Alicja Turkiewicz NEA: Research Task 2: Who are Condé Nast?

Who are Condé Nast?

Condé Nast is one of the world's most renowned mass media companies who produce and distribute all types of media for the entertainment of the public. Products owned by Condé Nast include but are not limited to various genres of magazines, websites, digital videos, social media, and production of film/television under Condé Nast Studios. The company is heavily influential in the mass media industry attracting millions of consumers to their products, mostly in the digital world including social media and digital magazine issues. They aim to 'entertain, surprise, and empower' their audience using the above products and brands.

Origin of Condé Nast and Vogue

The 'Condé Nast' company originated in 1909 (116 years ago) after NYC-born publisher Condé Montrose Nast acquired the print gazette 'VOGUE'. Vogue, initially founded in 1892, has gained a reputation for being an iconic brand in the fashion and lifestyle sector; having a specific focus on the field of haute couture. The brand was founded and owned by the businessman Arthur Baldwin Turnure, then acquired by Nast after Turnure's death. Their first overseas edition, British VOGUE, was introduced in 1916. What makes this event so significant for Condé Nast is that they were the first company to publish an International edition for a magazine. In subsequent years, Vogue editions in many countries were introduced: India, Australia, and Poland to name a few.

Vogue's international editions

Portrait of Nast

Other brands under Condé Nast

Over the span of 116 years, both during and after the founder's lifetime, the company has expanded to own various magazine publications and other forms of media in order to cater to audiences all over the world.

Here are some brands created/acquired by Nast during his lifetime:

Dress & Vanity Fair: 1913 (now known as just Vanity Fair)
House & Garden: 1915
Glamour: 1939

At this time, magazine publications under Condé Nast typically appealed to those who like genres such as fashion and lifestyle. Genres essentially saw a lack of variety until Nast's death in 1942.

Portrait of Newhouse Sr.

After Nast's death, Samuel Irving Newhouse Sr. was named Chairman of the company. Condé Nast did not stop expanding their portfolio of magazine brands, such as:

Self: 1979
Interiors and Tatler: 1982
The New Yorker: 1985
allure: 1991
Bon Appétit: 1993
WIRED: 1998
Teen Vogue: 2003 (now an exclusively digital publication)

The trend of fashion and lifestyle magazines continued on after Nast's lifetime but the selection of genres diversified as well. In particular, Bon Appétit launched to foster the audience's interest in food and cooking. Another genre introduced into Condé Nast's brand portfolio is technology/science in the bi-monthly publication WIRED.

As they are a mass-media corporation, Condé Nast has also accomplished things outside of the magazine sector, particularly after the 90's:

launched websites such as Epicurious.com and Ars Technica: 1995 and 2008 respectively
acquired Pitchfork Media Inc., a music magazine publication and website: 2015
co-produced films 'The Old Man and the Gun' and 'Spiderhead': 2018 and 2022 respectively
founded their film/television production division 'Condé Nast Entertainment' in 2011, films mentioned above were produced under them

Portrait of Lynch

Perhaps the company has expanded to produce and distribute media other than magazines due to the long-term decline of their circulation, both in print and digital. Even now, they are one of the only magazine publishing companies that have lived to tell the tale, this is arguably thanks to their brands outside of the magazine industry.

In 2019, Roger Lynch was named the company's first global CEO and Condé Nast's US and International markets merged together as one company. Previously, Lynch was CEO of other companies such as Chello Broadband, Video Networks International Ltd., and Pandora (the streaming service).

Them. magazine

One unique brand by Condé Nast is the progressive, online LGBT magazine 'them' launched in 2017. This is considered a progressive brand as it covers many topics usually considered taboo in mainstream media such as LGBT, gender identity, mental health, and sex and relationships. They attempt to abolish such stigmas around the aforementioned topics, which have existed for decades in society and still unfortunately continue to.

While the topics discussed in this magazine do not align with those in mainstream magazines, the covers are seen to be conforming to traditional conventions seen in magazines. This is done through the consistent 'Them. magazine' masthead written in sans-serif -- the only thing that really changes with this is the font colour to match whatever main image is displayed on the front cover. Also, celebrity endorsement is a common practise on the front covers as they often feature models and other public figures. LGBT teens and young adults may see them as inspiring individuals as they exhibit confident body language, dress in bold fashion, and are represented in a positive light through language and mode of address. Another convention of progressive magazines seen in the front covers listed below is a diverse representation of various social groups: Playboi Carti is a black man and Dylan Mulvaney is a transgender woman.