Research Task 3 : Conde Nast Style Magazines

 Style magazines

Many of the magazine brands under Condé Nast can be described as style -- focusing on a variety of areas such as fashion, beauty, and interior. Along with this, they may discuss topics such as trends, celebrity gossip, culture, and public affairs. Due to the nature of these topics, magazines under this genre are written in a sophisticated language register that is most appropriate for upper and upper-middle class (AB demographics). Also, the content produced for the magazines and advertisements will be more relatable to the lifestyles of these upmarket individuals. 

Some notable style magazine publications owned by Condé Nast are Tatler, Vogue, Vanity Fair, and GQ. 

Tatler

Tatler is a British monthly publication under Condé Nast. Since its first issue on the 3rd of July 1901, it has had a central focus of fashion and lifestyle. Alongside the main genre of fashion/lifestyle, it covers other topics like high society and politics that interest the up-market readership. While mainly being known in the United Kingdom, there are international publications as well such as Ireland and various countries in Asia. These sister publications serve the purpose of catering to the demographics of Tatler worldwide and further promote certain ideologies. 

Clement Shorter, who founded Tatler in 1901, named it after the 1709 Richard Steele journal 'The Tatler'. It can be described as including 'gossip' -- especially on its central topics of fashion, politics, and high society. 

They are seen to have a strong digital presence, both through social media platforms and the website tatler.com. For brands in this industry, it is crucial to have cross-media convergence in product lines to distinguish their product from others and create an individual, person household style. This is shown on tatler.com through the website's skyline: presenting the TATLER logo in the same typography seen on its print copies, and a list of links to its topics such as 'style, beauty, royals'. On the Instagram account @tatlermagazine, the profile picture is the same TATLER typography that puts a memorable logo into the memory of those engaging in its media. Also, their supportive attitudes towards the British royal family are proven as they follow the official @theroyalfamily account.

Tatler website masthead

Tatler on IG

July 2022 issue commemorating Queen Elizabeth II

One example of a high society topic covered by Tatler is the July 2022 issue, commemorating the late Queen Elizabeth II and her Platinum Jubilee. This topic is rather mainstream as Elizabeth II was the longest regnant British monarch in history. Tatler's readership would have the cultural capital necessary to know who she is: the company is most prominent in the British Market, the audience would all be in the same lifetime as the late Queen, and this is considered high society journalism due to the celebration of the monarchy. 

Vogue 

Though being initially introduced as a weekly print gazette in 1892, Vogue was not a part of Condé Nast's range of brands until Condé Montrose Nast acquired it in 1909. They are arguably the most influential and recognisable figures in the area of haute couture fashion and beauty. One thing Vogue has pioneered in the magazine industry is the creation of their first overseas edition 'British Vogue' in 1916, as this is the first overseas edition of any magazine. As of now, they have 28 international editions and are a global staple in the world of fashion and lifestyle magazines. 

In the digital publication vogue.com and their Instagram account @britishvogue, branding is rather consistent. This is seen as the sleek and timeless page furniture of the print publication has anchorage with the minimalist and old-money aesthetic on the webpage. There is also a reinforcement of the topics covered in their magazines: fashion, beauty, culture, living, etc. through a drop-down menu on their front page. They also present themselves on Instagram as a 'fashion bible', an essential and important company with a wide following of fans not only in Britain but around the world.

British Vogue on IG

December 2024 issue featuring singer SZA

SZA appears as the face of the December 2024 issue of British Vogue. This is undeniably showing the conventions of a fashion magazine as she wears a green dress, a colour often signifying life and nature, but it also interesting to see a black woman on the front cover. Even in the fast-paced, progressive media industry, ethnic minorities can be under-represented. This front cover can be seen a celebration of SZA not only as an icon in the R&B pop genres, but an empowered black woman. The fact that her hair is styled naturally and she wears an unusually coloured dress shows that she has the freedom to live 'on her terms' and not conform to rigid stereotypes

Vanity Fair

Formerly known as Dress and Vanity Fair, this monthly publication was acquired by Condé Montrose Nast in 1913. He published four issues of this magazine on the same year which led it to thrive into the 20's until the Great Depression hit. This economic breakdown led the brand succumb to declining advertising revenue and was considered defunct until the 80's. In June 1981, Condé Nast announced that they were reviving the magazine under the new and current name 'Vanity Fair'. However, in its modern revival, it faced controverses specifically around inappropriate front cover photography. In both the modern and original editions it stuck to topics seen frequently in mainstream style magazines: popular culture, fashion, and current affairs. 

It may be argued that the stories on the website take a rather political turn as well as focusing on human interest topics surrounding celebrities and royals. Perhaps their demographic mostly consists of individuals with high cultural capital. There is a particular focus on the cinema industry in the 'Hollywood' section. Interestingly, fashion seems to not be the central focus of this particular brand as many articles on the website's landing page are full of political subtext. Their Instagram account mentions politics, fashion, and Hollywood in their bio -- solidifying them as the main 3 focuses of the magazine. 

