apple pie an american-made movement created by allyson maturey + erika reals
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apple pie the business plan
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Table of contents 06 The basics an intro
22 Reader profiles meet the audience
08 Sponsorship American Apparel
26 Competition analysis
16 General audience the graphics
42 Apple Pie no baking required
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48 Promos & Distribution the strategies
58 Marketing plan all the deets
52 The launch ready for take off
66 General design brief the look and feel
54 Circulation pass it on
68 Style guide the palette
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The Basics Magazine title Apple Pie
Tagline: An American-made movement
Theme: Lifestyle
Sponsor: American Apparel
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Editorial purposes •
Create a movement toward supporting and purchasing American-made products including, cuisine, gadgets, transportation, household and wardrobe.
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Apple Pie will introduce the underrated qualities of domesticbrands of the US, and act as a voice to share their story and passion.
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It will inform and expand knowledge of the positive implications it can have to buy American products.
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Sponsorship •
It will strengthen and reinforce American Apparel’s beliefs and values that include the environment, jobs and equality.
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Continue the “industrial revolution” in manufacturing industries, encourage customers to buy American-made products as well as showing other companies the advantage of domestic manufacturing.
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Create a sense of pride in the customer by purchasing American-made products through delivering quality products that are eco-friendly and socially conscious.
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Sponsor Research Passion, innovation & ethical practices for clothing industry. That’s American Apparel. Background American Apparel is a leading basics brand for young adults and people of all ages, with both wholesale and retail divisions globally. The company is known for cutting-edge advertising and product branding. It’s made in “Downtown LA” operations have contributed to significant brand awareness and a cult status worldwide. American Apparel uses a vertically integrated business model, which minimizes the use of subcontractors and offshore labor. Knitting, dyeing, sewing, photography, marketing, distribution and design all happen in its facilities in Los Angeles. American Apparel is a publicly traded company having completed a merger with the Endeavor Acquisition Corp. on December 12, 2007. American Apparel’s Statement “The American Apparel factory is the largest sewing facility in North America. We believe that integrating our manufacturing, distribution and creative processes keeps our company more efficient than those who rely on offshore and onshore sub-contracting. By leveraging art, design and technology at our downtown LA campus, we are able to pay garment workers fairly AND sell garments profitably, so we can sustain our business and grow. Everyone benefits— Customers, workers and shareholders alike.” Investing In The Future Manufacturing in America requires risk taking and long-term investment. American Apparel thinks it’s well worth it. For American Apparel, American manufacturing is not a trend – the company has been doing it since the day it began in Los Angeles 15 years ago. It is extremely proud of its model, which provides thousands of good jobs both domestically and internationally. American Apparel’s current head count is 6,000 in Los Angeles, with an additional 5,000 working at its stores worldwide.
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Environmental Commitment American Apparel is also committed to sustainability. It has set the precedent for sustainable and ethical manufacturing in California—the state with the strictest and most progressive EPA standards in the country. By concentrating its entire operation within an 800,000 square foot property, American Apparel has a smaller carbon footprint. The company recycles almost all its manufacturing waste—an average of 125,000 pounds of textile and 25,000 pounds of paper, plastic and cardboard per week (over 260 semi truck loads per year). As of 2014, the company is virtually landfill-free. Its solar panels offset as much as 20% of its electrical usage, and it ships the majority of their goods to its worldwide stores via excess space on passenger flights and buses, minimizing our environmental impact. Advocacy As a company, American Apparel has resources that individual activists do not. The company tries to support political causes. American Apparel regularly uses its billboards, advertisements, press contacts and even printed t-shirts to speak out about important issues. Two major issues include immigration reform and gay rights. Legalize LA American Apparel has been campaigning for immigration reform for over 11 years. As a citizen of Los Angeles, the company knows the benefits that all hard-working immigrants bring to LA and its culture, and they’ve been fighting to change the system that strips immigrants of rights and dignity. American Apparel offers a website/blog, LegalizeLA.net to learn more on their stance on Immigration Reform. Legalize Gay American Apparel believes in freedom, expression and equality. After printing a few hundred Legalize Gay t-shirts for a rally, the company received thousands of requests from people all over the world who asked to expand it. Since then, they have given away over 50,000 of these shirts, run protest advertisements and even partnered with HRC (Human Rights Campaign) for their enormous march on Washington. American Apparel offers a website/blog, LegalizeGay.com to learn more on their stance on Gay Rights.
