Voir Marketing Strategy

MARKETING STRATEGY AND COMMUNICATION PLAN

ALICE WALKER N0673122 WORD COUNT: 3,657

CONTENTS Introduction 1 Methodology 3-4 Market Overview Brand Overview 5-10 Consumer Analysis 11-16 Positioning 17 Competitors Analysis 18 Market Overview 19-22 STEEPLE 23 Macro/Micro Trends 25-28 Brand Strategy Current Strategy 30 Aim/Objectives 31-32 Gap Planning 33-34 Marketing Strategy Three Year Strategy 35 Communication Plan 37-40 Creative Concept 41-46 Targeting 47-48 DRIP Model 49-50 Project Management Budgeting 51 Schedule 52 Measure and Review 53-54 Conclusion 55

INTRODUCTION The print industry is in serious decline.

Meanwhile, circulation of digital magazines are on the rise and expected to grow but with strong competition, brands are looking to diversify their roles and revenue sources.

Events, e-commerce, podcasts and social media platforms all offer ways of expanding what is meant by a magazine brand.

Voir Fashion Magazine is a contemporary digital publication, established in 2013 and since then has been successful in communicating an empowering genre of fashion, beauty and lifestyle to an international audience. The purpose of this report is to give an insight into the digital magazine market, identifying the key opportunities and challenges. From this, a three-year marketing strategy plan will be provided, as well as a one-year tactical communication plan in order for Voir to be able to grow their visibility and increase engagement.

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METHODOLOGY RESEARCH OBJECTIVES:

Gain insight into the magazine market and the issues and challenges it face to prepare Voir.

Understand the needs of the consumer in today’s digitalised fashion industry so Voir can stay appealing to them.

Find out more about Voir as a brand, where they see themselves now and the direction they want to be going in.

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SECONDARY RESEARCH: Online resources such as Mintel and Euromonitor were used to give trustworthy business information and literature research was conducted to support primary research.

PRIMARY RESEARCH: Quantitative: Online Survey Qualitative: Editor Interview

SAMPLE:

Online Survey: 52 Editor Interview: 1

METHOD:

The online survey was conducted to provide a broad range of answers and information that can easily be communicated in the report. A one on one interview was conducted with the editor in chief at Voir magazine in order to gain a better understanding of the company and the vision she has for the brand in the future.

LIMITATIONS

With Voir being a new brand, they have a small team to bring the publication to life. This helped in getting an in depth interview with the editor in chief however it was challenging to find different, un biased opinions on the newly formed publication.

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BRAND OVERVIEW VOIR’S STORY

In 2012 two people came together and decided to collaborate with their creativity. Styling and photography grew into fashion stories, and fashion stories evolved into magazine editorial spreads which first aired the world in 2013. Voir has forged a unique position amongst digital magazines in that it confidently draws on a new genre of fashion and beauty, and delivers it to empower its international readers.

Characterised by a unique combination of eye-catching covers, sassy language, arresting typography and powerful use of imagery, it is a quarterly magazine fashioned to arouse the interest of the digital generation. Five years on and Voir Fashion magazine has established itself as a contemporary, boutique publication for those daring to be different, and those unafraid to dream.

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THE PORTFOLIO

Its services are divided into 3 parts; Studio Voir, Voir Fashion Magazine and Voir Fashion Digital which each caters for a particular requirement along the style spectrum. Studio Voir offers clients a service to capture advertising content.

The magazine is purely digital, available on issuu.com and Read in 785+ luxury venues via the GoldKeyŽ Media Box including hotels, airport lounges and private members’ clubs. Then lastly, Voir Digital offers short articles online and this report will only focus on the magazine and digital side of Voir.

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ESSENCE

Diverse, current and empowering

VISION

They strive to communicate captivating instalments of fashion and beauty, which continue through the Voir website and social media channels.

MISSION

Voir means ‘to see’ in French, and the brand’s ethos embraces the notion of ‘vision to communicate to inspire’.

Their mission is to offer an informative, interactive and inspiring publication for those daring to be different, and those unafraid to dream.

VALUES

They want their message to be clear and inspiring, giving their audience the confidence to push their own boundaries.

PERSONALITY

Creative, fearless and stylish

EMOTIONAL BENEFITS Stimulating, empowering and inspirational

FUNCTIONAL BENEFITS

Accessible, high quality and informative

USP

Purely digital, give all the trends straight to the point, without the cost.

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HEALTH CHECK Available for everyone on an international level online with no cost

Lack of awareness surrounding the brand

Available in 785+ selective luxury international venues, reflecting the high standard of the brand

Whilst having relatively high readership in the US the magazine is mostly focused on the British fashion market

Offers inspiring and unique fashion and beauty stories that are inclusive for the reader

Lower social media following compared to competitors and does not post regularly on Instagram stories

Bold, unique and artistic aesthetics, that are communicated on all platforms

Doesn’t have a YouTube channel or public snapchat

Become more interactive with a YouTube channel, snapchat and possibly a new app

New magazine brand, so information may seem less reliable than more established brands like vogue

Offering personalised fashion and beauty content engages readers on a more intimate and interesting way

Bloggers and influencers are where consumers are going for fashion stories instead of magazines as they can be seen as moving “too slow� in comparison

Collaborate with influencers to gain more visibilty Enhance social media content management

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Lots of competition from other well known digital magazines

This SWOT analysis identifies the four key areas Voir must consider in their strategic planning. In terms of likeliness of success for the opportunities, creating their own YouTube channel and snapchat would broaden their online identity, offering more touchpoints for Voir readers to engage with the brand. However, creating their own app will be harder to incorporate on a small budget, but this needs to be considered in order to keep exciting content available.

