpose for being produced?
- Curran and Seaton argue that media products do not simply brainwash the audience, and are actually ineffective in changing the mind of the audience. Instead, media works by reinforcing ideologies already held by the audience. To what extent can this notion be applied to Adbusters?
5 - Exam practice
Compare and contrast the ways in which viewpoints and ideologies are encoded in Woman and Adbusters. Make reference to the following:
- How ideologies are used to position audiences
- How polysemy is created
- How the ideologies reflect the cultural and economic context of the time the magazine was released
In groups of no more than three, create a plan (digitally, on A4 paper...) exploring how to respond to this question. What concepts, examples and theories would you include? What is your central argument? How can you give your answer a clear voice?