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Corporate Responsibility American Apparel’s factory warehouse and distribution center (Building 2 at the headquarters in Downtown LA) houses hundreds of thousands of overstock garments, imperfects and other merchandise. Making over one million garments per week means the company is poised to lend a hand to small groups working to make a difference in their community. “As proud as we are of this ability, we also try to use our resources in big ways too. When disasters hit, we can pick, box, ship these garments where they are desperately needed within hours.” Here are some of their recent causes:
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In 2005, American Apparel packaged and delivered over 80,000 shirts to the victims of Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf Coast. In 2007, American Apparel sent a truck across the country to deliver 250,000 garments to those in need. Below are some photos from the trip along with a thank you letter just one of the many organizations who received the goods. Read more about this project here. In January 2010, American Apparel allocated and donated over 80,000 garments to support Haiti Relief. 20,000 pieces went to Fashion Delivers, 20,000 pieces to Operation USA, 15,000 pairs of socks went to Soles4Souls, among many others. In May 2010, the company donated roughly 15,000 pieces to Soles4Souls for the victims of the Nashville floods that caused over $1B in damages. As a Tennessee based charity, they were first relief group on the scene. In 2011, American Apparel donated T-shirts and other items to many LGBT Youth organizations, including the LA Gay and Lesbian Center Young Professionals Council and LikeMe.org. In 2012, the company worked with GLAAD, donating Gay OK T-shirts and proceeds in support of various initiatives. We also supported those affected by Hurricane Isaac via Operation USA and the wildfires in Colorado via Family Center.
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Support Base On major social networking sites, American Apparel has a large support base. •
Facebook: 1,623,537 likes / 27,795 site visits
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Twitter: 516k followers
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Instagram: 1,161,805 followers
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Pinterest: 37,264 followers
As of 2008, the company had more than 200 stores worldwide, and the company’s expansion into retail was the fastest retail rollout in American history. AmericanApparel.net receives about 1.5 million visitors per month. In 2008, the company was named “Retailer of the Year” at the 15th Annual Michael Awards for the Fashion Industry, an award that was presented to big-name brands such as Calvin Klein and Oscar de la Renta in the years preceding American Apparel. The company’s worldwide store network includes new stores in Israel, Italy, Australia, Japan, South Korea, the Netherlands, Switzerland, China, Germany Austria, Canada, France, Sweden, Spain, Mexico, United Kingdom, Ireland and Brazil. American Apparel shirts are used as band merchandise and supported by bands including Hanson, Van Halen, Death Cab for Cutie, Vampire Weekend and Flogging Molly. PETA also uses American Apparel for printing merchandise because they are made domestically and animal-free. The company has received many awards and recognitions. •
2007: Women’s Wear Daily published a survey in April from Outlaw Consulting, a creative research firm tracking the habits of 21- to 27-year-olds, which ranked the company as the 8th most trusted brand, ahead of brands including Levi’s and competitor H&M.
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2008: The Guardian named American Apparel “Label of the Year.”
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2008: The company was named “Retailer of the Year” at the 15th Annual Michael Awards for the Fashion Industry, an award that was presented to big-name brands such as Calvin Klein and Oscar de la Renta in the years preceding American Apparel.
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2008: The Intelligence Group, a trend and market research firm, listed American Apparel as their number two Top Trendsetting Brand, behind only Nike.
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Resources American Apparel bases its manufacturing in a seven-story 800,000-square-foot factory in downtown Los Angeles, where it produces more than 55,000 different products. According to The New York Times, it is the largest single garment factory in the United States and employs more than 4,000 people across two buildings. The company does not outsource its labor, and pays factory workers an average of over $12 an hour, and often more than $100 per day. The factory has the capacity to manufacture 275,000 pieces a day and one million shirts per week. Needs American Apparel has a goal to be the biggest manufacturer in the world, and to achieve this by treating its workers fairly and creating its products on domestic soil. A consistent goal for the company is to bring in more 18 to 24-year-old customers and generate increased sales and profits. In addition, the company continues to build upon their brand image through advocacy and partnerships. The annual revenue for 2013 was $633,940,000, with a gross profit of $320,880,000.
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Audience The target audience for American Apparel is males and females between the ages of around 18 to 34. The target audience: “young urbanites (20-35) who see themselves as unique instead of as part of a generic, mainstream fashion culture and who have disposable income.” • • • •
young urbanites who invest in fashion entry-level jobs or still in school young, single or young married or divorce with or without children socially and environmentally aware not only buying trendy clothing but also supporting a company that creates jobs within the US.
Each retail store differs its merchandise based on its location. Partnerships In 2011, the company partnered with eBay. The e-commerce section of eBay housed American Apparel products and the two companies expected to generate several millions within the first year of the partnership. In 2012, American Apparel partnered with the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles for the LA Biennial. The company was the exclusive manufacturer for Made in LA, an exciting new exhibition organized by the Hammer Museum. A portion of the proceeds went to support the museum as well. In 2012, the company partnered with the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation in releasing a new line of T-shirts to celebrate LGBT Pride Month.
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General Audience American Apparel’s customers “are culturally sophisticated, creative and independentminded.” Although American Apparel targets young, metropolitan adults, “the clean, simple styles and quality of the company’s garments have helped American Apparel appeal to various demographics around the world.” American Apparel uses “internally-developed, edgy, highimpact, visual advertising campaigns” to attract its young, edgy audience. The company cares about its customers’ needs and caters to those demands. In order to maintain a brand that its customers trust, American Apparel promises to “offer the latest fashion” and “provide merchandise that satisfies customer demand in a timely manner.” It realizes that if it doesn’t continue to keep this relationship strong, then its brand image will suffer.