The highest probability of occurrence in threats would be the cultural shift in how audiences consume fashion these days, by looking to instagrammers and bloggers for inspiration and current trends. This is a big threat for Voir as they will have to stay up to date with offering quick responses on what is happening in the fashion world, meaning staying relevant on social media must be a priority.

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WHO READS VOIR FASHION? Top 10 Countries - reading figures United Kingdom 18,200 United States 13,532 Italy 3,550 France 3,438 Brazil 3,212 China 3,186 Spain 3,045 Russian Federation 3,007 Germany 2,935 Mexico 2,598 Source: Issuu.com 11

Voir has been viewed by: 3,711,085 Readers 54% on a Desktop 21% on a Tablet 25% on a Mobile 6:34mins - average time spent reading

Reader Engagement Fashion & Celebrity 70% Beauty 30%

Reader Age

18-24 years 36% 25-34 years 42% 35-44 years 13% 45 and over 9% Average age of reader 28

Gender Profile Female 73% Male 27%

Top 10 Hotels

Dorchester London Savoy London Sheraton Grand Edinburgh Sofitel Vienna Stephansdom Austria SINA Hotel Bernini Bristol Rome Mandarin Oriental Singapore Mandarin Oriental Paris Mandarin Oriental New York Mandarin Oriental Tokyo Japan Hotel Relais Borgo San Pietro Italy Source: GoldKey Media

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PEN PORTRAIT

Niomi is a 26 year old confident female who expresses her personality through her own unique style.

She has always loved fashion, being the first to try out new trends and she views style as something fun and exciting rather than intimidating and serious.

Enjoys her single life, meeting with friends, going for drinks and doing city breaks around Europe.

She is fearless, likes standing out from the crowd and wants to push her own boundaries in every aspect of her life.

Social media is a necessity and she follows many fashion influencers like inthefrow and Samantha Maria.

Most of her style inspo comes from Instagram, whilst also reading magazines and blogs when she has spare time.

She wants to immerse herself online and share the same values she has with the ones she connects with Niomi is always on the look out for new stimulating content in an online world that is very crowded, anything that offers a unique and creative outlook on fashion which is able to motivate and inspire her.

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SECONDARY CONSUMER Maya is a 21 year old college student from America.

She is an early adopter in every aspect of her life.

She loves being the first to discover new trends, music, films, recipes and beauty looks.

With her new found freedom, her fresh style is always on the hunt for exciting ways to stand out from the crowd and express herself.

She is original and not afraid to experiment.

She is involved heavily in political discussion and always stands up for what she believes in.

The recent coverage of campaigns such as “Times Up” and “March For Our Lives” have really inspired her.

She shares lots of online articles from these campaigns on her social medias to do what she can to spread the word.

To inspire and motivate her in her own life and style, she purely looks online at magazines that are trend driven, show the latest up and coming talent and motivate her to not be afraid to stand out.

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POSITIONING

This is a positioning map to show where Voir currently sit in the magazine industry. Voir is looking to move into the space of offering more diverse content to younger readers to reflect the editor in chief’s personal style and what she is passionate about. This will be achieved over the next three years after following this strategy.

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COMPETITOR ANALYSIS

Notion magazine is Voir’s main competitor as they have had cross overs with who they both feature, for example Vick Hope and M.O. Their content is similar in terms of featuring up and coming talent and Notion magazine also focuses heavily on music which is a segment that Voir would like to incorporate into their own magazine. It was established in 2004 so they have higher visibility compared to Voir, however Voir are purely digital and also have strong values of mixing high fashion with high street.

The general Instagram and blogging world is another huge competitor for Voir with them only being digital. It is hard for Voir to keep pace with the franetic speed of social media and the almost instantaneous coverage.

Therefore, Voir will have to work harder for attention in a competitive market. They need to diversify and become an omniplatform business.

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MARKET OVERVIEW

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Mintel estimates that print magazine circulation will fall by a further 5% in 2017 to 873 million and the rate of decline does not appear likely to slow significantly over the coming years with a forecasting drop of 22% in circulation between 2017 and 2022 to reach 683 million.

This has shown to have a detrimental effect on fashion magazines like Glamour.

In October 2017 Glamour announced it was to become digital first, publishing only two print editions a year. Significantly reducing cover prices or moving towards a free model present alternative ways of combating the print problem.

