CONDÉ NAST COLLEGE OF FASHION AND DESIGN
(Welch & Carter, Pharrell on evolving masculinity, "Blurred lines," and "Spiritual warfare" 2019)
INTRODUCTION
(GQ covers #450-499)
DISCUSSION POINTS OUR MEDIA BRAND BRAND ANALYSIS IDENTIFIED TREND & PROPOSAL BUSINESS CASE HIGHSNOBIETY / DANIKA LAWRENCE
OUR MEDIA BRAND
6 5
BRAND HISTORY 4 3 2 1 1933 1931 Apparel Arts launches as a men’s trade publication in New York City for retailers and wholesalers.
Apparel Arts
1983 Gentleman’s
the first
Apparel Arts turns
sold to Condé
into a quarterly
Nast
time.
readers and began to follow popculture trends which included shorter articles, rather than traditional essays.
Publications, and its name
subscribers. It then
as a publicly
resumed under the
was shortened
title of Gentleman’s
to GQ.
magazine.
Esquire for
Quarterly was
for Esquire
target younger
GQ outsells
1957-58
fashion publication
GQ revamped to
1993
starts Esquire traded men’s
2003
Quarterly the following year.
A brief history of GQ Magazine (GQ 2017)
MARKET ANALYSIS MARKET SEGMENT(S)
LUXURY MEN'S MEDIA
DRIVING MARKET TRENDS EVOLUTION FROM METROSEXUAL TO UBERSEXUAL EXPANSION OF THE LUXURY MENSWEAR MARKET ATTRIBUTED TO THE ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA
KEY SUCCESS FACTORS
GLOBAL AUDIENCE & VISION PIONEERING NEW WAYS OF REPRESENTING MASCULINITY MULTIPLE MEDIA CHANNELS (Medrano, Timothée Chalamet 2020)
COMPETITOR ANALYSIS KEY COMPETITORS TRADITIONAL COMPETITORS: ESQUIRE, PLAYBOY COMPETITORS WE THINK GQ SHOULD ALIGN THEMSELVES WITH: MAN ABOUT TOWN, FANTASTIC MAN
WHAT ARE COMPETITORS DOING TO ENGAGE READERS?
COMPETITORS PRODUCE MORE AUTHENTIC CONTENT IN PRINT AND DIGITAL MEDIA
WHY HAS GQ READERSHIP DECREASED? LACKING A COHESIVE NARRATIVE. INDEPENDENT MAGAZINES CATER TO A MORE INCLUSIVE AUDIENCE. VIRILITY OF SOCIAL MEDIA APPS.
SWOT ANALYSIS STRENGTHS BEEN AROUND FOR A LONG TIME STRONG PRESENCE LARGE AUDIENCE SAFE SPACE FOR THE MASSES
WEAKNESS SHALLOW CONTENT NO REAL SUBSTANCE / CORE NARRATIVE AUDIENCE IS STAGNANT - SAME DEMOGRAPHIC FOR YEARS
NOT AS POPULAR OF A Present your product service PRINTor PUBLICATION AS HIGH CLASS / HIGH IT USE TO BE PROFILE AUDIENCE Presentations are tools that can be used as lectures, speeches, reports, and more. LACK OF CONSISTENCY
TOUCHES UPON A PLETHORA OF TOPICS
THROUGHOUT THE MAGAZINE
OPPORTUNITIES
THREATS
CREATING A SPACE WITH AN AUTHENTIC TONE THAT PROMOTES A TANGIBLE IMAGE
MORE RECENT PUBLICATION COMING INTO THE MARKET & STEALING THE YOUNGER AUDIENCE FROM GQ
BE MORE EXPLICIT ON GATEWAYS TO ACCESSING MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES
GQ'S AUDIENCE STOPS RELATING TO THE CONTENT IT PRODUCES
GROWING AND HITTING A NEW DEMOGRAPHIC & AUDIENCE
LOSS OF PLATFORM PRINT MEDIA DIES REVENUE & SALES GO DOWN
EXPLORING MASCULINITY WITHIN THE INDIVIDUAL
IDENTIFIED TREND
WHAT EMERGING SIGNALS SUPPORT THE EXISTENCE AND DIRECTION / SHIFT OF THIS TREND?
(PLOTNIKOV, SEXUAL IDENTITY FLAGS 2015)
CALEB ALVARADO/NETFLIX
(Gosling et al., The art of feminism images that shaped the fight for Equality 2019)
IDENTIFIED TREND WHY IS IT RELEVANT TO THE BRAND?
(The State of Masculinity Now: A GQ Survey 2019)
IDENTIFIED TREND EVOLUTION OR REVOLUTION?