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Along with being creative, culturally sophisticated, edgy and independent-minded, American Apparel’s customers are also environmentally and socially aware. By purchasing merchandise from this company, its customers also support American job growth, vertical integration, political activism and corporate responsibility. The company’s products are made in the United States, from start to finish, right in downtown Los Angeles. Its customers largely identify as Millennials. This is a generation that “expects equal rights to define a societal norm,” “are defined by diversity and inclusion” and “consider most social issues important, and do so because the notion of tolerance forms the foundation of the time period in which they grew up.” This generation is also technologically dependent and invested in social media. American Apparel is active on several social media platforms to communicate effectively with its customers. In addition to retaining its loyal customers, the challenge would be to attract more customers who are within the general demographic but do not have an existing relationship with American Apparel. Because its wholesale business, which is made up about 30 percent of total sales in 2008, the company does reach a much wider demographic than what it normally targets. Originally, American Apparel only offered T-shirts. The company has expanded their merchandise to include denim, sweaters, and jackets to draw in new customers. American Apparel’s merchandise is of higher quality and thus more expensive than some of its competition, such as Hanes or Fruit of the Loom. With this in mind, some people included in the general demographic of this target audience may not have a relationship with the company because they cannot afford it. But they might become customers of American Apparel, if given good reasons to buy American Apparel, even if it is more expensive than other brands. The company should highlight the high quality of its products and social awareness around its brand.
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Audience Demographics Age: 20 - 35 Median income: $43,506 Gender: Male and Female (50/50) Education level: Bachelor’s degree and higher Geographic location: the United States (major cities and urban areas)
Audience Interest 1.
Although American Apparel and Apple Pie’s audience extend throughout the U.S., Los Angeles, home to American Apparel, represents the target market. According to Census. gov, LA has a population slightly under 4 million. Almost half is Caucasian (49.8 percent) and half Hispanic or Latino (48.5 percent). Thirty-one percent of LA residents have a bachelor’s degree or higher. Half of the LA population is women.
2. As the cost of manufacturing offshore increases, companies in North America are likely to shift towards domestic production, according to Made in America. Eighty percent of U.S. consumers will pay a premium for products that have been made in the USA, according research released by the Boston Consulting Group. In November 2012, The Boston Consulting Group released information regarding U.S. consumers. In further research, BCG found that almost two-thirds of the consumers would pay more for products in categories from baby food, appliances, electronics and apparel. 3. Seventy-six percent of shoppers admitted that they were more likely to buy a product after seeing the “Made in the U.S.A” mark, according to a survey conducted by Perception Research Services International. Shoppers ages 35 and older are more likely to be influenced by the “Made in the U.S.A.” logo.
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Audience Psychographics According to the article “American Apparel’s New Image,” on FastCompany.com, “A whopping majority of American shoppers may consider themselves environmentalists, but, according to the Journal of Industrial Ecology, only 10 percent to 12 percent ‘actually go out of their way to purchase environmentally sound products.” Essentially, they want to do “good.” They want to help the environment and support U.S. economy, all while acquiring quality-made products, and staying cool. A sense of pride is created when the thought arises. An issue is that they don’t know how, but they are willing to learn. Technographics Three characteristics that describe their online activities would be well-connected, creative and socially engaged.
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Well-connected The customer demographic for American Apparel is technologically advanced and dependent. Mintel data has confirmed the “widely held perception of Millennials as being one of the most tech-dependent generations in the United States.” These young adults surpass the average person of other generations in every measure of technology use surveyed. According to a Mintel report, “retailers will need to develop an online proposition that is mobilecentered: more target product recommendations, predictive search, navigation designed principally for smaller screens, new payment options and simpler (preferably single-click) checkouts.” Shopping “on-the-go is likely only to increase consumer impatience.” Retailers who are able to cater to this demand are likely to secure an advantage over competition. Eighty-one percent of all consumers shopped online from home in the past year, and 67 percent of those sales were clothing and footwear. E-commerce is growing to cater to this demand. American Apparel operates an online retail e-commerce website, which has localized storefronts for several countries, in addition to retail stores and wholesale operations. Millennials are spending more leisure time online (about 57 percent), so it is imperative that companies establish a strong online presence in order to serve this demographic more efficiently. This demographic is also heavy shopping mall users, making this group a key target for retailers. American Apparel has recognized this, with a good portion of their stores located in shopping malls. While this demographic is very dependent on digital media 60 percent of Millennials actually prefer a “print-like experience” over tech features like audio, video and complex graphics.” In fact, 93 percent of Millennials have looked at a magazine in the past 60 days.” The trick is to engage this group via social media.
