MagazinesTHE  POWER  OF  WORDS,  IMAGES  AND  PRECEDENT

A  note  on  contentInformation  from  “Mass  Communication:  Living  in  a  Media  World”  by  Ralph  E.  Hanson

#breaktheinternet

#breaktheinternet

Case  study:  Paper Magazine• November  2014  issue  of  Paper  Magazine

• Image  shot  by  Jean  Paul-‐Gorde• “OMG  Becky,  look  at  her  butt”

• Image  shown  is  the  less  risqué  one,  another  showed  her  butt,  while  another  showed  a  nipple

• Intention  was  to,  literally,  to  break  the  Internet  by  having  hundreds,  if  not  thousands  of  people  share  it

Case  study:  Paper Magazine• You  likely  never  heard  of  it  prior  to  the  whole  Kim  

Khardasianbutt  thing

• Founded  in  1984

• Independent  pop  culture  mag,  focusing  on  night  life,  fashion  and  art

• New  York  City  based

• Only  six  issues  per  year• Only  a  Wikipedia  stub  article  before  Khardasian

cover

Case  study:  Vanity  Fair

Case  study:  Vanity  Fair• It’s  likely  by  now  you’ve  seen  the  Caitlyn  Jenner  

Vanity  Fair  cover  that  debuted  June  1,  2015

• Jenner  revealed  herself  to  the  public  as  a  woman  for  the  first  time

• News  media  outlets  reacted  almost  immediately

• Social  media  reacted  immediately

Case  study:  Vanity  Fair

Case  study:  Vanity  Fair

Case  study:  Vanity  Fair

Case  study:  Vanity  Fair• Caitlyn  became  the  hottest  trending  topic  on  

Twitter

• Bombarded  social  media

• On  every  news  channel  into  the  evening

• Likely  hit  your  Facebook  feed

BOTTOM  LINE:  There  was  no  way  around  getting  out  of  seeing  her  photo  everywhere  in  June  2015  and  for  many  days  after.

Power  in  a  cover• Annie  Leibovitz,  who  shot  the  Jenner  cover,  is  one  

of  the  foremost  magazine  cover  artists  in  the  country

• Her  work  has  been  prominent  since  1970

• She  focuses  on  recognizable  subjects

• Builds  the  image  around  something  noteworthy

• And  provides  something  with  room  for  nameplate  and  cover  lives

By  Robert  Scoble CC  BY  2.0

Power  in  a  cover  • Cover  photos  sell  magazines

• Words  do  too:  Why  do  you  think  Cosmo  always  offers  “72  ways  to  please  your  lover”  or  “30  tips  to  a  better  job”

• Action  words  sell  covers,  the  “cover  lines”  all  around  Britney

• Good  headline  writing  also

Magazine  cover  rulesAccording  to  Dick  Strolley,  one  of  the  founding  editors  of  People  Magazine,  these  are  the  “established”  rules  for  magazine  cover  models:

• Young  is  better  than  old

• Pretty  is  better  than  ugly

• Rich  is  better  than  poor

• Music  is  better  than  movies

• Movies  are  better  than  television• Nothing  is  better  than  a  dead  celebrity

Magazine  covers

Magazine  covers

Magazine  covers

Magazine  covers

What  is  a  magazine?“A  publication  of  lasting  interest  targeted  at  a  specific  audience.    A  collection  of  articles,”  according  to  Hanson.

