The Business of Magazines

[Benn98]

Rumours that Cosmopolitan UK editor, Farrah Storr will oversee both titles.

Huh, how???

 

[mikel]

Rumours that Cosmopolitan UK editor, Farrah Storr will oversee both titles. Elle UK is also going back to 360 degree working.

It is almost two years to the day since AMC got made Editor in Chief.

Wow, so in a year Elle UK will be a lovely little blog. Publishing ‘special’ and ‘collectible’ issues bi-annually.

 

[MON]

I mean, the nerve to accept another magazine when you can’t even properly manage one? Cosmo UK has been in bad form for years.

 

[vogue28]

She had a vision, and should’ve just stuck with it.

This.

I was so incredibly thrilled when Anne-Marie Curtis became Elle’s EIC, since she and a real loving relationship with the magazine and magazines in general. The first covers for September with Cara Delevingne were fantastic. The bold, modern and sleek redesign was a total breath of fresh air. I become an avid reader once again but the redesign began to fade away and I lost all interest. Back to square one because someone wasn’t fussed about pushing through.

I cannot understand as to why AMC would leave a job she seemed thrilled to have, and just do not know as to who might replace her. Lucy Yeomans is intending to do her own fashion and tech venture, right?

 

[caioherrero]

AMC was fired or she’s going to Porter?

 

[caioherrero]

Elle UK is also going back to 360 degree working.


What does it means?

 

[8eight]

Incorporating the print and online team.

 

[axiomatic]

https://nypost.com/2019/03/21/embattled-vanity-fair-editor-radhika-jones-gets-a-beto-bump/

Keith J. Kelly
3-4 minutes
The happiest editor to walk away without a National Magazine Award Ellie under her arm last week was undoubtedly Radhika Jones, the embattled Vanity Fair editor-in-chief.

The awards ceremony in Williamsburg was held the same evening that VF’s April cover, featuring Beto O’Rourke, was released online, the night before he declared he was officially running for the Democratic nomination for president.

The issue won’t hit newsstands until next week, but the cover has already played big in the Beto news cycle, generating coverage that morning on NBC’s “Today” show, ABC’s “Good Morning America” and “CBS This Morning” as well as “Meet the Press,” in addition to around-the-clock coverage on CNN and all the late-night talk shows.

Jones probably needs all the buzz she can get. “Nobody’s talking about Vanity Fair anymore,” was the oft-heard refrain until the Beto cover hit.

The recently released circulation numbers for the second half of 2018 suggest the absence of buzz was not a figment of anyone’s imagination.

For all magazines today, newsstand sales are less of a “hotness” barometer than they once were, but they are still watched. And Vanity Fair numbers are dropping faster than those of the overall industry. Through the end of 2018, they were in free-fall.

In the second half of the year, single-copy print sales were averaging only 79,709 a month, down a staggering 37 percent from the second half of 2017, when Vanity Fair sold 127,365 print copies while Graydon Carter was still running the show.

In fairness to Jones, Carter also suffered through double-digit declines 26 years earlier, when he took over from Tina Brown.

At least one important barometer, traffic to Vanity Fair.com, is growing, up 7.5 percent in February 2019, to 19.8 million unique visitors, compared with February 2018, when it had 18.4 million visitors, according to comScore.

And Jones on Thursday tapped a respected insider, John Homans, who edited the Beto story, to become the new editor of its digital site, Hive, following news last week that Jon Kelly, a Carter protégé, was exiting.

Elsewhere, Condé Nast points to subscription numbers, which are actually up slightly in the second half of 2018, reaching 1,062,086 compared with 1,050,418 a year earlier.

VF’s rate base — the number it promises advertisers it will deliver each month — is holding steady at 1.2 million. And a Condé Nast spokesman insisted renewal rates are up as well.

If the Beto cover — shot by Annie Leibovitz — does end up saving Jones’ career, it is not without precedent.

Brown was trying to save the then-newly relaunched VF in the early 1980s when lensman Harry Benson snapped a photo of a tuxedo-clad President Ronald Reagan dancing with his wife, Nancy.