"WHEN SPLIT INTO CATEGORIES, NO ONE WAS SURE EITHER WAY, EITHER “SOMEWHAT” AGREEING, “SOMEWHAT” DISAGREEING OR SIMPLY DECIDING THEY DIDN’T KNOW. AND THAT, MAYBE, SUMS UP WHERE WE ARE: A FEELING THAT WE KNOW WE SHOULD CHANGE, BUT DON’T YET KNOW WHAT THAT CHANGE LOOKS LIKE; WHERE WE KNOW THE RULES AREN’T WHAT THEY WERE, BUT THE NEW RULES HAVE NOT YET BEEN SET..." (Rarely has there been a more confusing time to be a man 2018)
MANSCAPE
Photography Jonathan George
MANSCAPE
MANSCAPE ASK GQ
FASHION
You don't need to be a woman to wear a dress. Top 10 ways to turn womenswear into menswear
FASHION
ASK GQ
Ask - What does masculinity mean to you?
MIND
RECOMMENDS
MIND
The top 5 most influential podcasts, articles, and books discussing men's mental health
MANSCAPE
Ask you?
- What does masculinity mean to
The ASK GQ Column is a safe space for our readers to ask questions regarding lifestyle, fashion, culture, and grooming. We know that with changing societal and gender norms today, it can be difficult to feel like you have a safe space to explore your own identity. ASK GQ is here to help answer any questions and provide advice based on the personal experiences of our writers.
MANSCAPE
MANSCAPE
Photography Jonathan George
Ask GQ
21
PROPOSAL WHAT IS OUR NEW POSITION WITH GQ MANSCAPE?
Our position is to make a safe space for any GQ reader to be able to explore what masculinity means to them in terms of fashion, lifestyle, etc. without feeling pressure of traditional views and opinions.
(Welch & Carter, Pharrell on evolving masculinity, "Blurred lines," and "Spiritual warfare" 2019)
IS THE NEXT GENERATION RELEVANT TO GQ MANSCAPE?
In short, yes 100%. They are a main contribution to our new target market for GQ MANSCAPE. This generation explores gender and sexual identity more freely than any other generations have.
POSITIONING & RELEVANCE
BUSINESS CASE BUSINESS NEEDS:
BENEFITS:
BUSINESS EXPANSION TO ENABLE REVENUE GROWTH
IMPROVING & HEITENING VIEWER EXPERIENCE
ACCELERATED INVESTMENT TO ENTER NEW MARKETS COMPOSE OUR MANSCAPE TEAM OF CREATIVES WRITERS, EDITORS, PUBLISHERS, VLOGGERS, PODCASTS THAT PUSH THE CONVERSATION OF WHAT IT MEANS TO "BE A MAN" TO NEW FRONTIERS
GAINING A YOUNGER DEMOGRAPHIC AUDIENCE GROWTH REVENUE & CAPITOL GROWTH EXPAND PRODUCTION CAPACITY & CAPABILITIES
BUSINESS CASE FUNDING & REVENUE:
SUCCESS:
RISKS:
BUSINESS GROWTH OVER 200% IN THE FIRST 2 YEARS THROUGH NEW CHANNELS TO MARKET
GQ MANSCAPE DOES NOT GAIN THE TRACTION AND AUDIENCE THAT WE ARE EXPECTING IT TO
INVESTORS TO SCALE THE BUSINESS - $2M ADVERTISMENTS STREAMS
TIMESCALE:
INITIAL ANALYSIS SHOWS THAT THIS WILL APPROXIMATELY TAKE 6 MONTHS TO IMPLEMENT
REVENUE GROWTH OVERALL GQ MONTHLY VIEWERS INCREASED BY MANSCAPE
REVENUE, SALES AND CAPITAL DOESN'T MEET EXPECTATIONS
PHOTO REFERENCES Anon, 2004. GQ aand Esquire. Available at: https://trends.google.com/trends/explore? date=all&geo=GB&q=%2Fm%2F02pypc,%2Fm%2F01kc87 [Accessed December 5, 2021]. Anon, 2021. Black & White photo of 3 football players / models , Available at: https://www.instagram.com/p/CUvXT70DBkj/ [Accessed December 5, 2021]. Anon, GQ covers #450-499. Cover Browser. Available at: https://www.coverbrowser.com/covers/gq/10 [Accessed December 5, 2021]. Campbell, G. & Lawrence, D., 2021. Photo of Dominic Calvert-Lewin in HIGHSNOBIETY, Available at: https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/dominic-calvert-lewin-interview/ [Accessed December 5, 2021]. D'Addario, D. Alvarado, C., 2021. Coming Out Colton, Available at: https://variety.com/2021/tv/reviews/colton-underwood-netflix1235117558/ [Accessed December 5, 2021]. THE EDITORS OF GQ, 2019. The State of Masculinity Now: A GQ Survey. GQ CULTURE. Available at: https://www.gq.com/story/state-of-masculinity-survey [Accessed December 5, 2021]. Gosling, L. et al., 2019. The art