Teen Vogue: Industry and Social Media

Industry: Condé Nast

What other magazines do they publish and how much money did they make last year?

• Vogue, Allure, W, Wired, Tatler, Self, Brides - They made £113Million

What are Teen Vogue’s main sources of income?

• Advertorials, Brand deals, selling advertising space and user data, monetises 'insider' area and YouTube views.

How are traditionally print-based products like Teen Vogue diversifying to create new income streams?

• Traditionally print-based products such as Teen Vogue are diversifying their content by building an online brand- through YouTube, they can create digital content as well as sell advertisements before videos and on their website in order to generate income. 

Why is sponsored content and ‘advertorial’ particularly important in media linked to the fashion industry?

• Sponsored content and 'advertorials' are particularly important in media texts linked to the fashion industry since they combine editorials, aesthetics and commercialisation- and monetise content of certain brands, which is mutually beneficial particularly within the fashion industry as trends are constantly changing and keeping up with the times as well as exploiting pop culture and social media for advertisement is a key aspect of fashion marketing. 

Do you view Teen Vogue’s content as a form of public service media or is Condé Nast simply interested in clicks and profit?

• I believe that Teen Vogue's content does serve to start a conversation- it brings awareness to the political climate, activism and pop culture and provides an aspect of seemingly objective information on these issues. However, their motivations are arguably less genuine, the profitability of politicisation is undeniable and the range of hypocrisy in their tweets and articles that contradict the foundations of business and the ethics of activism is something that should be discussed regarding Teen vogue. My stance on this discourse, is that there is an aspect of genuineness to the motives however the commercial value should not be dismissed. 

Closure of print edition research

BBC: Teen Vogue: How will going online-only affect readers?New York Times: Condé Nast Ends Teen Vogue’s Print RunFolio: Your Teen Vogue Hot Takes Are All Wrong

Why does the BBC suggest “Teen Vogue’s digital game is strong”?

• Teen Vogue have '6 million Facebook likes, A huge Snapchat following and 3.5 million Twitter followers' is evidence that they have a strong digital game.

What does the BBC suggest is responsible for the Teen Vogue website’s success?

• Teen Vogues increased political coverage and social activism has allowed it to break waves in an increasingly politicised media climate. They are up to date with pop culture, the fashion industry as well as being politically aware.

How did Teen Vogue justify the closure of the print magazine?

• As audiences content consumption evolves, they have to modernise and calibrate the most profitable and appropriate responses to the changing media landscape. They decided to move into a field that was seemingly replacing the new mainstream media platforms.

In the BBC article, David Hepworth suggests there is a risk to going digital-only. What is it?

• Hepworth suggests that the risk of going digital is that it makes it 'harder for the brand to stand out' and particularly difficult to differentiate themselves within an over saturated market.

How do online-only publications make money?

• Advertisements, Sponsorships and selling customer data.

What does Sarah Penny suggest regarding audience consumption for print and digital – and how might it be changing for Generation-Z?

• Audience consumption is changing for Gen Z as they have an easier time navigating and consuming media through online sources, compared to millennials, Companies are now mostly prioritising digital content, as the accessibility and appeal is far more profitable than traditional sources. 

What does the New York Times say Conde Nast is known for?

• According to New York Times, Conde Nast is known for 'lavish' and 'visually rich designs'.

The New York Times states that Conde Nast expects to bring in less revenue in 2017 than 2016… by how much?

• The New York Times suggests a loss of $100Million

The Folio article also looks at the switch from print to digital. Pick out a statistic that justifies the digital-only approach.

• Teen Vogue traffic has 'surged from 2 million monthly visitors to around 9 million in recent months'

Finally, Folio also highlights some of the aspects we have studied elsewhere. Pick out two quotes from the article that link to our work on the Teen Vogue audience, representation or design.

• 'Teen Vogues ascent from lip gloss authority to the bastion of left-leaning social criticism'
• 'Teen Vogue's young female audience prefers to consume articles on mobile devices and via social media rather than in print magazines'

Social media analysis

How many followers does Teen Vogue have?

• 3.4 million

What does the Twitter feed focus on most? Does this differ to the website?

• The twitter feed focuses heavily on current social media trends, particularly online activism. This differs greatly from the website, since there is a clear focus on both aspects of Teen Vogue; the fashion magazine and the activist side. 

How are the tweets and headlines written? Can you find examples of click bait?

• Majority of the headlines are written in a colloquial manner, with a key focus on using current digital slang and abbreviations and references to pop culture or political news. There's also a clear use of clickbait, through the articles referencing celebrity relationships and how-to guides, appropriate for a young adult audience.

How does the Twitter feed use videos and images?

• The Twitter feed utilises videos and images, as a way to engage audiences and attract readers. The images used are arguably kitsch or relevant to current news, or use a celebrity in order to appeal to fans/fandoms.

Analyse the Teen Vogue Facebook page. How many ‘likes’ and ‘follows’ do they have?

• 5.88 million likes
• 5.7 million followers

Click on the Videos link on the left-hand menu. What type of content do the videos feature? Does this differ to the website or Twitter feed?

• The videos focus on far more serious topics, and have far less tabloid topics. Wellness Wednesday focuses on Women's Health  as well as their 'Ask A...' Series, which brings attention to marginalised communities who have made news in recent weeks, such as Ask an undocumented girl, a topical conversation regarding immigration within the US.

What are these events and what do they tell us about how audiences interact with the Teen Vogue brand?

• Past events include the tour of the Teen Vogue Summit and Meet up opportunities. This suggests they have an active community and want to spend time on interacting with the brand and being advocates for the messages that the brand itself promotes.

Go to the Teen Vogue Instagram page. How many followers do they have on Instagram?

• 2.7 million. 

How does the Instagram feed differ from other social media channels?

• The Instagram feed focuses on the aesthetics of news stories- conventional to the social media platform. They share celebrities selfies, as well as news stories that are 'woke' and a clear focus on digital profitability and commercial potential. The bio 'The young person's guide to conquering (and saving) the world' which brings the perhaps superficial outlook into a far more progressive narrative. 

What examples of digital convergence and synergy can you find on Teen Vogue social media including the Teen Vogue YouTube channel? (E.g. opportunities to engage with the brand across different platforms).

•  At the end of the Youtube videos, as well as in the description, there are links to their websites and social media pages. The Youtube videos also reference stars or stories that are currently online, in order to appeal to a different audience than perhaps just traditional tweets would appeal to. They also utilise the concept of challenge videos and Q&A's, conventional youtube content, and instead play these games with celebrities, a digital take on the classic quickfire print interviews.