Online Vs Offline, the Battle for Consumer Readership
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Fashion and Content in 2020: Online vs Offline,T he Battle for Consumer Readership. By Corin Ripley. 1 Figure 1: Women reading magazine. Part 1: Contents 4 Executive summary 6 Introduction 6 Methodology Part 2: Offline .v.s. Online Page 9 Emergence of online 12 Mobile media 13 Social media 16 Environmental Concerns 18 Is print still prevalent 22 Fake News Part 3: The 2020 Consumer 25 Demographic considerations 28 Changing standards 30 One size does NOT fit all 34 The rebrand Part 4: Emerging Impacts 37 Data and personalisation 41 Covid-19 Part 5: The Solution 47 Phygital 48 Pen Portraits 56 Addressing part 2 58 Addressing part 3 60 Addressing part 4 Figure 2: several books. 65 Conclusion Word count: 7640 ARTD 3038 66 Reference list Final major project 80 Bibliography 81 Appendices 2 3 Part 1 n 2020, fashion content and how we consumeI it, is undergoing a pivotal change that will drastically change the industry for years to come. This report will examine and rationalise the evidence behind why the traditional print industry is in jeopardy, such as changing consumer demands, technology and most recently, the Covid-19 crisis. Part 1 will introduce the off verses online content battle and sets out specific objectives and methodological approaches of the report. Part 2 will examine multiple facets regarding the content battle such as technologies dramatic effect on the traditional print industry and its readership. Additionally, it analyses why traditional print is failing to achieve adequate sustainable solutions as climate change enters our concerns. Figure 4: Women holding magazine. Part 3 addresses how the shifting demands and diversifying subcultures of consumers are other content providers. This report consolidates pushing the demand for niche and varied content. the effect of Covid-19 on fashion magazines and It presents old portrayals of consumers and how how this pandemic is facilitating supplementary art direction and content as a whole is shifting to shifts to online models due to its necessity in more inclusive and dynamic representations. staying connected and engaged during the lockdown period. Part 4 deals in recent causes that are jeopardising print industries to breaking point. These include Finally, part 5 proposes a brief solution that data and personalisation within technologies addresses the issues raised in the report. By providing more unique and customer centric combining both online and offline strengths experiences, that pulling readership away from it attempts to present an innovative customer- Executive centric and personalised approach to consuming content. this report will conclude with why this solution appeals to all demographic considerations and has the potential to wins the Summary content war for the future. Figure 3: Women with tattoos. 4 5 As a result, “Magazines have suffered for years, their monopoly of readers erased by Facebook, Google and more nimble online competitors” (Ember and Grynbaum, 2017). Efforts to innovate, through website creation and social media has maintained a level of readership; unrealistic through print mediums alone; but hasn’t saved print titles from declining revenue streams due to technologies continued growth. It could be argued that print magazines are clinging on to outdated methods of content creation. However, there are arguments for the prevalence of the print industry. Distrust for online media and the emotional connection associated with tangible magazines shows a slow trend forming Figure 6: in favour of the traditional print industry. Wonderland Editorial 2. Figure 5: Wonderland Editorial 1. Methodology Objectives I have conducted a wide and comprehensive Introduction analysis into secondary research which comprises • To understand the multi-faceted reasons for the of various formats such as academic journals, fragmentation of content and the jeopardization “Fashion has always been a reflection of the what happens when the magazines begin to fall articles and books. These varying formats help of print magazines. zeitgeist” (Webb, 2019). As a consequence, behind the zeitgeist, keeping up with specific examine themes and discussion and journals fashion magazines are responsible for interpreting fashion trends but ignoring the defining change help to provide academic rigour and evidence. In • To summarise the changing ideals and demands the zeitgeist and bringing it to the masses through of the 21st century – technology. Despite fashions regard to quantitative research, the use of graphs of consumers in the past compared to consumers creative content. swift response to trends, its internal development and statistics from reports also assist in compiling now and how this in turn has affected the wider and core business is considered late or “laggards” a comprehensive assessment. Primary research content industry. The golden age of print of “the 1990’s, when glossy (Roger’s, 1995) in comparison to other industries has been conducted in the form of qualitative monthlies still soaked up millions of dollars in as it fails to take the first leap in utilising innovative interviews with industry professionals and has • To compile an innovative solution that advertising revenue” (Ember and Grynbaum, technologies as an instrument for growth. helped gain insight from inside the print industry draws on the strengths of the print and online 2017) has long since passed. As with any business, itself. Their responses will help strengthen the content industries to provide a unique business the key to growth is change and innovation, but arguments discussed in the report, whilst also opportunity. drawing attention to viewpoints not considered previously. 