Audience
Look through the GQ Media Kit and answer the following questions:
1) How does the media kit introduction describe GQ?
It described GQ as being the ‘flagship of men’s fashion and style in Britain’ and ‘progressive and cutting edge”.
2) What does the media kit suggest about masculinity?
It suggests that masculinity is evolving.
3) Pick out three statistics from the data on page 2 and explain what they suggest about the GQ audience.
61% ABC1: Readers are mainly well educated and successful people.
£138k average HHI: This is considered a high income in the UK which suggests GQ appeals to professionals/other highly paid people.
£7.7k annual spend on fashion: This suggests the average reader has a high interest in fashion and are likely very conscious of their style.
4) Look at page 3 - brand highlights. What special editions do GQ run and what do these suggest about the GQ audience?
GQ Heroes: panels and live performances bringing together gamechangers, creative radicals, deep thinkers and cultural icons. This suggests the GQ audience are educated and appreciate listening to intelligent discussions.
GQ Hype: in-depth profiles of stars who are considered opinion leaders in media and cultural discussions. This suggests the audience are engaged in celebrity culture and stay up to date with celebrity’s lives.
Men of the year awards: High profile event attended by popular celebrities and receiving 9.8 billion views. This is an extremely exclusive event with many big names making an appearance with red carpet coverage which suggests the audience are attracted to the glamour and status being represented, possibly due to it being something they chase themselves.
5) Still on page 3, what does the video and social series section suggest about how magazine audiences are changing?
Audiences are starting to become mainly digital as people expect short form content which they can share with friends at the click of a button.
Media Magazine feature: GQ
Go to our Media Magazine archive and read the article on GQ (MM82 - page 12). Answer the following questions:
1) What are the elements that go into choosing a cover stars for GQ?
The person should be someone that’s: currently in the public eye, has cultural relevance, willing to do something new for the cover, exclusive to GQ and someone the audience aspires to be.
2) How is the magazine constructed to serve the target audience?
It serves its target audience by having a focus on men’s fashion, trying to be unpredictable and having a good balance of content.
3) What does the article suggest about GQ's advertisers and sponsorships - and what in turn does this tell us about the GQ audience?
The advertises are mainly luxury brands which sell high end items which tells us the readers of GQ must be wealthy as the advertisers choose to promote their product (which not many can afford) to them.
4) What is GQ Hype - and how does it reflect the impact of digital media on traditional print media?
GQ Hype is a weekly celebrity cover/profile which is exclusively online. Being digital gives it a higher chance of going viral and being consumed by many more people than a print version would’ve. This reflects how digital media has expanded the possibilities of what audiences have access to.
5) Finally, what does the article say about additional revenue streams for print magazines like GQ?
They can earn money from advertising, sponsorship and their in person events where they charge large amounts for tickets to attend.
Industries
Your industries contexts are divided into three areas - Conde Nast, GQ's website and social media content and the impact of digital media on print industries.
Condé Nast
Read this Guardian news article on editorial changes at Condé Nast and answer the following questions:
1) Who was previously GQ editor for 22 years?
Dylan Jones
2) What happened to the 'lads' mag' boom magazines such as Nuts, Maxim and Loaded?
They were closed down or went online due to circulation fails.
3) What changes have been taking place at Condé Nast in recent years and why?
They’ve been trying to focus on digital media more in recent years due to the rise in digital products and the decline in magazine readers.
Read this Press Gazette article on Conde Nast. Answer the following questions:
1) What does the article suggest about Condé Nast's recent strategy?
They’ve merged global editorial teams to prevent duplication of content as they move towards a digital first approach.
2) How does chief executive Roger Lynch describe Condé Nast and why?
He believes it’s no longer a magazine company as they have only 70m people reading their magazines each month but they have 300m on their website and 450m interacting with their social media.
3) What does Adam Baidawi say about Condé Nast, GQ and culture?
He believes they need to evolve with culture in order to stay relevant and not lose their audience.
Read this FIPP feature on Condé Nast diversifying into video and streaming content. Answer the following questions:
1) How is Condé Nast moving away from traditional print products?
Conde Nast are investing heavily in streaming content and video instead of traditional print.
2) What examples are provided of Condé Nast's video and streaming content?
GQ sports (the super bowl) and exclusive access to relaunch the met gala.
3) What does the end of the article suggest modern media audiences want?
It suggests that modern audiences want to be actively involved in the media they're consuming rather than just sitting back and absorbing it.
1) What similarities do you notice between the website and the print edition of the magazine?
Both the print and magazine have a central image as the cover to do with fashion however the website has a video rather than a still image. They both have designer/luxury adverts such as the rolex advert promoting high end items and they both contain the same type of content.
2) Analyse the top menu of the GQ website (e.g. Fashion / Grooming / Culture). What do the menu items suggest about GQ's audience?
3) What does GQ's Instagram feed suggest about the GQ brand? Is this appealing to a similar audience to the print version of the magazine?
The GQ Instagram features similar images to those on the covers on their magazines (high quality celebrity feature photos) but they also have clips from their online content and events which shows they’re trying to appeal to a wider (probably younger) audience.
4) In your opinion, is GQ's social media content designed to sell the print magazine or build a digital audience? Why?
I believe their social media is being used to build a digital audience rather than generate sales for their magazine. This is because they don’t directly promote the magazine but rather just use the platform as a place to engage with their audience and build their brand image.
5) Evaluate the success of the GQ brand online. Does it successfully communicate with its target audience? Will the digital platforms eventually replace the print magazine completely?
It suggests that modern audiences want to be actively involved in the media they're consuming rather than just sitting back and absorbing it.
GQ website, video and social media content
Visit the GQ website, Instagram and YouTube channel. Note that some of these may be blocked in school. Once you have looked over GQ's online content, answer the following questions:
1) What similarities do you notice between the website and the print edition of the magazine?
Both the print and magazine have a central image as the cover to do with fashion however the website has a video rather than a still image. They both have designer/luxury adverts such as the rolex advert promoting high end items and they both contain the same type of content.
2) Analyse the top menu of the GQ website (e.g. Fashion / Grooming / Culture). What do the menu items suggest about GQ's audience?
The menu suggests that the audience are culturally aware, concerned about their appearance and aspire to live a luxury lifestyle/already do .
3) What does GQ's Instagram feed suggest about the GQ brand? Is this appealing to a similar audience to the print version of the magazine?
The GQ Instagram features similar images to those on the covers on their magazines (high quality celebrity feature photos) but they also have clips from their online content and events which shows they’re trying to appeal to a wider (probably younger) audience.
4) In your opinion, is GQ's social media content designed to sell the print magazine or build a digital audience? Why?
I believe their social media is being used to build a digital audience rather than generate sales for their magazine. This is because they don’t directly promote the magazine but rather just use the platform as a place to engage with their audience and build their brand image.
5) Evaluate the success of the GQ brand online. Does it successfully communicate with its target audience? Will the digital platforms eventually replace the print magazine completely?
I believe GQs online presence has been a success as they have kept the same brand image from their print which has gained them millions of followers and helped them build a stronger relationship with their audience. I believe they’re not going to entirely replace print but I do think that print will become a lot more niche and they will follow in the steps of the gentlewoman who publish their magazine only twice a year for their more sophisticated audience who prefer print over digital as it means they’ll likely make more profit knowing they have a more exclusive product.
