GQ: Audience & Industries

 Audience

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

1) How does the media kit introduction describe GQ?

As the flagship of men’s fashion and style in Britain, to be GQ is to be forward-looking, progressive and cutting-edge.

2) What does the media kit suggest about masculinity? 

It is evolving

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

212k readership: Loyal readers

7.7k average annual spend on fashion: People who care deeply about how they look.

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

GQ heroes event

GQ hype

Men of the year

Tentpole video and social series

Their audience are high class people with influence in the media.

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

Audiences are more attentive and active on online and through videos rather than print. so GQ adjusted to that and it has shown their success in the view numbers.

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? 

Someone who has influence, attention or did something  significant.

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

Through traditional masculine colours for the colour scheme such a blue, red and white and through the repetition of male celebrities throughout the covers.,

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

They mainly decide the feature based on how famous and influential they are but this makes the audience behave as if they have a say on who gets featured for the magazine which they don't. This tells us that the audience have high entitlement.

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

GQ Hype is a digital weekly sub-brand of British GQ that offers a variety of content, including news, features, and opinion pieces, with a focus on fashion, lifestyle, and culture, but also including politics, sport, and other topics.

 

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

It is vital

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 closed down.

3) What changes have been taking place at Condé Nast in recent years and why? 
Nw editions because new people in charge.

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

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

It is doing well as it has been having a 77% year and year increase.

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

It is no longer and magazine company because they have 70 mil reading but 300 something million interacting with their websites.

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

Conde nast is in the business of shaping and reflecting culture, e.g. GQ.

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?

Focusing more on digital media/ websites for audiences

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

Agnes Chu

3) What does the end of the article suggest modern media audiences want? 
Modern audiences on the media mainly use streaming and digital media rather than broadcasted content.

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?
Celebrity promotion heavy.

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

They are people who care deeply about their appearance and how they present themselves (metrosexual)

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?

Their brand is purely celebrities and representing celebrities who either made a difference or are currently popular

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

Build a digital audience, because there was barely any mention of their magazine but clearly a lot of effort has been put into how the websites work and appear.

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?

Yes it communicates with the audience considering the millions they have that interact with their websites especially over the amount who buy their magazines. Digital platforms won't completely replace magazines, however, significantly less would be bought and probbaly bought to be collected by people who really enjoy that company.