Finding Your Niche

My Target Audience Analysis:

    I chose to look into a magazine called "Flavor".  Its concentration is on the burgeoning slow food movement, focusing on locally produced, seasonal fare and organic or, at the very least, sustainable agriculture.  The publication is a relatively new one- just a year old.  August/September 2009 was the sixth issue of this bimonthly read.

Articles and Features:

    In addition to articles by and about people and organizations involved in the production of local foods, and articles about what's happening across the region along those lines, the issue I have delves into the white house garden, the variety of heirloom produce avilable, how some fast food companies are making the switch to fresh ingredients, etc, etc. 

    Regular features include:  Letters from readers and eaters, Seasonal table: Recipes and Advice for utilizing what's in season, Guest List: Photo essay of folks who showed for events promoting local/sustainable farming, and "Terrior": Section focusing on local wine, wineries, and trends in the industry...There are also regular columns:
"Rebel With a Cause", that explores how the quality of our food is directly related to the way we honor those who produce it, "Tales From the Field", and "In the Food Desert", which is a multi-perspective column on urban gardening

Noting the Demographic of Ads:

    Advertisers include bed & breakfasts, realtors of country properties, nurseries and landscape companies...of course, farm markets and local farms and CSAs, local high end restaurants, and interestingly, a couple of montessori schools.  All are featured throughout the magazine and in the back in an index form.

    As near as I can tell, the publication is targeted toward middle to upper middle class people with some amount of disposable income and a modicum of progressive thinking, gourmets/gourmands, foodies more so than farmers, probably old hippies and gentlemen/women farmers or anyone who may be inclined to romanticize country living.

Contacting the Editor:

    There were no submission guidelines avilable in the magazine or on their website, just contact info for the publisher and the editor as well as their advisory board.  I shot the editor an e-mail explaining what I'm doing and requesting all relevant information and or suggestions for where I might stick it if they don't accept outside work.  I hope that this static item satisfies the assignment requirements, Mystic.  Now I wait to hear from them.  I'll keep you posted.