This is positive news for Voir with them being almost ahead of the competition and purely digital. “Average circulation of the top ten digital magazines grew by 19% year-on-year in the six months to June 2017.� (Mintel, 2017)

Although, this online world means that brands are looking to diversify their roles and revenue sources. Events, e-commerce, podcasts and social media platforms all offer ways of expanding what is meant by a magazine brand.

Events and real-world activities have become an increasingly popular way for a magazine to boost brand awareness and raise revenue through advertising, ticket prices and merchandise.

Glamour’s “Women of the Year Award” and “Beauty Festival” are examples of events magazines have used to create another touchpoint with their audience.

The quality of consumer engagement at these events are high, making them particularly enticing for advertisers.

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SOCIAL MEDIA “A living, breathing personality is created on social media and brands must have a content strategy in place to control how people receive the brand.�

(Schofield, 2011) Social media allows brands to establish a public voice and presence online whilst promoting innovation and relevance for the brand.

(Mintel, 2017)

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It also plays a key role in content discovery which is Voir’s main challenge. It is shown in this graph from Mintel that 52% of 16-24 year olds have clicked through to a magazines website or app via social media and linking this to Voir, 51% of people visit the Voir website via Instagram meaning this must be their main focus in content creation.

(Survey Monkey, 2018)

Consumers expect a consistent brand experience at all times.

Primary research from an online survey proved that 78% of people agreed that is it important for fashion magazines to be posting regularly on social media.

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Brands are under pressure to improve diversity and inclusion in their hiring. Thanks to politicised generation Z and the mainstream feminist movement, sexist images and limited representation are increasingly being called out publicly.

Media brands hoping to appeal to a younger audience have to embed values of diversity, intersectionality and inclusion in their philosophy from the get-go.

With the fast paced world of social media, influencers and bloggers are the new trendsetters. Magazines need to be active on their social media platforms in order to compete.

Consumers turn to their mobile phones for research, looking for inspiration and price comparison, “spending an average of six hours per week on researching fashion on their phones.” (BoF, 2018) Economic volatility can affect sales and profits. “1.5% projected UK GDP growth in 2018” with “1.1% projected UK consumer spending growth in 2018.” (PWC, 2018) Meaning consumers might be more likely to look for inspiration in the magazine for their next purchase with the positive, slight economic reassurance.

With the print industry going through a decline, the increase in digital publications are better for the environment in reducing waste.

Fast Fashion causes detrimental effects on the environment and many people are beginning to realise this, Voir can align with consumer expectation to support environmental and sustainable fashion to please the conscious consumers.

Political instability and terrorism continue to pose a threat to business and readers might be less likely to spend time reading a fashion magazine because of political tension.

Teen Vogue became known for its political statements and Fashion magazines should be supporting important protests but also being careful in swaying readers political views.

The new legislation, double opt-in means that in order to sign up for communications, audiences will have to fill out a form or tick a box and then confirm it was their actions in a further email. While this approach will hinder the amount of data Voir can communicate with, they will need legal consent to give a continuous stream of marketing material if they wish to avoid the penalties.

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Social media allows customer empowerment and transparency within a business is key when aiming to be an ethical brand. If consumers engage with a brand because they respect what it stands for they will want to feel confident that the values will be upheld over time.

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PERSONALISATION

“The rapid expansion of the internet and continued fragmentation of mass media have brought the need for personalised marketing into sharp focus.” (Keller, 2013) Consumers are happier to hand over data to get a more tailored experience.

One reason for this development is consumers growing desire to use their fashion choices to express their own style, self-image, and values on social media. “Many consumers, in particular younger generations like millennials and GenZers, share close to everything on social media. In pursuit of “likes” and building their own personal brands” (BoF, 2018) Therefore, with the use of artificial intelligence and data, online platforms can make an impersonal environment seem highly personal which Voir can incorporate into their existing subscription marketing or develop it for the future.

(Survey Monkey, 2018) 25

The BoF-McKinsey Global Fashion survey identifies personalisation as the number one trend in 2018 and according to a Linkdex survey, more than 70 percent of US consumers expect some sort of personalisation from online businesses.

The graph below shows from primary research that 42% of people said that if a fashion magazine were to offer personalised content, that would appeal to them, with another 42% saying it might appeal.

MACRO TRENDS MOBILE TECHNOLOGY

“Half of millennials spend more than three hours every day on their devices with consumers using their mobile phones for research, covering everything from inspiration to price comparison, spending an average of six hours per week on researching fashion on their phones.” (BoF, 2018) “The mobile app landscape is booming incredibly as 81.9% of mobile time in the UK is spent on smartphone apps” (Vasarni, 2017) Therefore it is crucial for Voir to be engaging their mobile audience with the possibility of bringing out their own app.

INFLUENCERS

According to Forbes, a recent survey revealed 84 percent of marketer’s plan on executing at least one influencer marketing campaign during the next 12 months, and eConsultancy reports that almost 60 percent of fashion and beauty brands have an influencer marketing strategy in place, while a further 21 percent plan to invest in it over the next year.

Influencers have become the new trendsetters offering instantaneous coverage to their followers. Publications have to work harder for attention in a competitive market and diversify to become an omni-platform business meaning Voir will need to embrace influencers into their own strategy rather than try and compete.

