Conde Nast research

 

magazine industrial context - general

i decided that the timeline would focus a lot on the context of the USA as Condé Nast is an American company

How do companies finance, distribute, and exchange their products?

finance

advertising:

- magazines generate a significant portion of their revenue from advertising

- 62% of revenue is from advertising

- display advertising

. magazines sell ad space for companies to buy

. this ad space is placed alongside editorials

. companies pay premium for this space as it helps them to reach their target audience

- classified advertising

. classified ads for specific catagories are offered

. specific catagories include: business, real estate e.t.c

. fee paid for ad to appear in deignated section

- native advertising

. editorial material sponsered by an advertisor

. e.g - an editorial in Vogue about Dior's new perfume, sponsered by Dior

subscription based model:

- audience have to pay to see content by the magazine

- print subscription

. readers pay to recieve a print version of the magazine

. magazine delivered on regular basis - weekly/monthly/quarterly e.t.c

- digital subscription

. readers can access magazine digitally on their devices

. this content is not available to users who don't subscribe

- bundle deals

. combine both digital and print content

. may also include extra content

events:

- magazines may organise events for their audience

- this would generate ticket and merch sales

- would get money from sponsership

- would also generate talk about magazine and may lead to an increase in subscriptions

licensing and permissions:

- magazines may lisence their intellectual property, characters or content to other companies

- e.g filmmakers or advertisiers

recent developments in technology:

challenges

- falling circulation of print media

- increasingly competative digital advertsing - Google and Facebook dominate the market, and Google takes a lot of the profits from digital advertising on websites

- more digital content means readers have more options and are less likely to chose to be loyal to a specific magazine

adaptations the industry has made

- diversifying revenue streams

. many magazine companies generate revenue through events and audiobooks as well as advertising now

 - digital expansion

. many media companies have online versions of their magazine

. invest in online content

- niche targeting

. companies focus on small communities / specific demographics / niche interests

. this helps to build a loyal community that will generate revenue needed to survive

distribution

direct distribution

- magazines are delivered straight to the reader

- this is often done through subscription or mail

- high control of distribution

- can make personalised marketing efforts

. subscriptions create a loyal fanbase

. magazines can collect data from subscribers and create personalised adverts

indirect distribution

- involves 3rd party intermediaries e.g retail outlets, bookstores, newsstands

- this gives a broader reach and increased visability

- the place of sale can be used to indicate who the target audience are

. if magazines are being sold in Selfridges then the target audience are AB

. if magazines are sold at corner shops then the target audience are C1C2DE

digital distribution

- delivery of digital media content

- many magazines have websites to digitally distribute content

- websites / an online presence can increase a magazine's visability

- also helps magazines to appeal to a younger audience

- must diversify in order to survive as print media sales and circulation are falling

exchange

- retail

- many magazines sell products via their website shops

- e.g Vogue has a Vogue Shop and a Vogue Retail page

How do audiences access magazines

- audiences can access magazine content (editorials e.t.c) through the magazine's website

. this has happened because of digital convergance

. helps magazines appeal to younger generations

- magazines can also be sold through retailers

- they can also be sold through direct mailing due to subscription models

audience profile

target audience: middle and up market 16 - 25 year olds who are style conscious

audience profile:

- 16-25 year old

- ABC1 demographic

- gen Z

- style conscious - audience may be mostly composed of females as they are typically more style conscious 

- would have a lot of disposable income 

- would use social media, watch films and listen to music in spare time - common activites for gen Z

- would most likely be in full time education (sixth form or university)

pop culture 16 - 25 year olds engage with:

1. Music

Artists:

• Taylor Swift is the biggest artist of the 21st century. She has a massive cult following known as 'Swifties'
• other popular artisits inculde: Travis Scott, Drake, Olivia Roderigo, Chappell Roan, Lil Nas X, BTS and Cardi B

Platforms:

•  Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, TikTok (music discovery is big here).
• Spotify is the most popular streaming platform in the UK
• 77% of Gen Z reguarly listen to msic through a streaming service in the UK

Popular genres:

