Innovation in Fashion Publishing: Women Magazine Business Coursework

Innovation in Fashion Publishing: Women Magazine
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Innovation in Fashion Publishing: Women Magazine
Section 1. Research Report
Introduction
The fashion publishing industry is one of the most dynamic media marketing modules due to customer evolution, competition, technological advancements, and contemporary media consumption trends. Analyzing the development of women's fashion magazines helps identify the innovative approaches adopted by publishers to gain competitive advantage and market penetration. This report focuses on the role of innovations in the ideation of the modern appearance, distribution, content-to-audience specification, and involvement in fashion magazines aimed at women aged above 50 years. It analyzes the viability of the concept behind the Classic Woman Fashion magazine by highlighting the innovations exhibited in its title and audience appropriation, content selection, structure, and promotion, and distribution channels. Studying the above traits of the magazine helps in identifying the innovative aspects and unique selling points in its conceptualization, inspiration, growth potential, competitive advantage, brand mapping, value proposition, and market research which constitute its proposal strength in justifying its launch. These unique selling points are indicative of the developments in fashion publishing leading to the designing of the ideal women's magazine in the current market segmentation.
Title Analysis and Potential Consumer/Audience Selection
The magazine's title- The Classic Woman- is one of its distinguishing traits as it both denotes their age progression and their position in influencing the fashion industry for decades. In her analysis of Platinum (a 55+ target group women fashion magazine), Thorpe (2020) noted that these women usually feel exempted and mispresented by the modern magazine coverages which focus on the young despite their vast health, financial, inspirational, and technological content available. The article also notes the consumer power owned by the 50+ age group due to their preference of the print media and brand loyalty makes it a potent audience for both content and events. According to Cox and Mowatt (2007) title selection can be used to denote organizational innovation, consumer interests, and fashion needs. This shows that the title selection of The Classic Woman adheres to both the audience demographic and their role in the fashion industry consumption for five decades.
Cox et al., (2005) noted that title selection is one of the main indicators of innovation driven by demographic factors like age, status although fashion and technological changes also play a role. The name- Classic Woman is dependent on both the age and gender demographic as well as the age-group fashion role. The demographics used in the ‘classic’ name refer to the historical role of the 1960 and 70s era which consisted of the major sociopolitical movement fighting for women's rights which revolutionized the view of fashion as a way of expression. Using the name as a demographic signifier denotes the influential position of the age group in dictating fashion development in the 20th and 21st centuries. The title meets the criteria proposed by Viljakainen and Toivonen (2014) which requires title selection to shift their focus from mass audience marketing to serving a specialized market to include the consumers in the magazine identity. The name also states their pride in the fashion choices that complement their age progression as well as appreciating and valuing their status in influencing the transition from socially dictated to self-expressive women fashion. In terms of fashion, the name also shows the maturity of their fashion choices as pace setters giving it the feeling of ‘being in a club’ thus appealing to the name’s marketing value (Das, 2016). These instances on the demographic and fashion role show that the name The Classic Woman is appropriate for the 50+ women target market.
Potential Content
The content, design, style, and layout of a magazine are some of the most significant determinants of quality in a magazine as they contain differentiated specialist content directed towards brand-oriented consumer groups (Cox and Mowatt, 2007). The duo also explained that the vitality of content as an innovation indicator of specialized market segmentation has even lead to its licensing by publishers as it gives them the marketing advantage. Cross-cultural communication due to globalization and diversity also plays a critical role in determining the type of content published in a magazine. This stems from the need to contain culturally and ethnically diverse content suiting the target’s different national and local standards while being open and appreciative of the differences (Alexandersson and Matlak, 2017). The Classic Woman will publish various topics addressing specific needs of 50+ women categorized into women's wear needs, beauty products, health and fitness, financial needs, features, profiles, interviews, marketing, social responsibility, and diversity
The women’s wear section- The Classic Style- segment would constitute various fashion designs and styles for different demographics like culture, body type, seasons, and functions. It would comprise of expert advice on the above demographics with a specific concern per every issue to help with personalization. It would further involve addressing the concerns of a subscriber to help them choose a style that suits them through sharing life stories and how to help them change their style.