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MICRO TRENDS AUDIO BRANDING

Specifically podcasts, which are one of the fastest growing forms of media and according to numbers from Edison “67 million Americans listen to podcasts monthly and 40 percent of Americans have listened to a podcast at some point, with monthly listeners growing more than 20 percent year-over-year.”

Many fashion publications have seen this rapid growth and brought out their own podcasts for example Vice magazine, Vogue and the Business of Fashion, enabling them to connect with people while they are on the go.

“33% of magazine readers aged 16-34 have already listened to a magazine podcast and 47% would listen to one in the future.” (Mintel, 2017) From a marketing perspective, podcasts represent a conversational and low-cost format to entertain their audience which is something Voir can incorporate into their strategy while keeping within a low budget.

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INTERSECTIONALITY

“If consumers engage with a brand because they respect what it stands for they will want to feel confident that the values will be upheld over time.”

(Posner, 2015) Thanks to the highly politicised generation Z and the mainstream feminist movement, lazy, sexist images and limited representation are increasingly being called out publicly.

“Media brands hoping to appeal to a younger audience have to embed values of diversity, intersectionality and inclusion in their philosophy from the get-go.” (The Future 100, 2018)

The media company Condé Nast has just launched a teen and millennial LGBTQ-focused publication called “them,” which “wants to make sure that we’re inviting people to participate,” says creator and chief content officer Phillip Picardi. “Intersectionality and representation are going to be crucial to the brand’s very success and acceptance.” Therefore, if Voir are wanting to appeal to a younger audience they will need to diversify their magazine, pushing the boundaries of fashion and beauty in order to excite the younger generation.

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CURRENT STRATEGY PRODUCT

Voir’s product is a quarterly, highly visual magazine that is a purely digital publication, featuring information on fashion and beauty.

PHYSICLE EVIDENCE

It’s branding is characterised by a unique combination of eye-catching covers, sassy language, arresting typography and powerful use of imagery that is evidenced throughout all of Voir’s channels.

PRICE

Voir is a free publication that is available to anyone online through Issuu.

PROMOTION

Voir offer a subscription service, providing updates through direct marketing which also automatically enters them into giveaways to promote the new issues. When the new magazines are launched, it is advertised on all of their social media channels including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

PROCESS

There is limited customer feedback available but readers can follow the brand on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter which can be used as a process to input feedback.

PLACE

Voir is based in Leeds but an international publication, available on Issuu. It is also read in 785+ luxury venues via the GoldKey® Media Box including hotels, airport lounges and private members’ clubs.

PEOPLE

Voir is made up of a small team of creatives, mainly the editor in chief and art director who are very passionate about the brand from creating it themselves and growing the business.

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AIM

The aim for this 3 year marketing strategy is to build brand awareness and increase social media following, allowing for a greater brand reach and therefore encouraging interaction between Voir and its audience.

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AWARENESS

OBJECTIVES

Increase Voir’s social media following by 30% in the next year then another 10% in years 2 and 3.

S-Instagram following will increase by 2,250 by 2020 M-Measure the engagement ratings on social media every week

A-Working with influential people in the fashion and

music industry, this will increase their following online

R-Instagram has the highest engagement for Voir T- Starting January 2019, this will be achieved by

January 2020

READERSHIP

Increase readership by 20% in the next three years

S-Readership will increase from 56,703 to 68,043 by 2022

M-Issuu.com will be used to measure ratings A-Being active on various online touchpoints will lead to greater click through rate to the magazine

R-Voir read internationally and it is realistic the publication should be growing year on year

T- Starting January 2019, this will be achieved by

January 2022

ENGAGEMENT

Offer more content distribution to drive traffic to website and increase click through rate

S-Engagement ratings need to increase by 10% in one year

M-Metrics around likes, retweets and comments will be recorded on Twitter Facebook and Instagram

A-Being consistent with content creation will lead to higher engagement

R-The growth of an engaged community can be reached when offering exciting, original content

T- Starting January 2019, this will be achieved by January 2020

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GAP PLANNING WHERE ARE WE?

Voir currently have a following of 7,440 on Instagram, 5,189 on Twitter and 1,214 on Facebook

By working with influencers, getting them to tag Voir’s socials, will bring new audiences to the brand and raise their awareness

WHERE DO WE WANT TO BE?

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Increase Voir’s following by 30% by 2020 then another 10% in years 2 and 3

Voir’s currently readership is 56,703 with the highest percentage of readers being UK, closely followed by US

Creating a strategic PR plan will help to introduce new readers to the Voir brand

Increase readership by 20% in the next three years

Voir don’t currently have a consistent social media plan and mainly post content when a new issue has been released

By creating a social media plan, including creating new channels on different platforms such as Snapchat and YouTube, this will give the consumer various touchpoints to interact with the brand more regularly

Increase Voir’s engagement by 10% by 2020 and offer more exciting online content for their followers

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THREE YEAR STRATEGY Starting in January 2019, Voir will launch their own YouTube channel to expand their digital reach whilst competing with other magazine brands who already use this platform, like Notion and Wonderland Magazine. This channel will be a platform to create a new podcast series that was found to be a rapidly growing trend for the fashion industry, allowing for Voir to offer exciting new content for their readers and connect with them on the go. The first podcast will feature a collaboration with an influencer that Voir will work closely with in the first year, being a feature columnist for the website and magazine.

