Peer Pitch & Concept Refinement Chart

CATEGORY	DETAILS
Film OR Magazine	Magazine
Genre	Lifestyle
Target Audience (Be specific)	People who want or desire the coastal/beach lifestyle or want to get home decorating ideas on a budget.
What is your concept? (Be thorough & specific. Review the links on Blackboard)	I want to bring a feeling to my readers, that makes them feel like they are on vacation. It will include beach destinations around the world, along with things to do in the area and places to go. I want to give ideas about decorating, and going on vacation to unconventional beach places around the world that are affordable. The magazine should give them a happiness feeling like they are taking a break from the world, and diving into a holiday vacation by the beach. It will be produced monthly, and it will include a seasonal/holiday feel depending on the time of the year.
How did you conceive the idea for this concept?	I thought of this concept, from looking at the southern living magazine. I liked how it made me feel at home, and I thought that it would be good to do one for the coastal lifestyle. I felt like I related more to this concept than just “southern” and I wanted to make it more personal to me.
What do you believe is unique about your concept?	Although this magazine has been done before, I want to make the destinations and activities in my magazines affordable. No one is really doing affordable beach lifestyles, most of them are high end and aimed more toward an affluent audience.
Why do you believe this product will be of interest to your audience?	I believe that this will interest people, because many want to get ideas of what to do, or how to decorate their houses month by month depending on the season at a good price. This magazine will use soft colors to appeal to the readers eyes and make it easy for them to want to keep reading. I also want to put a more elegant feel, but also make it inclusive for everyone to be interested in. A lot of people like the beach, so how could I go wrong in portraying the affordable lifestyle in a breathtaking way.
FEEDBACK RECEIVED FROM PEERS	Make the concept more for people who cannot afford high end things.  Affordable beach trips  Showcase global areas, not only in Florida  High end coastal living has already been done, so make it more affordable and open to everyone.   Make it more unique

    

    I believe the feedback that I had received from my peers, was fair and gave me good insight on what I really want to do. I do not want to do a travel guide or give advice on how to travel to coastal areas, but rather I want to sell the experience and show off different destinations that are not your normal beach vacation spots that you see in every other coastal magazine. They really showed me how to make my magazine unique. I will do this by showing off affordable but still luxurious places for everyone to enjoy. Not only will it be pleasing to the eye, but it will inspire many to step out of their comfort zone and travel to somewhere out of the ordinary. Editor Parnisha Jones states “I'm curious about the world, and I want to work with writers who share that curiosity”, I am also curious about the world, and I believe this magazine will open many doors of exploration for me and my readers.  

The article I read, helped me realize how important implementing culture is in a magazine. This quote from the article, “by creating a culture beyond the print journal that announces the view that whatever we do will be enhanced greatly by engaging voices from as wide a spectrum of places as possible”, inspired me to write more about the cultural aspect of each place that I will discuss in my magazine. Although many would say that magazine companies are going out of business, I disagree. According to the website, Wood Wing, “successful magazines have reinvented themselves”, this shows that things are looking up for the magazine business, especially if you can make a good magazine and be able to interest your audience. Although the revenue of magazines has decreased about 20% according to the same website, I believe a lifestyle magazine that is more for aesthetic appeal than reading will draw readers in which is what I aim to do. To prove this, the current fastest growing magazine out there is the “Architectual Digest”. This is a magazine that gives ideas of what to do in homes, and this relates to my magazine concept. I want to show off the appeal of different homes in many places by the water. So, knowing this is a growing concept and many people enjoy reading it, is good news for my magazine.