Brown pleaded with then-chairman S.I. Newhouse to keep the magazine alive until the photo appeared on the June 1985 cover.

It became an instant classic, and one of the iconic photos of the era, saving Brown and VF.

In a complicated media world driven as much by social media as newsstand sales, Jones has to be hoping magic strikes again.

 

[MON]

Well that’s unfortunate.

So are we expecting a sudden influx of politicians on the covers? Highly likely.

If I were Radhika, I’d play it (elections) to my strengths.

 

[magsaddict]

True, they're always asking her for soundbites about Edwina and the current Vogue, but she keeps it to herself. Unlike Kellie and that odd feud she's got going with Thelma McQuillan. Kellie keeps it classy in front of everyone but she's got much to say behind the curtains.

Why did Thelma get ousted from HB? Afterall, Kellie first hired her when she was at Grazia.

 

[MissMagAddict]

Hi Benn *waves* lol

Anna Wintour Fetes ‘Modern Editor’ Will Welch
The Condé Nast executive and Vogue editor likes new GQ leader Welch so much she’s accepted tie-dye.

March 22, 2019 6:07PM EDT

His love of psychedelia’s long-lived contribution to fashion has been a surprise to Anna Wintour, who hosted a party in downtown Manhattan on Thursday night to officially celebrate his taking over as editor in chief of GQ.

“Will has shown himself to be every inch the modern editor, someone who effortlessly embodies what GQ is becoming,” Wintour told a crowd of about 80 people. “Although, um, I wouldn’t have predicted there would ever be quite so much tie-dye in GQ.”

People laughed knowingly as Wintour, herself wearing a dress that was not a far cry from tie-dye, went on to laud the world of men’s fashion, the high-end streetwear end of which GQ is shifting toward under Welch, saying it’s “leading creativity” in the industry. “It’s imaginative, it’s daring, it’s fearless and everybody is doing such extraordinary things in their work and I can’t think of anyone better to introduce that to the world than Will Welch,” Wintour said.

But the man of the hour was in solid blue and navy, not a swirl of color in sight. And he seemed genuinely nervous. His hands trembled a bit as he made his remarks after Wintour, and he frequently brushed back his hair and adjusted his frames.

“I’m just insanely, like, shaking goosebump-level humbled and grateful for all of you being my community, for being our community and just getting together here tonight,” Welch said.

What he may lack in public-speaking polish, he makes up for in earnestness, and the idea of building a “community” around and out of GQ is his first editorial mission.

“It’s an earnest moment for me,” Welch said, noting the room included not only GQ staffers and notables who have appeared in the magazine, but his wife and some close friends, one couple who even brought their baby along, turned out in a blazer for the occasion. Another couple were musicians Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires, who Welch referred to as family before they performed a couple of songs.

And this seems to be the type of vibe, naturally on a much larger Internet scale, that he hopes to build around the almost 90-year-old magazine he now heads. He’s not too interested in the notion of a magazine, or a magazine editor for that matter, being around to dictate trends.

“That whole idea of ‘do this don’t do that, wear this suit, not that suit, wear this color, not that color this season’ is not that interesting to me,” Welch said. “People on the streets are doing what they’re doing, so [coming in] was really about, like, what’s a different directive, and so then it’s about who in our community is doing something interesting and how can we amplify it?”

Among the members of GQ’s so-called community present at the party were actors Kevin Bacon, sporting rather long hair and a mustache; Justin Theroux, who made a late appearance and an early exit; Sebastian Stan, and Lucas Hedges, who was on the cover of Welch’s March issue. Longtime Vogue editor Lisa Love, who last year shifted to a role at Condé Nast’s branded content agency CNX took the Wintour approach and left her dark black sunglasses on throughout her time at the party; David Lauren may have been the only guest in a full suit and tie; Dapper Dan may have been the only guest taller than Welch himself.

When a wish of good luck closed a brief chat with Welch, and it was suggested that he didn’t need it, he disagreed.

