GQ - Audience & Industries blog tasks

 Audience

Look through the GQ Media Kit and answer the following questions: 

1) How does the media kit introduction describe GQ?

GQ explores the powerful and progressive new forces shaping culture, society and commerce in Britain 

2) What does the media kit suggest about masculinity? 

As masculinity evolves, GQs authority has never been broader or stronger 

3) Pick out three statistics from the data on page 2 and explain what they suggest about the GQ audience.

7.3m total reach shows they are a large industry,

138k average HHI shows upper class

1.8m social followers large digital influence 

4) Look at page 3 - brand highlights. What special editions do GQ run and what do these suggest about the GQ audience?

Men of the year, GQ hype this shows that they are upper class company and they care about expanding there business 

5) Still on page 3, what does the video and social series section suggest about how magazine audiences are changing? 

Shows how magazine are adapting to social changes as magazines were becoming less popular due to technology 

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? 

 In the UK, getting the

cover right is paramount – at GQ

especially, most sales of the magazine

are retail rather than subscription, so

the cover has a huge impact on sales. In

America, where the majority of sales

come from subscription, meaning you

can screw up the odd cover without

too much consequence).

2) How is the magazine constructed to serve the target audience? 

we go too young or too old we would

lose that crucial aspiration factor. Young

men in their early 20s in superhero

films often didn’t sell as well as we’d

imagine, and the same went for silver-

screen legends in their 60s and 70s.

Our readers certainly may want to read

about them, but not to represent them.

3) What does the article suggest about GQ's advertisers and sponsorships - and what in turn does this tell us about the GQ audience? 

is brands that want

to promote themselves in the sphere

of male, high-end, luxury lifestyle. So,

everything from top-tier tailoring to

the latest sports cars. This tells us that GQs audience are upper class

4) What is GQ Hype - and how does it reflect the impact of digital media on traditional print media?

GQ Hype – a weekly, online-only cover. How much influence the digital media has hand on audiences leading to print creating covers online

5) Finally, what does the article say about additional revenue streams for print magazines like GQ?  

would get more attention both on

Instagram and Twitter than other

online-only stories.

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? 

 Nuts, Maxim, Front and Arena closed down or, in the case of Loaded, went online only after circulation falls.

3) What changes have been taking place at Condé Nast in recent years and why? 

the aim is a stable of magazines that stay digital-first and globally local with everything we do

Read this Press Gazette article on Conde Nast. Answer the following questions:

1) What does the article suggest about Condé Nast's recent strategy? 

 merged the global editorial teams at several of its international magazine brands including GQ, Wired, Vogue and Conde Nast

2) How does chief executive Roger Lynch describe Condé Nast and why? 

Roger Lynch told the New York Times the digital-first changes meant Conde Nast was “no longer a magazine company,”

3) What does Adam Baidawi say about Condé Nast, GQ and culture? 

Adam Baidawi told Press Gazette that despite the digital-first switch print magazines had not been significantly affected

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?

 Its brands will focus on shoppable series and reaching incremental viewers via new programmes and “supercharged” relaunches of some of its most exclusive events.

2) What examples are provided of Condé Nast's video and streaming content?

Met Gala with Vogue and Vanity Fair’s Oscars Party, which will return in 2022.

3) What does the end of the article suggest modern media audiences want? 

“Audiences want to be participants, not just passive viewers – and of course, they want content 100 per cent personalised for them,” said Chu.

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?

The similarities are fashion content and celebrity news and interviews

2) Analyse the top menu of the GQ website (e.g. Fashion / Grooming / Culture). What do the menu items suggest about GQ's audience?

It suggests GQs audience is upper class men shown through lifestyle, watches, men

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?

GQs instagrams shows use celebrity influencers and artists this influences a younger audience then the website

4) In your opinion, is GQ's social media content designed to sell the print magazine or build a digital audience? Why?

In my opinion I think it is to build the digital audience as print is becoming less and less popular and the content shows videos and interactive content helping build a digital audience 

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 think GQs online status is successful as it is adapting to the social changes, it communicates to both a younger and older audience via the website, instagram and tiktok. Eventually, I think it will replace print but some older audiences may still want to read a printed version