Oh comely - Audience blog task

Oh Comely - Audience blog tasks


1) Summarise the ownership and production of Oh Comely - how did it start and who owns it?

Oh comely was started by three friends from oxford university eight years ago and is owned by Iceberg press. 

2) What is the print circulation and how many subscribers do they have?

Print circulation is the amount of hard copies a magazine produces oh comely prints about 10,000 copies and they have a lot of subscribers.

3) How does the editor Alice Snape characterise the typical Oh Comely reader?

Snape stated that the typical reader of oh comely would be 18-27 year olds who are creative, intelligent and maybe settled into their career. These people would be politically aware and educated.

4) What are the key aspects of the magazine's design aesthetic discussed by the editor? How might this link to audience pleasures?

The editor stated that the aesthetic fits the language as the "clean and minimal layout allows the pictures and words to shine". This links to audience pleasures as they understand what their audience likes and fits with which means they capture real people with real stories which their readers can form personal identity, personal relationships with each story being told and surveillance as their reader would be learning from other inspirational women.

5) How does the magazine represent women in terms of its production team and editorial decisions?

The compnay is made up if four women who all work part-time and they work with freelancers. They've decided to focus on women in the media as they don't enough attention than men so by doing so they give them a bigger platform to rise. 


Now read the Oh Comely website page on advertising and audience to get a good idea of the demographics and psychographics for the Oh Comely target audience. Answer the following questions:

1) How does Oh Comely introduce itself ('what it's all about')?

Oh comely introduces itself as "breath of fresh air for a creative audience" and it states that it's a mainstream magazine for young women which has built a niche audience.

2) How do the print circulation/readership statistics for Oh Comely compare to Men's Health?

Oh comely circulation/ reader statistics would be 25,000 readers per issue whereas Men's Health would generate 120,000. 

3) How is Oh Comely distributed to the audience?

They have distributed to their audience through independent outlets and WHSmith.


4) What do you think the target audience demographics for Oh Comely might be? Some details are provided by the magazine (e.g. average age 27) and you can fill in further gaps using the Media Magazine interview with the editor.

The target audience for oh comely would be 18 to 27 year olds who are creative and innovative. They had stated it was 27 year olds but I feel like it would depend on their issue.

5) What psychographic groups might be attracted to Oh Comely? If you've forgotten this, revise psychographics here!

The psychographic group that might be attracted to oh comely would be 'reformers' and 'explorers' as this would be their fitted magazine.

6) What social class classification would you expect most Oh Comely readers to be? Why?

The social class classification for oh comely readers would be lower/middle class as they explore issues about women from different backgrounds and perspectives however I think they would give themselves a certain social class as that be a profitable link to the patriarchy and holding men and women to a higher or less value.

7) What level of education would you expect for most Oh Comely readers? Why?

The level of education for oh comely readers would be of great intellectual achievement and political depth so they woukd have either an educational degree on the liberal arts, English, media or politics. 

8) What audience pleasures are offered by Oh Comely?

The audience pleasures that is offered by oh comely would be personal relationships, personal identity and surveillance.

9) It has been suggested Oh Comely is a “magazine about people, their quirks and creativity rather than money and what it can buy”. How does the design and advertising content of Oh Comely support this view?

It supports their views through their print issues that embed their agenda about this "magazine being about people, their quirks and creativity" this is shown through their stories about real women and stories they tell also the editor Snape had stated that she hates "airbrushing" of models in other magazines so she doesn't use it at all because it's about the realism that attracts people.

10) Why do you think Oh Comely has been able to build a loyal audience of subscribers in the years since it launched? Think about audience demand, rival magazines and the overall media landscape in the digital age.

Yes, I do believe oh comely has build a loyal and niche audience of subscribers as I have subscribed to them myself as I was intrigued by their ideas and stories. They may have less subscribers than Men's Health but they are slowly growing especially with the digitalisation of magazines they can easily catch online their magazines and more people will subscribe to them.