“Oh, I’ll take good luck.”

source | wwd

 

[Benn98]

Hi Benn *waves* lol

source | wwd

This article is dripping in the shadiness and back-handed compliments of John Fairchild-era WWD. More please!

"And he seemed genuinely nervous. His hands trembled a bit as he made his remarks after Wintour, and he frequently brushed back his hair and adjusted his frames."

"What he may lack in public-speaking polish, he makes up for in earnestness..."
"“It’s an earnest moment for me,” Welch said"

"Among the members of GQ’s so-called community present at the party were ........Justin Theroux, who made a late appearance and an early exit"

".....one couple who even brought their baby along, turned out in a blazer for the occasion"

The couple with the baby in a blazer was, in fact, Veronika Heilbrunner and Justin O'Shea, probably hustling hard for another family feature in either GQ or Vogue.

Vogue.com

 

[Benn98]

Oh, and...

“Will has shown himself to be every inch the modern editor, someone who effortlessly embodies what GQ is becoming,” Wintour told a crowd of about 80 people. “Although, um, I wouldn’t have predicted there would ever be quite so much tie-dye in GQ.” People laughed knowingly as Wintour, herself wearing a dress that was not a far cry from tie-dye"

Vogue.com

 

[ellastica]

I'm confused. Why is this newb getting showered with so much praise so early on in the game? He literally just started his tenure as EIC. What is Anna blathering on about?

“That whole idea of ‘do this don’t do that, wear this suit, not that suit, wear this color, not that color this season’ is not that interesting to me,” Welch said.

“People on the streets are doing what they’re doing...

We don't need any more magazines pathetically, going through the motions of simply mirroring streetstyle fashion or regurgitating social media fads.

More than ever, we need distinctive voices equally passionate about personal style, AND fashion, compelling storytellers articulating with authoritative insight, with a keen understanding of fashion history, as well as reverence for fashion renegades of the past, present and future. Analyzing, predicting and setting the trends...

If the above sentiments truly sums up Welch's limited viewpoint on the fashion industry, he has no business at GQ let alone leading this storied magazine title as EIC.

 

[Benn98]

^^

I think it's more of a marketing effort than anything else - their sound bites, this fête. She followed exactly the same pattern with Radhika. They need to reassure existing readers and advertisers that the magazine is still worth investing in, and court new ones in the process. Despite Welch's so called resonance with what people are doing on the streets, the magazine's page count seems to drop by the month. So I'm not sure how he'll square that.

 

[Benn98]

What Vogue Hong Kong’s launch says about Asian fashion media

BY KATERINA ANG
MARCH 5, 2019

The Hong Kong edition of the fashion title enters an important luxury market where print still carries weight with luxury consumers.

Vogue Hong Kong hit newsstands on 3 March, giving one of the world’s style capitals its own fashion bible.

Published under licence from Condé Nast International, Vogue Hong Kong is entering a relatively healthy market for print advertising. Brands invested $1.2 billion in print in 2017 and PwC expects spending on traditional advertisements to continue growing through 2022, says Cecilia Yau, the consultancy’s Hong Kong entertainment and media leader.

That is especially true for luxury fashion titles. Per a joint report by Ruder Finn and Consumer Search Group, 39 per cent of Hong Kongers said that advertisements in magazines and newspapers influenced their luxury purchase decisions, making print media more effective than social media.

While retail and economic growth in Hong Kong has slowed amid a US-China trade war, the city remains home to many affluent luxury shoppers and a popular destination for wealthy Chinese tourists. It is also Asia’s most important market for high-end goods, with a per capita luxury spend of $1,576 in 2017, Euromonitor data show.

Against this backdrop is a debut Vogue Hong Kong that weighs in at a hefty 350-plus pages, roughly 40 per cent of which is advertising. Its cover features Gigi Hadid and Fei Fei Sun, two sought-after stars shot by Nick Knight. The print edition will circulate about 35,000 copies.

Publisher Desiree Au says that VogueHong Kong is uniquely positioned to benefit. Advertisers who are keen to use Vogue as a conduit to recruit models and artists for campaigns have already reached out. “We have a good network of photographers, video makers and marketers that we can put together for brands,” she says. “That’s the wave of the future for media.”