Topics on Vanity Fair webpage

Vanity Fair on IG

October 2017 issue featuring Megan Markle

This Vanity Fair issue from 2017, where rumours between Megan Markle and Price Harry's relationship are being addressed by the magazine. This is done in a 'gossiping' tone and it is clear this relationship was the reason behind her relatively newfound fame. Vanity Fair enticed people to read or buy this certain issue as they are taking advantage of their readership's high interest for factual news on celebrities and royals.

GQ

GQ (Gentleman's Quarterly) is starkly unique compared to the above three magazine brands under Condé Nast in the sense that it only releases 10 issues per year and is marketed as exclusively for men. They launched their first issue in 1931 with clear focuses on men's fashion/style, fitness, sex, and some celebrity-related content. The magazine was not initially known as GQ but rather went under 'Apparel Arts' until 1957. Then a change from Gentleman's Quarterly to the acronym GQ was made in 1967 and continues on to modern day. 

The British GQ website and Instagram pages both have cross-media convergence with the print edition as they are very clearly advertised towards men and their interests. The front page of gq-magazine.co.uk advertises a GQ grooming kit, they are monetising off of men and enticing them to purchase more tthan just a subscription to the magazine. The Instagram account @britishgq describes itself as 'luxury' in the bio so evidently this magazine is not only for men, but specifically men with upper-market interests. Both mediums feature the famous GQ logo on mastheads and profile pictures, the sans-serif fonts feel modern and not out of place in the clean, timeless layout of both the website and front covers of print editions.

The most recent issue of GQ, featuring actor Ben Affleck, delves into modernity and masculinity in a striking way. Affleck is represented as confident with his stance and referred to as 'the boss'. The mise-en-scene works together using this pose and his tuxedo to create a James Bond-esque portrayal of the actor. The red background in the environment he is in is bold and signifies masculinity and power. A particular content plug is eye-catching, as it focuses on the use of emojis "👫🥵💔". The nature of emojis such as 🥵 is rather sexual, as the meaning of it has been warped over time due to changes in digital culture and audience participation. 

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.

Issue of 'them' featuring model George Culafic

Issue of 'them' featuring rapper Playboi Carti

Issue of 'them' featuring influencer Dylan Mulvaney

Research Task 1 : How has the UK consumer magazine industry evolved?

The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted parts of the magazine industry. This event, along with other factors, influenced the businesses’ owners to shift their product to a digitsl medium. In the digital environment, some magazine publications are in competition with Instagram. Other genres of magazine, like news and current affairs, have not been affected by this social media platform. Though print magazines have always been a significant part of media, this medium has seen a long-term decline as the digital native finds online editions and subscriptions a more convenient way to receive news from their favourite magazine publishers.

Some larger publications in the magazine industry no longer consider themselves as part of the industry anymore. In an interview with New York Times, the CEO of Conde Nast, Roger Lynch said that his business is ‘no longer a magazine company’. This is due to the audience’s decreased interest in the magazines with more interaction with their websites and social media. In 2021, a survey by the Professional Publishers Association revealed that 9/10 of respondents no longer consider ‘magazine’ to be an accurate word to describe their organisation. Another CEO, Douglas McCabe, told Press Gazette that the magazine industry ‘has literally changed its definition’ in recent years. He discusses how businesses previously in the magazine industry would now represent themselves as ‘passion businesses, hobby businesses, or audience businesses’ which is completely different to just ten years ago.

Similarly to other publishing sectors, magazines have seen sharp declines in print revenue, with digital revenue having the opposite effect. Plaforms like Google and Facebook (Meta) have also monopolised digital advertising in recent years. The decline in print magazine sales due to Covid-19 is rather significant, falling by 33% from 2019 to 2020. Even if digital sales are higher than print, they fail to compensate for the decline.

There are now fewer magazines in circulation in the UK. In 2000, this number was 1.6 billion while this number went down to just 565 million in 2021. These statistics are based on annual sales of print/digital magazine copies and subscriptions by titles reporting to the Audit Bureau of Circulations. Consumer spending on magazines has also shrunk, with 1.4 billion in 2010 and just under 700 million 10 years later. Along with the decreased number of circulation, there are less titles available under ABC. The number of magazine titles reporting to ABC started at over 700 in 2000, and rapidly fell to 558 in 2010 and then 241 in 2021. however, some magazine types have been more impacted than others with men's magazines and music magazines being most affected by the same fate. Their circulations fell by 89% and 90% respectively between the years of 2017 and 2021. Women's magazines still retained a slight amount of their circulation as this figure only fell by 45%. The percentage decline of circulation has also lead to many magazine sectors almost disappearing from existence. This can be due to the availability of more convenient ways to access similar media such as by using Instagram. Social media platforms are a free medium which may deter consumers from purchasing subscriptions as the topics of interest are already being provided to them. One sector that is still more prevalent is the news and current affairs sector, including titles such as The Economist and The Week.