At the start of the second year Voir will create a list of all the PR events they will be attending in that year. Voir will also host a local event to boost brand awareness as they had a positive response from the last event they held which was a women empowered self defence workshop. To advertise this event and offer behind the scenes action, Voir will create a public snapchat using a QR code that will appeal to a younger target market and this other social media outlet will be consistently used to give a cohesive brand experience.

Finally, in the third year Voir will create their own app, offering personalised content based on the user’s interests on fashion, beauty and music. This is based on the popular trend of personalisation and by the final year of the plan, consumers will be expecting some sort of personalised content to stay relevant. Lastly, Voir will Review the success of the Plan using KPIs and then create a new three year strategy.

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COMMUNICATION

PLAN

This communication plan is for the first year of the three year marketing strategy, it is B2C focused and all online. “Marketers must orchestrate programmes to provide seamlessly integrated solutions that create awareness, spur demand and cultivate loyalty” (Keller, 2013)

ADVERTISING

Online advertising will be produced in order to persuade the audience to listen to their new podcast series.

Due to this being on their social media platforms and their website, it will reach their audience quickly and the messages can be controlled. Two days after the first podcast has gone live, Voir’s audience will have the opportunity to get involved with the next podcast by voicing their opinions to Voir, with the hashtag #voicetovoir allowing for user generated content on their new YouTube channel and boost engagement.

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DIRECT MARKETING

Direct marketing allows Voir to communicate directly to its consumer.

This direct marketing email will be sent out to Voirs subscribers with a “breaking news” theme with the exciting announcement that they have launched a new podcast series with a link to their YouTube page to check out their first one. This is also an example of permission marketing that can break through the clutter and build customer loyalty because consumers appreciate receiving marketing messages they gave permission for.

INFLUENCER COLLABORATION Influencer marketing has the ability to reach varied and diverse audiences, which will help achieve Voir’s objective of creating awareness with the help of an influencer with a large following, bringing new audiences to the Voir brand. The chosen influencer will feature on the Voir Instagram and website, explaining their collaboration and also Voir will featuring on the influencer’s Instagram.

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The influencer chosen is Tasha Green who is very on brand for Voir and has a following similar to Voir’s target market. She is a 26 year old fashion and lifestyle YouTuber and instagrammer with a following of 64 thousand. She is very stylish and current to take the Voir brand in the direction they want to be going, in terms of being more on trend and appealing to a younger demographic.

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INFLUENCER

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CREATIVE CONCEPT AIM

To create visual content that is on brand for Voir, supporting the communication plan and therefore helping to achieve Voir’s objectives of increasing awareness, readership and engagement.

Example of Voir’s website featuring Tasha Green: “Meet Voir’s Feature Columnist”

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CONTEXT: TRENDS Influencers Audio Branding Mobile Technology

Example of the collaboration with Tasha Green being advertised on both the inflluencer’s and Voir’s Instagram

CONTEXT: INSIGHT

Digital magazines face strong competition from the fast paced online world of bloggers and Instagrammers. Fashion enthusiasts can find tailored information at the click of a button so Voir need to diversify their role and offer innovative, meaningful content to enrich their audience’s lives. Consumers also expect a consistent brand experience at all times, showing the need for this creative concept to be true to Voir’s brand.

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These are desktop examples of the direct email marketing, promoting the launch of the new podcast series and also the YouTube channel that will be linked in the email

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Desktop example of Voir’s twitter, encouraging audiences to use the #voicetovoir to get involved with the next podcast

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Example of an Instagram post on Voir’s page, promoting the hashtag

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TARGETING Voir want to move into the direction of targeting a slightly younger demographic compared to their current 25-34 year old readers, moving into the space of offering more diverse content. After implementing this communication plan, this is an example of who their primary, secondary and peripheral audience will be.

PRIMARY

Primary consumers will be females aged 20-30, who are fashion forward and extremely invested in researching fashion stories on the go, being an active podcast listener. Their main frustration when it comes to fashion publications are their lack of interaction between the brand and its readers, therefore they will be drawn to the #voicetovoir hashtag by being able to discuss specific fashion, beauty or lifestyle topics that are relatable to them.

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PERIPHERAL

SECONDARY

The secondary consumer will be less of a fan of digital magazines and more interested in turning to bloggers or instagrammers to find fashion inspiration. Therefore, Voir’s collaboration with influencer, Tasha Green, appeals to the secondary consumer and they can visit the Voir website then read the magazine, after being directed to her feature articles from Voir’s Instagram.

New potential consumers will be introduced to the Voir brand by Tasha Green through either her YouTube or Instagram. The 25-34 year old active follower of Tasha will be intrigued to find out more about the Voir brand after seeing their collaboration on Tasha’s Instagram. They aren’t as fashion forward but appreciate the dynamic and exciting visuals Voir have to offer.

