Social Media and Fashion Magazines

Social media has taken a large turn within the last 5 years. In 2010, an article was published on Mashable and the Social media portion really stood out to me. Here it is: "What About Social Media? Fashion magazines are clearly trying to corner their own share of the ever-expanding online and mobile advertising markets. But of all of the publishing executives I spoke with, only two — Susan Plagemann of Vogue and Ted Nadeau of Elle Digital — noted an increased demand for social media-based solutions from advertisers, even though more and more marketers are allocating funds to social platforms. That's perhaps not surprising, given the number of luxury brands that advertise in these magazines and their general reluctance to engage with social media. As contributor Samir Balwani argued in a previous post, luxury implies a sense of exclusivity — ergo, not everyone should be able to freely interact with the brand on Facebook and Twitter. "It's difficult for a brand to selectively choose who to interact with and, unless done properly, this segmentation could cause a major backlash," he said. I spoke with Axel Dumont, who oversees media duties for Chanel North America at MEC, about the challenges that Chanel, as a luxury brand, faces with social media. "Chanel is a very creative-driven, luxury-driven brand. And right now they would not go with anything that doesn't showcase the brand and make it beautiful," he said. "They don't want any interaction with their brand consumers. Chanel belongs to Chanel. It doesn't belong to anyone else but Chanel." Given the company's attitude, it's no wonder that Chanel and other luxury brands aren't willing to let publishers run with their brands on social media platforms. Web and mobile-based solutions offer much more control, both in creative production and distribution. Although magazines will begin to announce ad page sales this week, we won't likely know any details about the success of these web and mobile-based promotions — at least the ones that aren't tied to print — until they are launched in mid-August. Of the solutions that these magazines are presenting for fall, which do you think offers the most value to advertisers? And, as a consumer, which offerings do you most want to engage with? Share your thoughts in the comments below." http://mashable.com/2010/07/20/fashion-mags-digital-fall/

Magazine Distribution: Three Types

Thanks to Wikipedia, I have finally seen the light (the good, realization kind of light). After 6 searches on Google to try and find distribution methods, I had only gotten countless statistics, charts, and how-to's on starting your own magazine. That made no sense at all when all I clearly typed was "magazine distribution", I guess it wasn't specific enough. I had avoided Wikipedia since we had been brainwashed since middle school to avoid it, but I was desperate and had no other choice. Finally, I clicked the infamous wiki link and found this: "Magazines can be distributed through the mail; through sales by newsstands, bookstores, or other vendors; or through free distribution at selected pick-up locations. Sales models for distribution fall into three main categories. Paid circulation In this model, the magazine is sold to readers for a price, either on a per-issue basis or by subscription, where an annual fee or monthly price is paid and issues are sent by post to readers. Examples from the UK include Private Eye Non-paid circulation This means that there is no cover price and issues are given away, for example in street dispensers, airline in-flight magazines, or included with other products or publications. An example from the UK and Australia is TNT Magazine. Controlled circulation This is the model used by "insider magazines" or industry-based publications distributed only to qualifying readers, often for free and determined by some form of survey. This latter model was widely used before the rise of the World Wide Web and is still employed by some titles. For example, in the United Kingdom, a number of computer-industry magazines use this model, including Computer Weekly and Computing, and in finance, Waters Magazine. For the global media industry, an example would be VideoAge International." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magazine#Distribution

Fashion Industry: Media and Marketing

The following is an excerpt from Encyclopaedia Britannica article called "Fashion Industry" "Media and marketing Media of all kinds are essential to the marketing of fashion. The first dedicated fashion magazines appeared in England and France in the late 18th century. In the 19th century, fashion magazines—such as the French La Mode Illustrée, the British Lady’s Realm, and the American Godey’s Lady’s Book—proliferated and flourished. Featuring articles, hand-coloured illustrations (known as fashion plates), and advertisements, fashion magazines—together with other developments such as the sewing machine, department stores, and ready-to-wear clothing produced in standard sizes—played a significant role in promoting the democratization of fashion in the modern era. The development of effective and inexpensive methods of reproducing photographs in print media in the early 20th century led to the rise of fashion photography and of heavily illustrated fashion magazines such as Vogue. Magazine advertising rapidly became a principal marketing tool for the fashion industry." http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1706624/fashion-industry/296479/Media-and-marketing

Is Print Old News? Magazines Going Digital Only on Take a Walk with Liss...

     My study will focus on print: the fashion magazines. Over the past several years, technology has greatly affected the distribution and consumption of the physical, hardcopy of magazines. Unfortunately, print media has lost its touch and the consumer hardly cares at all. Digital is the way to go and soon, no newspapers, magazines, or even books will be physically wanted. A couple questions have been nagging at me for a little bit, though: do the print companies make much less money now? and what will happen to the "old fashioned" way of sharing news and trends with the world? 

     The once thriving area of media that is print is now slowly but surely becoming the Jonas Brothers of my generation- great at its time, but ancient history now, replaced by a new boy band, One Direction (technological print, on computers and tablets etc.). Through some research I've found both of the answers to my questions.: "Online news consumption rose sharply the last two years, following the rapid spread of digital platforms. In fact, online was the only category of news that showed growth in Pew Research Center’s 2012 News Media Consumption survey."  and "That constant, downward pressure on digital advertising rates is a key reason many news organizations are shifting strategies to reduce dependence on advertising and increase the revenues coming from digital circulation. Over the last year, many have moved to put at least some of their content behind pay walls. Following The New York Times’s success at charging to read its content online, roughly 400 of the country’s 1,350 papers have now instituted metered payment plans or are planning to do so this year, according to Poynter. Even those previously opposed, such as The Washington Post and The Seattle Times, are considering them."(http://www.stateofthemedia.org/2013/digital-as-mobile-grows-rapidly-the-pressures-on-news-intensify/) "What is true is our industry’s business model has changed dramatically in the past half-dozen years. In 2007, 80% of newspaper media revenue was generated from advertising. In 2013, less than half of total revenue (46%) was from advertising in the daily and Sunday print newspaper. Revenue from readers paying for print and digital news and information accounted for nearly three out of ten revenue dollars, up from less than two in ten in 2007. Income from new, non-traditional sources is now rising rapidly.  

What is also true is that the public’s thirst for news keeps rising." (http://www.naa.org/News-and-Media/CEO-Update/2014-August-Newspapers-Make-Money.aspx)

     Unfortunately for us, we are like the little Guinea pigs testing out the shifting of print to digital, and those of us born mid- technological boom are torn between a nice old fashioned news paper or book or magazine, and the craving for satisfaction that advancing with technology gives us. Will our generation ever be able to pick a side?