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Creative About 92 percent of Millennials say they feel “empowered” by technology, not overwhelmed like older generations. This audience is also “multi-tasking, working five projects at once, placing a portfolio of project bets, and making it all ‘look easy.” The Generation Innovation study from MTV Research found that nearly three in four Millennials would take it upon themselves to create the next version of the America, if the “American Dream” isn’t working as promised. The study found “a vibrant and strong fixer/maker/builder culture,” with 70 percent of the young adults who were surveyed answered with “Creativity will save us!” When MTV Research asked, “What word best defines the DNA of your generation?” the number one answer was “creative;” “self-expressive” came in second place. Socially Engaged Millennials are also widely invested in mobile apps. Embedding social sharing plug-ins and social networking aspects into mobile apps will “likely create a relatively higher increase in awareness among Millennials.” This group also has “the motivation and DNA to run wild with innovation, but they also have access to the tools, technologies and platforms to make a real difference.” They are essentially a “communal generation,” and they “move together through social media to leverage change on small and even large scales.
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Reader Profiles Apple Pie’s audience is culturally sophisticated, creative and independent-minded, and extend throughout the United States. Readers are males and females 20 - 35 years of age, who have a median income of $43,506. They live in major cities as well as urban areas and have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
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Meet Elijah Elijah is a 26-year-old Caucasian male, a Portland native and a University of Oregon graduate. Growing up in Portland, Elijah was taught at a young age how to be environmentally conscious. His mom has bought him clothes from American Apparel ever since he can remember. Elijah went to Eugene to study product design. His fascination with industrial design began when his father bought him a Radio Flyer wagon. To Elijah, trekking around his toys in a shiny red “pull-thingy� was the coolest thing. Elijah is always reading up on the latest in product designs, and how they were established. Core77, an industrial design website, is often his site of choice. He likes to keep updated on the latest trends and fads. He believes it is important to stay relevant, especially when trends are constantly changing. The trend he has been currently following is the American-made movement. He believes it is vital to the economy to manufacture domestically opposed to outsourcing jobs and products. He buys nearly everything local, from his coffee to the produce he buys to the clothes on his back. He uses Twitter to help express his opinions, as well as to see what everyone else is saying. He mostly follows his aspirational peers. Elijah enjoys the little things in life. His favorite activity includes hiking Mount Pisgah to glimpse the views of Eugene. At the end of every hike, Elijah finds a spot to relax and read his current found novel. 23
Meet Anna Anna is a 22-year-old senior at the University of Southern California. She is a graphic design major with a minor in environmental studies. She works part-time at a local clothing boutique, works as a bartender on the weekends and volunteers at Habitat for Humanity. As an only child, she has a close relationship with her parents but learned to be independent from a young age. This independence inclined her to go to college out-of-state, her hometown being Grand Rapids, Michigan. Her parents both work in the medical field and have been on several mission trips to thirdworld countries to help children suffering from terminal illnesses. They have taught her to be socially conscious and environmentally aware, and through this she learned to appreciate the life she has and help others through what she has been blessed with. She is very healthconscious, and only buys local, organic produce and foods. This consciousness spreads to her clothing purchases; she is a loyal customer to American Apparel because of the company’s political activism and domestically produced merchandise. As a graphic designer, Anna is a creative person. She loves to paint and create collages, and decorates her rented apartment with her masterpieces. Lately, she has learned to make dream catchers by hand, which she has been gifting to her friends for their birthdays. In her free time, apart from making dream catchers and painting landscapes with watercolor, she is an avid music-lover. She saves up money to go to music festivals including Lollapalooza, Coachella and Bonnaroo, and is now only buying music on vinyl.
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Meet Darren! Darren is a 36-year-old business-owner living in New York, New York. Originally from Chicago, he moved to New York as a teenager with his father, who owned several restaurants. Darren grew up helping his dad make dishes for the restaurants’ menus. His dad taught him the importance of serving quality products and customer service. After working at his dad’s restaurants since he was a teenager, he decided to start a restaurant of his own in East Village. The restaurant, Luster, only serves food that is locally grown or caught. Darren is recently married with a baby on the way, so he has been researching the best and safest products for his future family. He understands the importance of domestic manufacturing, being an American business-owner himself. In his free time, Darren likes to take weekend trips upstate to fish and hike. He and his wife created their own blog to showcase their life as a newly married couple in New York City, so they are both frequent users of social media and love sharing their adventures through this outlet.
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Competition Analysis Points of Difference • • • • •
Support small and large American manufacturing companies Encourage a sustainable and domestic lifestyle Educate consumers about the faces and stories behind the products they buy Cultivate an innovative and conscientious community of consumers in the U.S. Craft a well-rounded American community
Reasoning of Competition Apple Pie does not have any direct competition. Apple Pie aims toward creating the “American Lifestyle,” so we looked at lifestyle magazines as our closest competition. The following competition analysis will cover Martha Stewart Living, Real Simple, GQ and Esquire. Apple Pie’s audience will consist of both men and women, and to help establish our place in the market, we sought out the kinds of lifestyle magazines that are geared specifically to each gender. A few Issuu magazines including American Craft, The Simple Things, Global Citizen and City Magazine, would also theoretically compete. The issue with these publications is that they are primarily distributed online. 26
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Summary Martha Stewart Living focuses on domestic arts. It was first published in 1990, by Time Inc., and began as a quarterly publication. In 1997 Martha Stewart left Time Inc. and took the magazine with her. “Martha Stewart Living is now the flagship brand of the Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia media empire.” Currently, the magazine is published monthly. Magazine Philosophy/ Mission Statement “As the modern guide for great living, Martha Stewart Living teaches consumers how to elevate the everyday and special occasions confidently, creatively and beautifully. With a detailed emphasis on every aspect to today’s well-rounded lifestyles—from food and entertaining, crafting and decoration, to holidays, celebrations, family and work—the brand remains keenly relevant, authentic and meaningful by designing innovative solutions to the challenges of living well. Living uncovers the tastemakers, places and things that inspire—demystifying the creative process and transforming that inspiration into action for everyone. With a passion for discovery and penchant for the joy in the doing, Martha Stewart Living’s consumers offer unparalleled engagement across all facets of great living.”
