The Business of Magazines

[reesewu]

I mean, I got my new issue of UK Vogue in the mail today and it's what, 200 pages? Undeniably that's more thicc than all but the March and September issues of US Vogue these days, but it's hardly a tome. Pages and pages of cheapo adverts in the back. And the issue itself is discounted with a sticker on the cover advertising that it's £2. They're basically giving them away, whereas US Vogue, though slim, still commands $8 or $10 on the newsstand and is never discounted. So right away I'd say CN is taking a substantial hit on those issues of UK Vogue because they're desperate to sell as many as possible, because they're relying more or less entirely on the print advertising.

US Vogue still has more print advertising than most American magazines. GQ, Esquire, Elle Decor, House Beautiful, Vanity Fair, etc. etc. all these magazines I get are regularly hovering around 100 pages (often less) per month. So yeah, 125-150 pages for US Vogue isn't good, but it actually is notably thicker than many other American magazines. Meanwhile, I log onto Instagram, YouTube, or even Tiktok and I'm seeing US Vogue content with super high engagement, sometimes tens of millions of views, digital advertising exclusives with brands like Gucci and Burberry. Brands are still working with US Vogue, it's just increasingly digital. And that seems to be the direction most will be forced, and one that seems more sustainable for the immediate future. Take US Vogue's youtube channel as an example. Close to 9 million subscribers, a couple BILLION views on their videos, tens of millions per month. Not even counting specific brand sponsorships, I'd say they probably make 3 million just off their cut of the youtube-placed ads. Then you get into their sponsored content, website ads, instagram ads, etc. I'm not an expert, but US Vogue is definitely pulling in millions and millions in online advertising, and probably still command top dollar (more than UK Vogue) for print ads, too. UK Vogue probably makes in a month what US Vogue does in a day, in terms of online revenue. That's increasingly where advertisers are putting their budgets.

I love print magazines, and I will be upset if/when they stop printing magazines, at least on a monthly basis. However, I cannot pretend, looking forward to 2021 and beyond, that focusing on print ads (and then having to greatly discount your magazine to move them so you can maintain your numbers to keep the print advertisers coming back) is best business practice.

It’s interesting how any news about Anna and Edward has always lead to the discussion about their treatments to their respective editions on this forum even if the initial news itself doesn’t focus on such topic.

First of all, how do you even know if Edward is more or less focusing entirely on print advertising? As far as I’m concerned, the total revenue from digital advertising is rarely published to the public. For all we know, the inventories that UK Vogue sells on their website are selling like crazy, not to mention if they make them available for programmatic buying, which has been a common practice for display network, digital placement.

And how on earth did his decision to discount prices affect the entirety of CN? I’m genuinely confused as to how that works entirely. We may not know if percentages of his magazine’s revenue is bigger, less big, or as big as US Vogue’s but even without the available information on online revenues, his ad pages were significantly more than the majority of Vogue editions all over the world. How did that hurt the CN business as you implied?

 

[MON]

Its really hard to compare ad strategies for US and UK because those are separate and distinct markets.

If you want to make a case against Anna, compare her magazine to her ACTUAL competitors — US Bazaar and US Elle.

The constant need to drag Edward or Anna in to every post regarding anyone of them is already borderline fan war discussion rather than a logical marketing/advertising discussion.

Anyway, if you want to fact check the post check ad prices for Bazaar and Elle compared to that of Elle. Is Vogue more expensive? If yes, then Anna even reaching 100 pages is already a feat and no wonder CN values her. If Elle/Bazaar is more expensive, then this 100 page pamphlet of a magazine is humiliating. That is how the discussion should be.

 

[JPineapple]

I didn’t know in which thread post it but Karla Martínez (Vogue Mexico EIC) made a post about my thesis (also she’s reading it). I can’t stop screaming.

Also, I want to share this moment with you guys, means a lot to me, even I mentioned the forum in one of the chapters.

 

[Xone]

I didn’t know in which thread post it but Karla Martínez (Vogue Mexico EIC) made a post about my thesis (also she’s reading it). I can’t stop screaming.

Also, I want to share this moment with you guys, means a lot to me, even I mentioned the forum in one of the chapters.

congrats!

 

[KoV]

That’s awesome, congrats!

 

[marsnoop2]

Felicidades!!

 

[MON]

A whole mood! Congrats jorge!

 

[JPineapple]

Thank you guys!!!

 

[Benn98]

Thank you guys!!!

Oh, that's splendid, Jorge!
Very keen to read it, so please do share it with us when you can.

Karla is already one of my favourite EICs at the moment, and her acknowledging and sharing her spotlight like this just makes me like her even more.

 

[dodencebt]

This is amazing, congrats Jorge!!!

 

[aracic]

Vogue Archive

Perhaps not exactly on topic in this thread, but I wanted to share this very accurate (Nike?) ad published in Vogue, 1999. I feel like it's definitely something that should be printed on the back page of every single fashion magazine today because people seem to have forgotten unfortunately. Everyone needs a reminder that fashion magazines aren't supposed to mirror all the misery and ugliness of our world, but should rather offer an escape and inspiration by their creativity and beauty.

Also congratulations to @jorgepalomo that is such an amazing achievement!