The main focus of the Classic Style would be covering different style factors like functions, weather, body type and culture (Source: townandcountrymag.com, drapers.com, outfittrends.com)
-4762518415Still Glam segment would also be advice-centered focused on beauty products and their use in forming identity and appropriating style and appearance to educate them on the benefits and dangers associated with various make-up. It would also involve customer participation where they can submit their home-done make up and experiences with beauty products.
(Source: womansworld.com)
Makeup, haircare, due to age and ethnicity, will comprise some of the Still Glam coverages where it will place side-to-side women indicating the different adaptations women can use for their beauty products.
left12065The next topic, Health, and Fitness will be centered on improving the health and fitness of the consumers through the selection of relevant content to help improve their wellbeing. This segment would be conducted with various fitness clubs and their experts to run the columns in helping consumers with variety and advice on the appropriate form of work out. The topic would have a subsection called Health Check written by specialized doctors that covers diseases common within the age group and the ways to cater to the patients. It would also cover topics like surgeries which are common with the age group mainly because of sickens but also because of beauty by featuring patients who have undergone the procedures and expert doctors. Healthy Living would also be condensed in the Health and Fitness topic where nutritionists help consumers check their dieting patterns. This segment would encourage consumer engagement by structuring a calendar that can help them track their progression by allowing DIY projects. Health and Fitness would be a great arena for advertisements as a segment would be provided where vetted fitness instructors, nutritionists, and doctors can provide expert advice to the consumers.
(Source: verywellfit.com)
Your Financial Needs would cover topics and articles that help consumers manage their money well as the group have a higher net worth and are more financially stable even in financial crises (Reynolds, 2014). It would also include a customer success story segment on investments as a way to incorporate consumer participation and ensure the stability of its users. Discounted adverts for subscriber businesses would also be allocated space under this section. The magazine would incorporate celebrities; sports, music, and fashion in the Features section. This would cover the dress choices, health preservation techniques, and workout routines adopted by celebrities. Q and A segments would also be included in features as well as past events that covered the age-group issues. The interviews section of the Classic Woman would cover detailed talks with health, fashion, event organizers, and finance experts on the ways to improve women and the style of 50+ years women. It would also cover social responsibility and events organized by the magazine and its partners in the promotion of its consumer group and wellbeing.
Potential Appearance
Several factors determine the appearance of a magazine to make it marketable to its target group and applicable to its topic including the use of illustrations, color, fonts, brevity, and printing paper. Classic Woman will combine pink and blue as the main cover colors as a way to embrace femininity, health awareness, and boldness. The pink stripe will be in the left foreground and a major light-blue color as the background. The main image will be of the celebrity photo; usually of a woman above 50. The Classic Woman will appear on the top in Caps and bolded as the Masthead overlapping the celebrity photo with the selling line ‘The Prime Magazine for the Prime Woman’. Common features included in the left third will be the titles of the main articles included in the Still Glam, Health and Fitness, Your Financial Needs, Feature and Interview segments of the magazine. The right third would include stories from subscribers like the success story, social events, and DIY projects. The main cover line would include the main article in the Classic style segment which will cover various fashion styles that can be adopted by the group to showcase confidence, attitude, identity, diversity, and dress choice. The same appearance will be reciprocated in the website with live links inserted in the dropdown menus and search box of any article, page, or section to help in easy navigation.
Potential Promotion and Distribution
One of the distinguishing characters of women aged 50+ is that they combine both print and online consumption of magazines due to their exposure to both newsstand and internet publishing (Thorpe, 2020). In terms of advertising, personalized marketing through mobile and social platforms to address both the diversity in the group and the developing tech-savviness is appropriate for the group (Davis, 2018). Classic Woman customers can choose which form of distribution is suitable for their taste with subscribers having the option of getting both print and softcopy of the magazine. Advertising will also combine online, through social media, apps, and traditional media like TV to cover the diverse target group. Adopting this mixed approach helps in addressing the innovative aspects that have been realized in the distribution and sales of magazines as dictated by technology and demographics (Stam, 2014).
Section 2. Sampler
Article 1. Section 2- Still Glam
Careful how you Choose your Skincare Products
Skin is one of the most sensitive organs requiring daily care thus emphasizing the importance of choosing the right product and procedure for your skin. Women aged 50+ experience hormonal shifts that alter the physical and skin composition necessitating the recommendation of the most appropriate skincare products for the maturing skin. In her analysis for the appropriate beauty products for 50+ women, Dawson (2020) noted that aging and menopausal hormones affect the estrogen concentrations which reduces skin moisture dulling its appearance. This need makes the women vulnerable to false marketing which can lead to using harmful care products in the struggle to revitalize their youth. The abundance of online vendors, unchecked marketing, and the presence of a variety of products like moisturizers, lotions, Botox, exfoliation masks, and enzymes further the possibility of choosing the wrong product.