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DRIP MODEL DIFFERENTIATE

This communication plan is different from Voir’s competition with the interaction between the brand and its readers by the #voicetovoir to then feature on their podcasts. This is an opportunity for Voir to build a closer relationship with their audience and allow them to create user generated content which is different to other fashion publications.

REINFORCE

The plan reinforces Voir’s brand values of being informative, interactive and an inspiring publication available on the go. The imagery that will be communicated on their YouTube homepage and Instagram will be bright and powerful to reflect the Voir brand and the new availability of the podcast series will reinforce their values of being accessible on the go.

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INFORM

The communication sent out to Voir’s subscribers via the direct marketing email will inform their audience about the launch of their new YouTube channel and podcast series.

This information will also be coherent on Voir’s Instagram, Twitter and Facebook platforms.

PERSUADE

With the use of an influencer collaboration, audiences are more persuaded to take the desired action of clicking a link because influencers seem more sincere, coming from a real person, rather than a brand. When Tasha Green talks about her collaboration with Voir on her Instagram, this will persuade new audiences to interact with Voir.

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BUDGETING TASK NAME

QUANTITY

COST

Instagram post

1

£150

Instagram story

5

£85

Website article

2

£300

Magazine article

1

£200

1 hour podcast

1

£300

equipment

1

£150

INFLUENCER COLLABORATION

PODCAST

TOTAL COST This table shows the budget required for the 1st year strategy. Voir are a relatively new brand so have a low budget to spend, therefore, a lot of the social media advertising and direct email marketing can be done in house with no cost at first.

Further consideration will then be given to the additional resource of employing a social media manager.

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£1,185

SCHEDULE TASK NAME

DATE

DESIGN Design marketing email

14/01/19

Create content for social media advertising

21/01/19

Design YouTube home page

30/01/19

INFLUENCER Tasha Green’s website article goes live

3/03/19

Instagram posts from influencer and Voir

3/03/19

Summer issue is released with feature columnist

20/05/19

PODCAST Record podcast with Tasha

2/06/19

“Breaking News” email is sent

15/06/19

YouTube channel and podcast series is launched

15/06/19

HASHTAG Voir promote the hashtag on Twitter and Instagram

30/06/19

Next discussion topic is picked

14/07/19

Podcast based on hashtag is recorded

30/07/19

Next podcast is released

15/08/19

Hashtag is promoted again for next podcast

1/09/19

REVIEW Success of influencer collaboration and podcast is reviewed

15/10/19

Next years implementation is created

2/11/19

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MEASURE AND REVIEW “Measuring the effectiveness of an advertising or promotional campaign is important to determine the extent to which a campaign has met its objectives and ascertaining whether the financial investment has been worthwhile” (Posner, 2011) These are examples of how Voir will be measuring and reviewing the success of the marketing strategy after the 1st year.

NEW VISITORS VS RETURNING

This metric will help to establish how effective the influencer collaboration was at driving traffic to the Voir website and increasing readership. This will be done through google analytics as well as data from issuu.com, a month before the collaboration and a month after to review the difference.

“Bounce rate” will also be recorded which refers to the percentage of users who leave the site without visiting a second page as well as the “Avg. Session Duration” to find out the average length of time each visitor spends on the site before leaving. To interpret the data, Voir are wanting to see a rise in new visitors whilst also seeing returning visitors which will be key to building a strong brand and an engaged digital community.

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SOCIAL MEDIA

The two types of social media measurement that Voir will be using are: ongoing analytics, that will be ongoing monitoring that will track Voir’s activity over the three year timeline and campaign-focused metrics, which will have a clear beginning and end, relating to the #voicetovoir hashtag and tracking the impact it had.

Voir are aiming to get audiences to engage with the brand so metrics around retweets, comments, replies, and participants will be recorded. They also want to reach new customers so awareness will be measured by metrics like volume, reach, exposure, and amplification to understand how far the message is spreading. This will be achieved through APIs (Application Programming Interfaces.)

DIRECT RESPONSES

In terms of measuring the direct responses to the marketing email, click through rate will be used to find out the percentage of email recipients who clicked on the YouTube link contained in the email.

Conversation rate will also be measured to record the percentage of email recipients who clicked on the link and completed the desired action of watching the podcast and subscribing to the channel.

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CONCLUSION This report has given an insight into where Voir are now, where they want to get to and how they will do it. It has documented a suitable influencer marketing strategy with the launch of a new podcast series and YouTube channel, which is supported by a one-year tactical communication plan and a three year marketing strategy.

Being a brand that only started in 2013, Voir currently have relatively low awareness and want to build a community of engaged readers, grow the team and offer a more diverse on trend publication. Therefore, by following this marketing strategy they will meet their 3 smart objectives to increase awareness, readership and engagement.