 

[velvetandsilk]

Anyway, if you want to fact check the post check ad prices for Bazaar and Elle compared to that of Elle. Is Vogue more expensive? If yes, then Anna even reaching 100 pages is already a feat and no wonder CN values her. If Elle/Bazaar is more expensive, then this 100 page pamphlet of a magazine is humiliating. That is how the discussion should be.

Elle Circulation:
Total Circulation: 1,066,466
Total paid and verified subscribtions: 1,034,112
Paid subscribtions: 977,997
Verified subscribtions: 56,115
Single copy seles: 32,354
Rate base: 1,050,000

Harper's baazar Circulation:
Total Circulation: 762,088
Total paid and verified subscribtions: 714,378
Paid subscribtions: 686,123
Verified subscribtions: 28,255
Single copy seles: 47,710
Rate base: 750,000

ellemediakit.com, Harper's Bazaar Media Kit
Vogue USA I found data from 2016:
https://www.directactionmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Vogue-Media-Kit.pdf

 

[velvetandsilk]

Tanslate by google:
Conde Nast, the editor behind publications like Vogue, Vanity Fair or The New Yorker, is going through the most complicated stage in its history. Despite the current reduction in expenses and decided commitment to the digital environment, the company has not closed its accounts in green for years. Rather, it accumulates annual losses of more than 100 million dollars, a situation before which it has decided to dispose of some of its publications.
The New York Times claims that Robert A. Sauerberg Jr., the CEO of Condé Nast, has proposed to the company's board the sale of three magazines as a savings measure. These are the publications Brides, Golf Digest and W, the latter specialized in fashion. The decision to put these assets on the market would have been made after losing more than 120 million dollars in 2017. Several US media outlets highlight the drastic nature of it for a publisher that, in the effort to balance its numbers, has ordered shutting down the print versions of Self and Teen Vogue and laying off about 80 employees last year. As a complementary measure, the company has begun leasing six of the 23 floors of One World Trade Center, the Lower Manhattan tower where it has operated its headquarters since 2015. Part of the newsrooms of The New Yorker and Vanity Fair will be affected with the entry of new tenants in the building. Although Condé Nast's situation is no worse than that of other media organizations, it has suffered like any other, the double-digit drop in magazine sales and advertising. In fact, the economic hole last year came about due to a sharp drop in advertising revenue from print editions. Her failed bet on projects like Style has also taken its toll. The publisher left this online fashion site last year, after nine months of development and an investment of more than 100 million dollars.
On the other hand, she hopes to make a profit from CitizenNet, the platform dedicated to selling targeted ads that she recently bought. But it's not all bad news. A few days ago, Condé Nast confirmed the continuity of Anna Wintour, its creative director and editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine and creative director, on an "indefinite" basis.
"Anna Wintour is an incredibly creative and talented leader whose influence is incalculable," said the group's CEO on her Twitter account. Sauerbeg with this confirmation extinguished the rumors that spoke about the retirement of Wintour, 67, after almost four decades linked to the company.
source
They have problems due to bad management and investment.

 

[MDNA]

Paco Tang, Group Publisher of Condé Nast China, resigns due to new global leadership structure.

 

[Hafyiez wafa]

Paco Tang, Group Publisher of Condé Nast China, resigns due to new global leadership structure.

 

[reesewu]

View attachment 1164059

Elle Circulation:
Total Circulation: 1,066,466
Total paid and verified subscribtions: 1,034,112
Paid subscribtions: 977,997
Verified subscribtions: 56,115
Single copy seles: 32,354
Rate base: 1,050,000

Harper's baazar Circulation:
Total Circulation: 762,088
Total paid and verified subscribtions: 714,378
Paid subscribtions: 686,123
Verified subscribtions: 28,255
Single copy seles: 47,710
Rate base: 750,000

ellemediakit.com, Harper's Bazaar Media Kit
Vogue USA I found data from 2016:
https://www.directactionmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Vogue-Media-Kit.pdf

So things are a little bit different on the other side of the atlantic. Is it safe to say that your idea of circulation = paid & verified subscription + single copy sales? Because here in the majority of South East Asian countries, circulation only refers to the total copies being produced but not necessarily purchased or subscribed. We have another term for the latter measurement, which is readership.

 

[Benn98]

GQ China is a well-oiled machine that doesn't need changing, in fact all CN China magazines are well run! Even CN Traveller.
Why meddle with that?

 

[GivenchyAddict]

^ CN wants to get more money to repair the mess they did the past few years. And well as the whole industry they can only rely on the Chinese. Because they buy clothes, they buy magazine unlike.. us i would say.

I am tired of how China is still considered the cash cow by most of the industry.

But besides that, corruption was very present at CN China. It was a matter of time for Paco Tang. Covid 19 just delayed his departure I think.

 

[Benn98]

So Vogue actually reached out to her for a profile, and followed up with her 2 months later, adding that 'it might be a cover'?

Also, with friends like this Stephanie woman, who needs enemies?

 

[reesewu]

So Vogue actually reached out to her for a profile, and followed up with her 2 months later, adding that 'it might be a cover'?

Also, with friends like this Stephanie woman, who needs enemies?

Lol ever since Omarosa’s expose, I had predicted that a lot of Trump insiders were going to consist of disingenuous posse who would then spill every tea about them once he got sacked from the White House. They were looking to cash in on his downfall when the time is right. And now, this is the time.