•  pop music is the most popular type of music genre in the UK amongst 16-25 year olds
• genres like rap and hip hop are also popular, with artists like Travis Scott and Drake dominating
• rap and pop music are often combined in songs, E.G Kendrick Lamar's rap section in Taylor Swift's Bad Blood
• girls favour pop music more, whilst boys tend to enjoy listening to rock and rap music more than girls

2. Films & TV Shows

Streaming Services: 

• Netflix, Disney +, Prime Video, YouTube, BBC IPlayer 
• BBC IPlayer had the most viewing growth of any UK platform (20%) - double that of Netflix 

Popular TV shows:

• Euphoria, Stranger Things, Wednesday, The Last of Us, Bridgerton, Attack on Titan, Never Have I Ever, Ginny and Georgia, The Summer I Turned Pretty, Brooklyn 99, Friends, Modern Family, WandaVision

Popular genres:

• action
• comedy E.G sitcoms

Films:

• Marvel and DC superhero films, 
• Barbie & Oppenheimer - the barbenheimer trend
• animated films - Shrek, Disney princess films (Moana, Tangled)
• action - The hunger Games, Harry Potter
• 'Netflix' films - films produced by streaming companies. Netflix is the main platform that does this 

3. Gaming

• Popular Games: Fortnite, Minecraft, Roblox, Call of Duty, GTA V, Valorant, League of Legends, The Sims, Baldur’s Gate 3, Elden Ring, Among Us (still gets moments of revival).
• Gaming Culture: Twitch & YouTube streaming, esports, VR gaming

4. Social Media & Internet Culture

Platforms:

•  TikTok, Instagram, X (Twitter), YouTube, SnapChat, Facebook
• 73% of 16-24 year olds have SnapChat
• 70% of 16-24 year olds have Instagram
• in march 2024 - 76% of 15-25 year olds engage with TikTok

Memes and trends:

• Constantly shifting; influenced by TikTok, ironic Gen Z humor, reaction videos, and viral challenges

5. Fashion 

• Styles: Y2K, streetwear (Nike Dunks, New Balance, Adidas Sambas), thrifted/vintage, quiet luxury, techwear.
• Brands: Nike, Adidas, Supreme, Uniqlo, Aritzia, Carhartt, Balenciaga (less post-controversy), SKIMS.

Initial response to media NEA brief

pros of creating a magazine:

.  I can use skills that I gained from my year 11 media NEA in this NEA

. the brief is very open so I can tailor it to my personal interests E.G an interview with a musician

. the age range (17-25) is in my age bracket, so it would be easy from to know the target demographics interests 

                                                            

                                                            cons of creating a magazine:

. I would have to write 2 articles for my double page spreads, which is very time consuming

inspirations for magazine front pages:

I especially liked the feature of Elle ‘back to the 90s’ because my initial idea for one of my front covers is to do an edition about how 90s fashions have impacted fashion today. I also like the minimalist style of Vogue & Elle.

Initial ideas for my magazine front covers:

Idea 1

My initial idea is to do an edition of my magazine focusing on how 90s films impacted fashion. I might look at how they have impacted fashion today, but I’m worried about making the subject too wide, so I think I’m just going to focus on the fashions of the films for now. I found a useful link to a Vogue article about some of the 90s film fashions. This will be useful in helping me to write my article, and especially useful because Condé Nast is the company that produces Vogue, and it is also the company that is mentioned in the NEA brief.

https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/article/90s-fashion-movies

Idea 2 

One of my other ideas was to do a feature on women in film. I want to do a feature about how a female director has been able to successfully break into the very male dominated field. This could be very easy to include intertextuality, as there are many strong female role models and film. One idea I had was to include a quote from one of these role models as a cover line. I could also have my model imitate an iconic outfit. If I did this as a cover, I would want to do this as a mid or wide shot. This is because I feel it is easier to convey power and success from these shots than a close up because you can shoot from a low angle to give the impression of authority

Idea 3 

I wanted to do a feature on a current, popular musician. 

I want to do an intertextual reference to this picture of Kate Bush as I think it will make an impactful cover image

I want to do a cover on an artist who is inspired by Kate Bush, as she reflects the zeitgeist as her song 'Running up that hill' has been brought to the forefront due to its use in Stranger Things