6 7 Figure 7: Smart phone on books. Emergence of online: he emergence of technology is the Tdefining change of the 21st century. As a result, traditional industries, such as print publications began to include online websites alongside Part 2: their long-standing print issues as a strategy to maintain readership. However, “digital magazines instead of replicas of printed magazines, based on digital devices, have been gaining popularity and preference due to its unrivalled convenience and interactivity (Wang, et al 2016). These benefits along-side a plethora of others such as “lower cost Offline vs in production and distribution” (Wang, et al 2016) are why online specific content differentiates itself hugely from its print competitor and continues to thrive in 2020. Further, “the growing availability of free content Online. online and competition for consumers leisure time for streaming services like Netflix have had a significant impact on magazine sales” (Woodcock, 2019). 2018 saw “481m consumer magazines sold, 60% less than in 2005 (Woodcock, 2019). Therefore, the steady decline in sales year after year, means that print titles must evaluate its current offline strategy and whether its needs to Figure 8: Iphone taking photo. become more online specific. 8 9 Marie Claire An example of a print publication re-evaluating This move has been a successful one with “2 its off and online channels is Marie Claire. million monthly users” (Westbrook, 2019) of the Recently, the magazine has been focusing website and involved expansion of its social media on “driving diversification and amplifying accounts, for example the “Marie Claire edit” the digital transformation of the group.” (Marie Claire, 2020). This case study evidences (Marieclaireinternational.com. n.d.). What how embracing a solely technological strategy has followed was the complete eradication of their expanded its reach and favour amongst fashion UK printed magazine to move solely online “to content readers and saved this publication from best serve the changing needs of its audiences potential eradication from the newsstand. mobile first, fast-paced, style rich lifestyles” (Westbrook, 2019). Figure 9: Marie Claire Edit Homepage. Figure 10: Marie Claire April 2019 cover. 10 11 Mobile Media Social Media Figure 11: People holding mobile phones Alongside the expansion of technology, came the birth of social media, where in 2009 alone, “Twitter grew 577%, Facebook 188.6% and LinkedIn 89%” (Siapera, 2018). More recent figures show that “worldwide there are 3.80 billion social media users in January 2020, with this number increasing by more than 9% (321 million new users) since this time last year” (We Are Social, 2020). Thus, proving social media’s continued success and unlimited potential. James Wildman, of Hearst Publications has said for its print issues “we sell nearly 5m a month…and we have 20 million unique UK users online a month, and more than double that on social media” (Sweney, M., 2018). Social The dawn of smart phones has platforms can “engage in a cultural “It is true to say that some diminished the readership and conversation each and every day” authority that print magazines (Barr, 2020). This is a substantial of the 1 million millennial used to hold. The combination of contributor to why the online women every week that look portability and the internet triggered content industry holds dominance at Cosmopolitan on Snapchat Figure 12: Social Media imagery. the access to online content “across in modern society and has stolen boundaries of space and time” prints authority in being the only don’t know we also have a media can therefore be directly attributed to (Siapera, 2018). The immediacy source of consumer receiving magazine of the same name.” the supplemental decline in traditional print of information at your fingertips content. Why buy a magazine or readership as social media is driving readers to its helped in “fulfilling readers’ instant newspaper when you can check (Sweney, M., 2018). channels. Social media is significantly responsible gratifications” (Wang, 2016). your phone? to online contents overall dominance and sizable investment in digitisation. “People pick up their mobile device 150 to 200 times a day” (Cohen, 2016). Therefore, online content 12 13 One of the reasons for social media’s popularity is Figure 14: Social Influencers. its creative freedom without the restrictions that print magazine’s face. “Design houses have issued new rules on how stylists must use their garments in editorials e.g.