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Circulation and frequency Total Circulation: 2,088,788 The circulation is up 4% over the last 6 years and 2.9% over the last 4 years. Rate Base: 2,050,000 Rate base has been raised 4X since 2006 Print Subscriptions: 1,946,237 Subscriptions are up 14% over the last 6 years and 7% in the last 4 years. Ad rate and CPM Full page/ full color: $188,580 CPM: $90.28 Magazine editorial: The media kit for Martha Stewart Living provides an editorial calendar for the current year, listing each issue and theme for the month. Also included is the date for which each issue will stop and start selling. Martha Stewart Living’s demographics include an 89 percent female audience with a median age of 49, and a $74,534 median household income. Every issue has the following departments, making it very easy to navigate. Consumers will remember where their favorite content is located. • • • • • • •
Food/Entertaining Decoration & Home Collecting Gardening Holiday & Crafts Pets Beauty & Style
Martha Stewart Living’s design is very clean. It’s organized and airy. The design is structured and everything seems to be in its place. The colors are also inspirational. The colors are less saturated versions of bright colors. It looks like it matches colors in the photos used in the design.
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Its online presence is very much like it print version, just more alive, and clickable. The website narrows down the departments into just four navigational links, cook, create, celebrate and shop. It’s image driven, which makes sense because the subject is what it wants to “sell.” Again, the design is clean and structured, giving only one basic scrollable home page. Its social media presence includes, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google plus. Overall, it seems as if it is pushing a lot of its content and articles using Facebook and Twitter. Most of the posts include a photo and link back to the main website. Pinterest seems to be the most unique use of social media. Because this is a creative/ homemade-based magazine, it only makes sense to create a space that allows readers to share their ideas, and their creative findings. Unfortunately, its social media links are located on the bottom of its website, so it makes it a little more difficult to find. Advertising in Martha Stewart Living includes things like household products, coupons, pet products and Martha Stewart products. The target audience for this magazine is predominantly women, so a lot of advertising is geared to a woman’s everyday needs. Martha Stewart Living does a fabulous job of establishing content just for women. There is an expendable amount of information about the home and crafts. This will work as an advantage to Apple Pie, because it will do this and more, while also making sure to reach out to both men and women. Apple Pie will include how-tos, and where to get this and that, but it will also explain why.
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Summary Esquire is a men’s magazine, published by the Hearst Corporation. It was founded in 1932, and flourished under the founders Arnold Gingrich, David A. Smart and Henry L. Jackson during the Great Depression. In 1933 it started as a quarterly press run of a hundred thousand copies, and cost 50 cents per copy. Esquire’s demographics include 72 percent men and 28 percent women predominantly ages 25-49. Its readers have a median household income of $70,178. Magazine philosophy “Esquire surveys the landscape to unearth the smart edge of culture: the people, places, things and trends that intelligent, sophisticated men want, need and ought to know.“ Circulation and frequency Circulation: 713,009 Rate base: 725,000 Subscriptions: 629,974
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Ad rate and CPM Full page/ four color: $131,390 CPM: $184.3 Strengths / Weaknesses / Opportunities Editorially, the magazine is based off themes. Each month establishes a new trend, season or how-to. The possibilities are endless. What makes this magazine different is that it is specifically geared toward men. All of its content, advice and themes are curated with the man in mind. Design-wise, the magazine gives off a sophisticated and masculine vibe. It’s bold, proud and confident. Color use is mainly of deep hues. There’s lots of black, red, grays and blues. Spread design within Esquire is image driven. The magazine pays close attention to hierarchical detail, which means it uses bold headlines to establish each article, or piece of content. Esquire.com uses clean lines and bold images. The navigation bar includes, news, politics, style, entertainment, food & drink, women and Esquire TV. This makes it easy to navigate. It is sort of blog-like in the way it prioritizes content on the homepage, with the most recent on top. It quickly establishes its social media links at the very top. Advertising within Esquire magazine includes, fashion (suits, watches, shoes, etc.), transportation, gadgets and well-being products. The target audience of Esquire is predominantly men, “affluent, educated and successful men.” This means that most products and ads one will see in Esquire are of high quality and luxurious. Esquire seems to be an aspirational piece of work for the ones who can’t actually afford anything that falls within the pages. This will work as an advantage for Apple Pie in the way that its audience will be supplied products and advice that are actually attainable. Apple Pie’s readers are as educated as Esquire’s, but they are more conscientious about what they choose to do and spend their money on. Also, Apple Pie will have an audience of both women and men.