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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Raye Front Cove (2017) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https://www.studiovoir.co.uk Black and White “Going Places” (2017) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https://www. studiovoir.co.uk “Going Places” Fashion Shoot (2017) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https://www. studiovoir.co.uk “Going Places” Fashion Shoot (2017) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https://www. studiovoir.co.uk “Going Places” Fashion Shoot (2017) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https://www. studiovoir.co.uk “Geo Luxe” Fashion Shoot (2014) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https://www. studiovoir.co.uk “Geo Luxe” Fashion Shoot (2014) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https://www. studiovoir.co.uk “Geo Luxe” Fashion Shoot (2014) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https://www. studiovoir.co.uk “Sting Raye” Fashion Shoot (2017) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https://www. studiovoir.co.uk “Sting Raye” Fashion Shoot (2017) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https://www. studiovoir.co.uk “Sting Raye” Fashion Shoot (2017) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https://www. studiovoir.co.uk “Sting Raye” Fashion Shoot (2017) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https://www. studiovoir.co.uk

Montanna “Shinier Things” (2018) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https://issuu. com/voirfashion/docs/issue_21_ft_montana Montanna “Shinier Things” (2018) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https://issuu. com/voirfashion/docs/issue_21_ft_montana Studio Voir Logo (2018) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https://www.studiovoir. co.uk/gallery Voir Fashion Magazine (2018) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https://www. voirfashion.co.uk Voir Digital Logo (2018) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https://www.voirfashion. co.uk Zara Fashion Shoot (2018) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https://issuu.com/ voirfashion/docs/issue_21_ft_montana “Sting Raye” Fashion Shoot (2017) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https://www. studiovoir.co.uk “Sting Raye” Fashion Shoot (2017) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https://www. studiovoir.co.uk Pink Pattern, Pinterest. (2018). [online] Available at: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/ pin/365495325993939246/ Travel, Pinterest. (2018). [online] Available at: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/ pin/320811173433417412/ Concert, Pinterest. (2018). FESTIVAL//. [online] Available at: https://www. pinterest.co.uk/pin/320811173436855245/ Lipsticks, Pinterest. (2018). MAKE UP//. [online] Available at: https://www. pinterest.co.uk/pin/320811173432110103/ Office Space, apartmentdiet. (2011). [online] Available at: http://apartmentdiet. com/interiors-2/my-attic-could-definitely-benefit-from-this-sort/ Quote, Instagram. (2014). Instagram post by Blanc Communications Group •. [online] Available at: https://www.instagram.com/p/qPwilFQUsT/ Feminist Text, Pinterest. (2018). Feminism. [online] Available at: https://www. pinterest.co.uk/pin/528821181226314726/

“Niomi” Pinterest. (2018). [online] Available at: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/ pin/320811173443242557/ Blue Print, I.pinimg.com. (2018). [online] Available at: https://i.pinimg.com/ originals/9f/42/bb/9f42bb9c59d4e453147d16ca063f16ca.png Secondary Consumer, Aldea, D. (2016). [online] AFROPUNK. Available at: http:// afropunk.com/2016/11/brazilian-photographer-seeks-to-empower-black-womenin-new-photography-editorial/ Tablet Magazine, Pinterest. (2018). [online] Available at: https://www.pinterest. co.uk/pin/320811173450075318/ Tablet Magazine, Pinterest. (2018). [online] Available at: https://www.pinterest. co.uk/pin/320811173450075318/ March For Our Lives, Pinterest. (2018). [online] Available at: https://www. pinterest.co.uk/pin/320811173450075289/ Girls Bite Back, Pinterest. (2018). Pinterest. [online] Available at: https://www. pinterest.co.uk/pin/320811173450075278/ American Flag, Pinterest. (2018). Pinterest. [online] Available at: https://www. pinterest.co.uk/pin/320811173450075261/ “Hyponotic Fever” Fashion Shoot (2015) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https:// www.studiovoir.co.uk “Hyponotic Fever” Fashion Shoot (2015) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https:// www.studiovoir.co.uk “Hyponotic Fever” Fashion Shoot (2015) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https:// www.studiovoir.co.uk Voir Digital (2015) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https://www.studiovoir.co.uk “Word On The Street” Fashion Shoot (2016) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https:// www.studiovoir.co.uk “Word On The Street” Fashion Shoot (2016) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https:// www.studiovoir.co.uk Beauty Festival, Glamourmagazine.co.uk. (2018). The Glamour Beauty Festival In Association With Fiat - Giveaway. [online] Available at: http://www. glamourmagazine.co.uk/partnerships/fiat-beauty-festival-giveaway Zara Fashion Shoot (2018) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https://issuu.com/ voirfashion/docs/issue_21_ft_montana Zara Fashion Shoot (2018) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https://issuu.com/ voirfashion/docs/issue_21_ft_montana

“Sting Raye” Fashion Shoot (2017) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https://www. studiovoir.co.uk Personalisation, MarketingTango. (2014). Name on the Bottle. [online] Available at: http://www.marketingtango.com/coke-wants-put-name-bottle/ “I’m Over It Now” Fashion Shoot (2016) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https://www. studiovoir.co.uk Vogue App, Livetyping.com. (2018). Vogue Collections App for iPhone & iPad Development & Design | LT. [online] Available at: https://livetyping.com/en/portfolio/ vogue-collections