of feminism images that shaped the fight for Equality, London: Tate Publishing. GQ, 2018. Rarely has there been a more confusing time to be a man. GQ State of Man. Available at: https://www.gqmagazine.co.uk/article/gq-state-of-man [Accessed December 5, 2021]. Maoui, Z., 2021. Brettman Rock, Available at: https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/fashion/article/bretman-rock-vmas-dress [Accessed December 5, 2021]. Medrano, R., 2020. Timothée Chalamet, Available at: https://www.gq.com/story/timothee-chalamet-november-2020-cover-profile [Accessed December 5, 2021]. Plotnikov, N., 2015. Sexual Identity Flags, Available at: https://www.dreamstime.com/sexual-identity-pride-flags-set-lgbt-symbolsflag-gender-sexe-gay-transgender-bisexual-lesbian-others-vector-sexual-identity-image177898389 [Accessed December 5, 2021]. Strolovitch, D., 2021. Philosophy talk: What is masculinity? KALW. Available at: https://www.kalw.org/arts-culture/2021-0319/philosophy-talk-what-is-masculinity [Accessed November 11, 2021]. Welch, W. & Carter, M., 2019. Pharrell on evolving masculinity, "Blurred lines," and "Spiritual warfare". GQ. Available at: https://www.gq.com/story/pharrell-new-masculinity-coverinterview [Accessed December 5, 2021]. X, L.N. & O. Harris, J., 2021. Lil Nas X Is In the Right Place at the Right Time. GQ. Available at: https://www.gq.com/story/lil-nas-xmusician-of-the-year-2021#intcid=_gq-bottom-recirc_1ce98c65-a64b-4059-a279-64bb59219367_text2vec1 [Accessed December 5, 2021].
INFORMATION REFERENCES Anon, 2004. GQ aand Esquire. Available at: https://trends.google.com/trends/explore? date=all&geo=GB&q=%2Fm%2F02pypc,%2Fm%2F01kc87 [Accessed December 5, 2021]. Anon, Condé Nast - GQ. Condé Nast - Gq. Available at: https://www.condenast.com/brands/gq [Accessed December 5, 2021]. Anon, Five steps to develop a solid business case with examples. Chase Consulting Group: Innovation and Strategy Specialists. Available at: https://www.chasegroup.com.au/five-steps-to-develop-a-solid-business-case [Accessed December 5, 2021]. The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica ed., 2017. GQ. Encyclopædia Britannica. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/topic/GQ [Accessed December 5, 2021]. Chitrakorn, K., 2021. Men Are Changing. are brands keeping up? The Business of Fashion. Available at: https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/news-analysis/men-are-changing-are-brands-keeping-up/ [Accessed December 5, 2021]. Dewintre, H., 2021. Opinion: Who will buy condé nast? FashionUnited. Available at: https://fashionunited.com/news/business/opinion-who-will-buy-conde-nast/2021062840699 [Accessed December 5, 2021]. Nouri, C., 2020. How to write a business case (with examples & template to help). Pingboard. Available at: https://pingboard.com/blog/how-to-write-a-business-case-with-templates-examples-to-help/ [Accessed December 5, 2021]. THE EDITORS OF GQ, 2019. The State of Masculinity Now: A GQ Survey. GQ CULTURE. Available at: https://www.gq.com/story/state-of-masculinity-survey [Accessed December 5, 2021]. Gill, R. (2015) Gender and the Media. 1st edn. Wiley. Available at: https://www.perlego.com/book/1536193/gender-and-themedia-pdf (Accessed: 25 September 2021). GQ, 2018. Rarely has there been a more confusing time to be a man. GQ State of Man. Available at: https://www.gqmagazine.co.uk/article/gq-state-of-man [Accessed December 5, 2021]. Nouri, C., 2020. How to write a business case (with examples & template to help). Pingboard. Available at: https://pingboard.com/blog/how-to-write-a-business-case-with-templates-examples-to-help/ [Accessed December 5, 2021].
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING! QUESTIONS?
(Welch & Carter, Pharrell on evolving masculinity, "Blurred lines," and "Spiritual warfare" 2019)