An Internet strategy for a niche magazine : a uses and gratifications approach

[摘要] Magazine publishers are under increasing pressure to extend their business strategies beyond thetraditional printed products. A culture of instant gratification of media needs, pervasive socialnetworking and the immediacy of content delivery, which are all provided by the World WideWeb, aggravate fears that readers will ultimately abandon the printed media in favour of theInternet as the primary content provider. These fears are rooted in the assumption that consumerschoose the media they use based on preconceived ideas as to how these media will fulfil theirneeds.If the Internet succeeds in supplanting or displacing printed media, it could potentiallydestroy the traditional magazine model whereby publishers simultaneously generate revenuefrom the sale of media content to their audience and the sale of the audience's attention to theiradvertisers. Therefore it is imperative that magazine publishers develop a relevant and efficientstrategy to maintain their position as 'intermediary between advertisers and the media audience.To develop such a strategy, they need to understand what media uses consumers have for theInternet and what gratifications they expect to receive. Once this is understood, publishers coulddevelop their online and offline strategies to service these uses and gratifications.This thesis contains qualitative research conducted in a phenomenological paradigmthrough the application of two descriptive surveys. The first survey focused on the experiencesand attitudes of visitors to the website of WegSleep, an Afrikaans South African niche magazinefor the caravanning and camping community, whilst the second compares similarities betweenthe seven most visited magazine websites in South Africa during 2008.A correlation of the findings leads to the conclusion that although the Internet couldpotentially emulate all media, readers do not employ the Internet for exactly the same purposesas printed media. Whilst some displacement does take place, magazines are still better at servingreaders' affective and escapist needs. Conversely, the Internet is the preferred medium withregard to information gathering and cognitive media needs as well as personal integrative needs.Social integrative needs appear to be non medium specific. A complementary combination of theprinted product and the online offering could therefore provide gratification of all media needsand promote brand loyalty instead of medium loyalty.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University