vogue - industry

Creator/publisher

• Conde Nast - one of the biggest magazine publishers in the UK

• They’re a large global company that make a wide range of printed magazines

History

• Vogue started in 1892

• The American version was bought by Conde Nast in 1909

• They launched the UK version in 1916

• Vogue thrived throughout the early 20th century, providing audiences with an aspirational lifestyle that they dreamed of having

• In the post war period Vogue continued to do well, as many women were enjoying the consumerism and emphasis on “treating yourself”

• In general a lot of magazines have suffered heavy losses in the last 20 years. Vogue has not. It still sells around 200,000 copies a month.

International expansion

• There are a huge number of international versions of Vogue eg Italian, Brazilian and Spanish Vogue

• Reflects Hesmondhalgh’s ideas that powerful companies often replicate successful formats to maximise profits

Risk

• Hesmondhalgh - minimising risk and maximising profit

• Whilst many companies avoid taking risks because it could mean less revenue, Conde Nast DO take risks that make Vogue stand out from other magazines

• For example, they were one of the first magazines to use colour photography in the 1930’s. This was more expensive to produce, however their target audience could afford it so it was okay

• In the 60’s Advance Publications purchased Conde Nast and encouraged more modernity and risk taking

• They were one of the first fashion magazines to use a black woman on the cover, in the 1970’s

• These risks created the idea of Vogue being cutting edge and pushing boundaries, creating a modern brand identity

• They do try to minimise risk and maximise audiences in some ways - they try to boost sales by working with celebrities.

Celebrities

• They have had artists such as Andy Warhol and Salvador Dali create their own guest edited versions of Vogue, using their artwork in collaboration with the fashion photography - collaborating with legendary artists adds an element of quality and exclusivity

• Has featured legendary artists before they had achieved global recognition including the writer Virginia Wolf, this creates an image that Vogue was a magazine that discovered and nurtured unseen talent

• Exclusive photos/articles about people like the Royal family, such as Diana, draws in global audiences and makes Vogue seem luxurious

Diversification

• Growing trend of companies diversifying in order to make more money

• Conde Nast now has its own fashion and design college

• The Conde Nast Luxury Conference is an event that they organise to increase revenue further

• They also have a restaurants and bars division too, there is a Vogue Cafe

• This is a way of taking their exclusive, high end brand image and turn into another area in which they can profit

• Teen Vogue started in 2003 and Men’s Vogue started in 2005

Famous editors

• Individual staff at Vogue have played a huge role in its success, often having their own reputations as being the pinnacle of fashion knowledge

• Anna Wintour - editor in chief of Vogue. As Conde Nast were so powerful, and Wintour was considered so essential to success, they were able to pay her a huge salary. Her salary is over £2 mill. Wintour changed the style of Vogue, using a lot more Hollywood models rather than just fashion models. She started Teen Vogue in 2003 and Men’s Vogue in 2005, new potential revenue streams

Anniversary exhibition

Had their own exhibition in the National Portrait Gallery to celebrate 100 years of Vogue and fashion photography - shows how important and iconic they are

Advertising

• Advertising is crucial for magazines such as Vogue as it earns them a huge amount of money

• One full page advert in Vogue costs £36k

• Whilst some magazine readers are put off by adverts, Vogue readers often embrace the adverts in the magazine as they see Vogue as an opinion leader giving them ideas of what they should buy to have a certain aspirational lifestyle

Digital media

• There is a digital version of Vogue, targets modern audiences

• Strong social media presence, including foreign social media sites such as ‘WeChat’ - the Chinese social media site, globalisation