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Summary According to the GQ Media Kit: “For more than 50 years, GQ has been the premier men’s magazine, providing definitive coverage of style and culture. With its unique and powerful design, work from the finest photographers and a stable of award-winning writers, GQ reaches millions of leading men each month. The only publication that speaks to all sides of the male equation, GQ is simply sharper and smarter.” The magazine is an international monthly men’s magazine based in New York City that focuses on topics including fashion, culture and style. The first issue debuted in 1957 and is published by Conde Nast.
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Circulation & Frequency Circulation: 938,359 Frequency: Monthly Ad Rate & CPM Ad Rate: $177, 123 CPM: $189 Magazine Philosophy “GQ Magazine (Gentlemen’s Quarterly) is a unique format of a magazine for men, combining unsurpassed quality standards of a glossy publication and intellectual potential of reportage and analytical journalism at its best. The most talented newspaper journalists, top-rated writers and outstanding intellectuals regularly publish their articles in GQ. Same can be said about the best photographers - Bruce Weber, Terry Richardson, and Steven Klein. Besides extensive feature-stories, surveys and multi-page photo-sessions GQ publishes the latest news from top fashion designers, reviews of new developments in science, technology and culture. It covers gastronomic trends and the best World’s hotels, the most stylish and technically advanced cars and motorbikes as well the news about health and beauty industry. In short, on the pages of GQ one can find absolutely everything, what a modern man needs to be on the top in every sense of this word.” Magazine Editorial It includes articles on food, movies, fitness, sex, music, travel, sports technology and books. Editorial content includes basically anything successful or cultured men would be interested in, including politics and news. The website featured articles about George Zimmerman and Wisconsin candidate Scott Walker. The department “Women” included a video “How to date Jessica Hart” and a slideshow, “Girls in Bikinis.” GQ’s website has different types of media content from the magazine.
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Magazine Design The magazine’s design is well implemented across the entire brand. It is sleek and masculine, giving off a kind of “dangerous” or “bad boy” vibe (but the kind of bad boy who is very successful and likes nice things). The design is modern, urban and stylish, with ample use of bright colors, but layouts that don’t look too busy or overwhelming. Online Presence GQ has a strong website, with updated content that is exclusive to the website but in relation to its magazine. There are lots of interactive content on the website including videos, slideshows and “lists.” A weakness of the website is that it seems to kind of be all over the place. Although it is presented well and the magazine features many different topics, there seemed to be different departments and features on every page of the website. Social Media Strategies GQ holds a strong social media presence. The website encourages readers to follow the brand on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, Google+ and Instagram. Its Instagram appeals to a broad audience. It was used as a “behind the scenes” platform, that showed readers what life was like in the GQ headquarters, what brands it was following for New York Fashion Week, business parties and included posts from its editors. The Instagram account seemed the most personal of the social media platforms, and did more than just show sneak peeks or links to the website or magazine, but actually seemed like it was building a personal relationship with its followers. Its Twitter could serve to be more than just an extension of the content on the website or magazine, but rather follow the Instagram model and create relationships and be more engaging. It needs to make more jokes and appeal to the audience’s humor as well as be informative and present content.
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Advertising Advertising in both the magazine and website is relevant to its audience. There are an abundance of fashion-based advertisements, typically designers or upscale fashion brands, and some luxury vehicles, including Audi. Opportunities GQ does a great job at serving its audience, but seems to be more superficial than what we want Apple Pie to be. GQ is one of the most popular men’s lifestyle magazines in the world, so its target audience is quite a large demographic. GQ does not have content based on how to be a better person or anything aimed at socially and environmentally conscious men (which we know Millennials tend to be both). We would like to draw the American male readers from GQ to Apple Pie based on this marketing aim. We will still have men’s fashion, lifestyle and advice columns that GQ provides, but in an angle that is socially, economically and environmentally responsible.