Not  always  so  glam1704:  Daniel  Defoe  founds  The  Review• Commonly  considered  first  magazine• Newspapers  typically  focused  on  news,  this  magazine  focused  on  public  policy,  literature  and  morals

• Dafoe  later  famous  for  writing  Robinson  Caruso1740:  Competition  between  Ben  Franklin  and  Andrew  Bradford  to  launch  first  American  magazine,  Bradford  wins  by  three  days  (American  Magazine)Ed  Cave’s  Gentleman’s  Magazine• First  to  use  the  word  “magazine”  in  title

The  Saturday  Evening  Post• First  published  in  1821

• Four-‐pages• Year’s  subscription  was  $2,  half  was  payable  in  

advance

• Contained  essays,  poetry,  obituaries,  and  a  column  called  “The  Ladies’ Friend”

• First  truly  national  medium• Post remained  important  until  coming  of  

television

Public  Domain

Birth  of  photojournalismMagazines,  though,  sparked  something  unexpected:  Photojournalism

It  was  once  standard  for  newspapers  and  publications  to  only  have  words.

But  as  media  evolved,  so  did  technology  for  photographs.

The  1880s  saw  the  invention  of  the  halftone,  an  image  produced  by  a  process  in  which  photographs  are  broken  down  into  a  series  of  dots  that  appear  as  various  shades.

Public  Domain

Birth  of  photojournalismMatthew  Brady  was  one  of  the  earliest  photojournalists.

He  became  famous  for  his  portraits  of  noted  Americans.

Work  focused  on  showing,  not  telling  stories.  Photos  were  used  as  a  way  to  convey  a  story  or  to  better  enhance  what  was  being  explained.

It  should  be  noted  that  it’s  been  said  Brady  didn’t  shoot  a  bunch  of  the  photos  under  his  name.

Public  Domain

Shift  toward  images,  color• Newspapers  and  books  focused  on  words,  lots  and  lots  of  words

• Magazines  became  the  medium  to  purvey  content  beyond  just  stories

Game  changers• Circulation  in  magazines  grew  in  post  Civil  

War  years

• New  middle  class  economy  fueled  uptick

• Postal  Act  of  1879  allowed  magazines  to  be  mailed  nationally  at  low  cost,  it  was  a  key  factor  in  growth  of  magazine  circulation  in  late  19th century

• Magazines  could  now  be  sent  inexpensivelyPublic  Domain

Types  of  magazinesCONSUMER  MAGAZINES:  Publications  targeting  like-‐minded  consumer  audience

• Popular  Science• Good  Housekeeping

TRADE  MAGAZINES:  Magazines  published  an  industry  or  business

• Refrigerated  &  Frozen  Foods

• California  Educator

LITERARY  MAGAZINES:  Publications  focusing  on  essays  and  short  fiction

• Artifact  Nouveau  at  Delta  College

Types  of  magazinesCOMMENTARY  MAGAZINES:  Magazines  offering  a  stance  or  a  push  in  one  direction.

• Founded  by  Harvard-‐educated  W.E.B.  DuBois in  1910

• Most  known  is  NAACP  “Crisis”

• Few  outlets  for  black  writers  at  time

• Crisis  became  the  “leading  voice”  of  south

• Featured  stories  about  role  of  black  education,  poems  by  Langston  Hughes’  and  debates

Public  Domain

Muckracking• Term  coined  by  Theodore  Roosevelt  to  describe  socially  activist  investigative  

journalists  publishing  progressive-‐minded  pieces

• It  was  considered  “digging  up  dirt  without  stopping  to  see  the  good  in  the  world,”  according  to  Hanson

Case  study:  MCClure’s• Samuel  S.  McClure  was  an  infamous  muckracker

• His  magazine  McClure’s  contained  sensationalized  writing,  which  made  people  want  to  pick  it  and  and  buy  a  copy,  which  meant  his  advertising  revenue  was  good

• Topics  McClure  took  on  included  the  insurance  industry,  railroads  and  urban  problems

• Lincoln  Steffens  and  Ida  Tarbell  were  writers  for  McClure’s• By  1908  muckrackinghad  “played  itself  out”

Public  Domain

Newsmagazines  &  Henry  Luce• Henry  Luce  and  Briton  Hadden founded  Time in  1923

• A  “reaction  against  journalism”  of  the  time• Time presented  multiple  sides  of  a  story,  aimed  to  be  unbias in  reporting