In this issue, Still Glam helps women choose their beauty products by identifying potential harms in normal products. The article, however, only includes the harms to 50+ consumers and not overall harmfulness to different age-groups. Marketing to women above 50 years is focused on supplementing these skin deficiencies in the efforts to make up for the lost skin vitality which may lead to overuse and misuse of products if not guided by fashion professionals.
One of the most straining beauty products to your skin is exfoliation and the use of masks. Dawson (2020) notes that exfoliation strains the available estrogen affecting the collagen balance in the skin cells. This effect leads to more patched up skin since it removes the dead skin but leaves it dry and exposed to agents like cold and heat. If you must exfoliate, you should seek products rich in glycolic and hydroxy acids to help in skin moisturization during revitalization. Exfoliates and cleansers should also be rich in vitamin C to prevent tightness and dryness to help in moisture absorption (Johnson, 2019). When shopping for exfoliation products, you should focus on those with mild chemicals, and containing healing and rejuvenation vitamins and acids (Valenti, 2020).
Another factor that 50+ beauty product consumers should consider is the combination and overuse of products. Different products react differently with the skin and each other requiring an expert opinion on the compatible chemicals. Johnson (2019) encourages women to avoid becoming product junkies and choose a product that works for their skin without numerous experimentations which might do more harm than good to the aging skin. Brand loyalty should be a major factor in choosing your care products as it offers targeted chemical compositions and reactants to the skin. Brand loyalty minimizes the instances of online shopping which is a significant player in misdirecting beauty product consumers. Discouraging online shopping is due to insufficient market research.
Beauty products shopping should be a research-based process to choose what products are suitable or harmful and the compatibility of the different products. The chemical composition of beauty products should be the main factor in choosing what works for you as it depends on your skin features. Exfoliation, despite its benefits, should be one of the most revered procedures for women above 50 due to the moisture, vitamin, and chemical effect on their aging skin. Finally, limiting the number of products used for skin care is also a factor in 50+ women's makeup consumption as their skin has a low tolerance for such chemicals. Age should not prevent you from applying makeup and using beauty enhancers but should be used as the focal point of choosing what works and adopting suitable skincare.
Article 2. Section 3I. Health and Fitness: Health Check
Keep Walking Even After the Hip Procedure
left127000Arthritis is one of the commonest chronic conditions associated with age. The condition limits mobility and therefore the overall quality of life thus subscribing to the stereotype of immobility and lack of fitness and exercise for the prime woman. The good news is that it does not have to limit your active life as total hip arthroplasty (THA) has been shown to effectively treat the condition with even an assurance of 20 years (Karachalios et al., 2018). As an indication of its wide adoption, the UK had over 76,000 THAs conducted in 2014 with studies indicating that the procedure is increasingly becoming common among people younger than 60 years (Bayliss et al., 2017). The study also indicated a lower prevalence of the surgery among women aged 50+ compared to men showing lower risk exposure to the disease. Understanding the reasons, risk factors, and expected behaviors help in managing the procedure thus limiting your chance of revision.
The success rate of the procedure renders it a safe method to treat arthritis and help the active woman return to her routines even after surgery. However, before undertaking the surgery, patients should factor in the probability of revision as different risk factors contribute to the failure. In addition to the common reasons for surgery failure like wear, infection, fracture, reaction to metal, and loosening risk factors that are specific to patients can also contribute to the postoperative immobility and failure of the surgery. According to research published on PMC in 2018, some of the risk factors that you should consider before and after THA include the approach to the surgery, comorbidities like diabetes, depression and anxiety, BMI, gender, activity levels, type of diagnosis, and age.
Maintaining close contact with your doctor to monitor these factors and the progression of the healing process, the rate of wear, and the likelihood of infection are the main ways that you can ensure mobility and improved quality of life. The choice of clinic determines the surgeon’s technique and approach which also affects the likelihood of failure. The main patients can ensure DIY care at home after THA cover the care for the comorbidities and the use of...