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Summary Real Simple is a women’s lifestyle monthly magazine that aims to “provide inspiring ideas and practical solutions to make their lives easier and better.” The magazine has 8.3 million readers 18-54 years old. It has the number one share in the market among lifestyle magazine titles. Its biggest competitors are O and Martha Stewart Living. It was launched in April 2000 by Time inc. and made its television debut in 2006 with a half-hour segment airing on PBS, as well as a show on TLC [Real Simple Real Life]. Magazine Philosophy According to Real Simple’s media kit: “Real Simple is the everyday essential. For today’s timepressured woman, the guide she can trust to make her life a little easier in a world that’s more complicated by the minute. With smart strategies, genius shortcuts, and shoppable solutions, we help her simplify, streamline, and beautifully edit her life, armed with calm, confidence— and the power of the right lipstick.” Circulation & Frequency Circulation/rate base: 1,975,000 Frequency: Monthly
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Ad Rate & CPM Ad rate: $208,700 CPM: $106 Magazine Editorial The editorial in Real Simple is strong, and it knows its audience. There is a lot of “How-To” pieces and advice on living a healthier and happier lifestyle (which is the whole aim of the magazine). Its website editorial policy: “Our goal is to provide accurate, reliable, credible, engaging, and balanced information online for our consumers. Our editorial content is produced independently and without influence by any advertiser or commercial supporter. Online content is defined as text, articles, photos, graphics, audio, video, blogs, user-generated content (UGC), and links.” Although the magazine is all about advice for an easier life, it could also have deeper articles about real people (maybe its own readers) and real-life stories about overcoming a fear, or how a certain life experience made them a better person, etc. Magazine Design This magazine is a favorite design-wise. Its colors are always calming and minimalistic, with efficient use of white space. It matches its brand of being “simple” and creating a simple and easy lifestyle for its audience. It includes stunning photography and design layouts that are unique and elegant. It is perfect bound, which makes the magazine seem more sophisticated and neat. Online Presence Real Simple has a website with lots of updated content. Real Simple magazine is soothing and aesthetically pleasing, but the website did not match that brand. It’s unorganized and the ads don’t match aesthetically to the rest of the site. It looks a bit outdated. Real Simple has a different and cool concept to sell, and its website has much potential. A strength of the website is it points to its social media platforms, which are much stronger and matched the brand better.
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Another strength would be the content itself. While the design and layout could be better, the actual content is strong, and it has things that are not included in the magazine. There are a lot of “how-to” and tips for an easier life. The content on the website reminds me of a more sophisticated and feminine BuzzFeed, with lots of numbers included in the advice content (Ex: “6 Clever Items to Simplify Your Life” & “7 Super-Cozy Sweaters for Fall”). It also has a blog (simplystated.realsimple.com), which is a strength of the brand considering its audience. Social Media Strategies The magazine is present on several different social media platforms. Followers/subscribers on each social media network: • • • • • •
Google+: 168,850 Twitter: 708K Facebook: 2,151,277 Pinterest: 535,841 Instagram: 103,047 YouTube: 8,435
The most useful of these sites to Real Simple’s audience would probably be its Pinterest account. It had 136 boards, differing in any theme you could think of that benefits its audience, including “Organizing Inspiration” and “Problem-Solving Products.” Every platform matches with the magazine’s brand and is an extension of the magazine itself. The Twitter is mostly just a teaser for things on the website; its Facebook has the same function.
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Advertising The website has a lot of ads, but they are relevant ads targeted to its audience (a lot of Starbucks and Nordstrom). Its Media Kit stated that it is an “ad page leader� with a third more ad pages than its nearest competitor. There are ads ranging from fashion, home products, beverages (like coffee, tea, etc.) and more, but all seem relevant to its target audience. Opportunities Although Real Simple has a large audience, a strong social media and web presence and a variety of content, it is lacking a more personal relationship to the reader through these particular outlets. Apple Pie will strive to be more engaging via social media to its audience by communicating directly with the readers/ followers, and offering them special offers through birthdays, contests and thank-yous, showing our readers that we really care.
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Apple Pie Editorial Formula Mission statement Apple Pie is a creative, opinionated and quirky niche publication with mainstream appeal. We spotlight people, places and things in the American-made industry. Featuring cuisine, gadgets, crafts, household and wardrobe products, we encourage and inform the innovative and conscientious individual on the true meaning of quality. Apple Pie believes in people who are socially conscious and environmentally aware. We believe these people are the future of America, and Apple Pie would like to be the outlet for discussion, innovation, creativity and revolution for these individuals.
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Frequency: 6 Total number of pages: 68 Pages of editorial: 51 Pages of advertising: 13 Ad/editorial ratio: 20:80 Total number of department pages: 29 Total number of feature pages: 23 Departments TOC Editor’s Letter Masthead @ApplePie: This page will link readers to the website and social media. It will allow readers to interact with each other and the magazine. It will lead the readers to the social media sites. It could include sneak peeks to videos, photos or exclusive content to the website or social media platforms. It could also display readers’ social media submissions pertaining to the magazine or a product from the magazine, linked by a hashtag, for example. This will be on page six. What’s brewing?: Every issue the staff will post picks on their top beer, wine and liquor. This will be on page eight. AP Q&A: This page will feature a celebrity, artist or designer (such as Zooey Deschanel or am member of the band The Black Keys). The Q&A will be one page on page nine. Our Top Ten: The back page department will include our staff’s top picks during the current issue. It will feature favorite places, products, food and more. This will be on page 64. Sections Under The Roof: This section includes items linked to everything that has to do with the home, for example, household products. It features products, where they are from and what to do with them. This could include American-made soaps and beauty products, such as Jacobsean Sea Salt and Burt’s Bees. It could include crafty and useful ways to use the sea salt, whether for cooking or other uses around the house, such as removing wine from the carpet and helping keep wicker looking brand new. This section will be five pages of content.