• Luce  later  created  Fortune

• He’s  responsible  for  the  career  of  photojournalist  Margaret  Bourke-‐White

Public  Domain

Newsmagazines  &  Henry  Luce• Luce  also  created  Lifemagazine  because  he  thought  Americans  would  want  to  view  their  world  through  pictures

• Bourke-‐White  became  a  cultural  icon,  as  did  Luce,  with  the  introduction  of  these  magazines

• Where  a  merge  between  newspaper  functionality  and  magazine  journalism

• Luce  also  created  Sports  Illustrated

Women’s  magazines• Consumer  magazines  started  targeting  very  specific  

audiences,  including  women

• Godey’s  Lady’s  Book  is  a  prime  example,  it  became  the  it  publication  for  current  trends  (like  an  old  school  People  Style  Watch)• Sarah  Josepha  Hale  was  editor  from  1837-‐1877• Defined  what  women’s  magazines  would  become• Gave  women  a  voice,  professionalized  magazine  writing

Public  Domain

Women’s  magazinesSERVICE  MAGAZINES:  “Seven  Sisters”and  others,  how  to  do  things  better

• Health,  cooking,  employment,  fashion• Considered  “how  to”  guides  for  the  modern  wife

FBL:  Fashion,  beauty,  lifestyle:  Vogue,  Glamour,  Harper’s  Bazaar

• Focus  on  elements  pertaining  to  the  beautiful  life

Case  study:  Cosmopolitan• Cosmopolitan considered  the  “naughty  cousin”  of  the  

“Seven  Sisters”

• Cosmopolitan  focused  on  young,  unmarried  women

• Lurid  headlines  that  brought  readers  in

• Occasionally  featured  male  pinups  (including  one  of  Burt  Reynolds)

• Helen  Gurley  Brown  was  longtime  editor  who  rose  circulation  to  3  million  in  1985

Public  Domain

Men’s  magazines1933:  Esquire

Literature,  pinups,  and  fashion  for  an  intelligent  readership

1953:  Playboy

Pictures  and  a  lifestyle.  First  issue  featured  nude  Marilyn  Monroe  centerfold

1993:  Maxim

“Lad”magazine  featuring  sex,  sports,  and  humor.  Meeting  the  needs  of  the  “inner  guy”

Today’s  magazine  market

New  market  concerns:  Body  Image• Magazines  often  criticized  for  presenting  

“unrealistic”  body  images  

• Dove  reacted  by  buying  space  for  ads  featuring  “real  beauty”  models  (on  left)

• Magazines  now  being  pushed  to  include  different-‐sized  models

• Lizzie  Miller  gained  a  lot  of  attention  when  she  was  featured  in  Glamour  and  showed  a  small  tummy

New  market  concerns:  Race• American  magazine  covers  rarely  feature  subjects  of  

color

• In  2012-‐13  only  18  percent  of  magazines  featured  people  of  color

• Sports  Illustrated  has  only  featured  two  women  of  color  on  its  swimsuit  issues  in  the  magazine’s  existence

• Trend  may  be  changing,  as  more  magazines  targeted  to  teen  audiences  include  minorities  on  covers  (but  it  is  because  teen  entertainment  is  more  minority  based?)

New  market  concerns:  marketingCURRENT  TRENDS  IN  PUBLISHING

• Targeting  narrower  audiences

• Presentation  matters;  layout  and  graphics  critical

• Articles  are  short;  busy  readers  with  short  attention  spans

• Blurring  of  lines  between  advertising  and  editorial  content  or  native  advertising

MOVE  TO  NEW  DIGITAL  STRATEGIES

• Numerous  magazines,  like  Newsweek,  are  now  digital-‐only

• Time  Inc.  converting  all  its  titles  to  “all-‐access”  subscriptions  that  include  both  print  and  electronic  editions

• The  Atlantic has  become  profitable  by  adopting  a  digital-‐first  strategy