More luxury shoppers in Hong Kong are influenced by magazine editorial and advertisements than commercials on social media.

A third Chinese Vogue

Vogue Hong Kong, which is written in Traditional Chinese, will attempt to replicate the commercial success of Vogue China, which has a readership of 2 million and publishes in Simplified Chinese.

Au says there’s plenty of space for a third Chinese-language Vogue. (A Taiwanese version is produced in Traditional Chinese.) “Hong Kong has a unique sense of style and culture. We’re producing something in a similar language, but in a different dialect. The cultural references and the way we use descriptions is different.”

“Vogue Hong Kong is more high-voltage, edgier and younger” than its sister titles in the region, says Karina Dobrotvorskaya, executive director of editorial development at Condé Nast International (which owns Vogue Business). “We want all Vogues to be different and push them to be personal.”

Chinese and Taiwanese Vogue both have large domestic audiences, but Vogue Hong Kong is also positioned for fashion-forward Asians outside the territory’s Cantonese-speaking population of about 7.4 million. Its fashion director is Russian stylist Anya Ziourova, known for her international outlook and mixing brands from different price points.

While Chinese Vogue has a following of about 9.4 million on Weibo, Hong Kong Vogue has no presence on the Chinese internet. Instead, it is focusing its digital efforts on platforms like Instagram, where it ran teasers and even an ad for skincare brand La Prairie before launch.

The newest Vogue is entering a mature market, where competitors like Elle and Harper’s Bazaar have been published for decades. The Hearst titles are produced locally by the magazines division of Alibaba-owned South China Morning Post Publishers (SCMP).

But there is a sense that local fashion media has become too comfortable. “They are both quite traditional,” says Jessie Au, a senior lecturer at the Hong Kong Design Institute who specialises in fashion marketing. “We need a bit of energy injected.”

Vogue Hong Kong’s commitment to working with top creative talent like Knight gives it an edge over local competitors who, Dobrotvorskaya says, are too reliant on generic, syndicated content. “If we stop working with big photographers, it stops being Vogue,” she says.

SCMP didn’t return a request for comment.

Hong Kong’s lack of a core of homegrown designers means Voguewill take a geographically expansive approach to reporting on local fashion. That translates into covering Simone Rocha, whose father was born in the territory, and the Hong Kong-born, London-based Woolmark Prize winner Robert Wun.

“If we limit geographically that makes us very provincial,” says Au. “We are an intrinsic part of Asia — that’s what makes Hong Kong special.”

That perhaps explains the magazine’s choice of Hadid, who has been accused of racism toward Asians, for its cover. The pick stirred controversy on social media and Hong Kong Vogue pulled the US model’s solo cover from its Instagram page. Social media posters also wondered why the magazine used a Western team to shoot and style its debut cover.

Au didn’t respond to a request for comment. Condé Nast International had no comment.

Hong Kong Vogue wants to capitalise on the city’s cosmopolitanism with a bilingual website curated for an English-speaking Asian audience. The plan is to tap on the popularity of certain designers and Korean pop stars who have sizeable followings across the region.

“It’s also for those in Singapore, Malaysia or the Philippines who don’t have a Vogue yet,” Au says of the three English-speaking neighbouring countries with sizeable English-speaking populations. “There’s more relevance than a Voguefrom the US or the UK. Asian people want their own things.”

Vogue Business

 

[Bertrando3]

looooooool ``Social media posters also wondered why the magazine used a Western team to shoot and style its debut cover. Au didn’t respond to a request for comment. Condé Nast International had no comment. ´´ = that´s not good and it does not sound smart on their behalf truth be told.

 

[JPineapple]

The Face is back

 

[mikel]

WTF!!! Can’t wait to see how that will turn out.

 

[Benn98]

Actually makes more sense right now to reboot The Face than to launch another Vogue. Especially since all their hybrids like Dazed and Pop are doing so well. But I'm not sure what will make them stand out in an already cluttered ALT magazine market.