Vice Podcast, acast. (2018). The VICE Magazine Podcast. [online] Available at: https://www.acast.com/vicemagazinepodcast

“Them” (2017) Condé Nast. [online] Man Repeller. Available at: https://www. manrepeller.com/2017/12/meet-staff-of-them-lgbtq-publication-conde-nast.html Podcast, DigitalMarketer. (2018) [online] Available at: https://www.digitalmarketer. com/podcast-equipment/ “Them” (2018). LGBTQ [online] Available at: http://www.socialifechicago. com/2017/10/04/conde-nast-launching-lgbtq-multi-platform-media-brand-them/ “Going Places” Fashion Shoot (2017) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https://www. studiovoir.co.uk Montanna “Shinier Things” (2018) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https://issuu. com/voirfashion/docs/issue_21_ft_montana Montanna “Shinier Things” (2018) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https://issuu. com/voirfashion/docs/issue_21_ft_montana “Meet Me In The Middle” (2015) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https://www. studiovoir.co.uk “Meet Me In The Middle” (2015) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https://www. studiovoir.co.uk “Meet Me In The Middle” (2015) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https://www. studiovoir.co.uk “Meet Me In The Middle” (2015) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https://www. studiovoir.co.uk “Sports Complex” (2014) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https://www.studiovoir. co.uk “So Darn Plastic” (2015) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https://www.studiovoir. co.uk

“So Darn Plastic” (2015) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https://www.studiovoir. co.uk “So Darn Plastic” (2015) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https://www.studiovoir. co.uk Tasha Green Instagram Screenshot (2018) available at: https://www.instagram. com/tashaggreen/ Tasha Green YouTube Screenshot (2018) available at: https://www.youtube.com/ user/tashaxgreen Tasha Green Twitter Screenshot (2018) available at: https://twitter.com/ TashaGGreen Tasha Green, Instagram.com. (2018). TASHA GREEN (@tashaggreen) • Instagram photos and videos. [online] Available at: https://www.instagram.com/ tashaggreen/ “So Darn Plastic” (2015) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https://www.studiovoir. co.uk “Going Places” Fashion Shoot (2017) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https://www. studiovoir.co.uk “Going Places” Fashion Shoot (2017) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https://www. studiovoir.co.uk “Going Places” Fashion Shoot (2017) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https://www. studiovoir.co.uk “Something About Yves” Fashion Shoot (2014) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https:// www.studiovoir.co.uk “Something About Yves” Fashion Shoot (2014) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https:// www.studiovoir.co.uk “Something About Yves” Fashion Shoot (2014) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https:// www.studiovoir.co.uk Black and White Fashion Shoot (2014) by Luke Walwyn, available at: https://www. studiovoir.co.uk

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What’s New | United Kingdom | Voir Fashion Digital. (2018). Inside Voir. [online] Available at: https://www.voirfashion.co.uk/insidevoir [Accessed 10 May 2018].

BIBLIOGRAPHY Articles

Ahmed, O. (2018). Fashion Wakes Up to Podcasts. [online] The Business of Fashion.

Available at: https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/intelligence/popping-thefashion-podcast-bubble [Accessed 3 May 2018].

Amed, I. (2018). Introducing BoF’s Latest Print Issue: ‘The Age of Influence’. [online] The Business of Fashion. Available at: https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/ editors-letter/introducing-bofs-latest-print-issue-the-age-of-influence [Accessed 1 May 2018].

Amed, I. (2018). The State of Fashion. Business of Fashion.

Atzori, M. (2017). Five Case Studies of Successful Digital Magazines. [online] Blog. paperlit.com. Available at: https://blog.paperlit.com/blog/five-case-studies-ofsuccessful-digital-magazines [Accessed 3 May 2018].

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Instagram.com. (2018). TASHA GREEN (@tashaggreen) • Instagram photos and videos. [online] Available at: https://www.instagram.com/tashaggreen/ [Accessed 3 May 2018].

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APPENDIX Survey Results

Editor-in-Chief Interview (Jyoti Matoo) •How would you describe Voir?

For those daring to be different.

On trend, high end and high street, for the risk takers who want to experiment with trends, but also want accessible clothing •Who would you say your main competitors are?

I-D, fashion blogs in general to gain information on the go, Vogue, Notion magazine.

•How does Voir differentiate itself from these competitors?

Always bring an element of glamour, always cool and colourful. It’s for the dream chasers, offers inspiration and it’s purely digital. We like to get the underdogs and do them up.

•What are your thoughts on the current threats the magazine industry face?

Definitely keeping up to date or featuring same artists like Voir and notion magazine have had cross overs.

•What do you think could be possible opportunity areas for magazines in the future?

More digitally friendly, more accessible on the go, embracing more diversity.

•What are Voir’s main objectives for the next 3 years?

Ultimate goal is to be the world’s best digital magazine.

Grow the team, bring in influencers, fashion editors and eventually end up in the south

I confirm that this work has gained ethical approval and that I have faithfully observed the terms of approval in the conduct of this project.

Signed ………………………………….. Date……….