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In The Wardrobe: This section includes items linked to everything that has to do with fashion. It updates the reader on the latest trends, how to wear them and where to get them. It will include the most comfortable investment denim, showcasing Baldwin Denim, a Kansas Citybased denim company that is, of course, American-made. It will also include other denim recommendations. Another example for this section would be the trendiest eyeglasses for next season, or the most durable boots for your next hiking trip. This section will be allotted six pages. Ingredients: This section includes everything that has to do with food. What’s local? What’s fresh? Where should I take my lover? Fret no more, Ingredients is here. Some examples for this section include favorite seasonal recipes with organic and local ingredients. It could also include a recipe from Chef Sean Brock, who is featured in an issue. This section will be allotted six pages. Features Feature 1 (pg 38) - Investigative/descriptive: This story will feature the negative effects of outsourcing and manufacturing outside of the United States. Feature 2 (pg 42) - Profile: This story will feature Chef Sean Brock. He makes his own salt, and has revived about 35 southern plants. He is dedicated to restore the glory of southern food by introducing local ingredients that haven’t been used since the 19th Century. Feature 3 (pg 46) - Profiling photo essay: This story will feature the Podlaski brothers, Jason and Adam. They are the founders of Deckstool, a company that makes furniture out of recycled furniture. Feature 4 (pg 54) - Descriptive: This story will compare and list several different bike shops across the United States that customize bikes for the customers and make them locally. A few of the shops include SweetPea in Portland, Hero Bikes in Greensboro, Alabama, and Seven Cycles in Massachusetts.
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Break of Book Social media/ Web
6
UTR content
14
Cover
Inside Cover: Ad
Ad
Ad
What’s brewing
AP Q&A
UTR content
Ad
In the ITW Wardrobe content
Ingredients
Ingredients
7
Ad
15
ITW Spread
22
Ingredients
30
24
Ad
Ad
31
39
Feature 3
46
47
Feature 4
54
55
Feature 4
62
16
23
Feature 1
38
8
63
32
1 9
17
25
Column
33
Feature 1
40
41
Feature 3
48 49 Feature 4
56 Back pg dept.
64
57
Ad
Table of Contents
2
Ad
10
3
Under the Roof
11
18
26 Ad
34
19
27
Column
35
Feature 2
42 43 Feature 3
50
Feature 4
58
51
59
Editor’s Masthead Letter
4
5
UTR Spread
12
13
ITW Spread
20
21
Ingredients
28 Ad
36
29
Column
37
Feature 2
44 45 Feature 3
52
53
Feature 4
60
61
Back cover ad
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Platforms Apple Pie encourages its American audience to buy domestically, and its platforms aim to showcase the mission of Apple Pie through networks that reach the audience and build those relationships most efficiently. These platforms work together to build a brand that its readers can trust. Website The website will display facts about the magazine, subscription and contact information, updated digital content as well as products featured in the print and digital issues. This would be the main platform to distribute information. It would also include all the social media links, so the platforms would have a cohesive brand. Facebook The sponsor, American Apparel, has a Facebook following of over 1.6 million. With the help of the sponsor, Apple Pie can generate a large Facebook following as well. The Facebook page for Apple Pie would expand audience for the magazine, as well as give basic insight to what the publication is all about, linking to the website and other platforms, sharing exclusive content and engaging and generating dialogue with the audience. Twitter The purpose of this platform will be to distribute news about the magazine in a “short and sweet” manner. This will be the best way to tell the audience about discounts, sweepstakes and other current information that all followers can see immediately. It is also another great way to engage with the audience and state campaign “hashtags.” Twitter is one of the best forms of free publicity, since followers can easily retweet tweets to share with their own followers. Instagram Since Apple Pie is a visually stunning experience; it requires a platform that builds upon the same aesthetic. Instagram will be the perfect companion to showcase certain products digitally, give “sneak peeks” into the next issue and work with blogger to display its products.
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Three print-based methods Product sweepstakes: Apple Pie issues will include sweepstakes for products and trip giveaways. Readers will have the option of sending in a form or filling out a form online. “We want to hear from you,” reader survey: Readers will take a printed or online survey telling the magazine what they think about Apple Pie. Just for taking the survey the reader will be automatically entered for a chance to win a $150.00 package of Apple Pie merch— including a print and digital subscription. Reader involvement: Questions will be published in the magazine and readers will be able to send in answers, while having the opportunity to be published in the next issue. Three Web-based methods Newsletters: Readers will sign up for Apple Pie news and updates, and receive regular emails. Reader of the week: Readers can submit photos through an online submission. Winners will be featured on the website along with a bio. Website survey: Readers can give their feedback regarding their satisfaction with the website, and in return will give measurements, as well as suggestions on how to make the website better. Three social media methods Facebook/Twitter prompts: This will include questions that encourage readers to share their own content for example, “What’s your favorite American Brew?” #ApplePie: This social media hashtag will be implemented and included in nearly every digital campaign the magazine promotes. For every reader contest or even when the magazine encourages the reader to engage on social media about the publication, this will be the hashtag that is promoted. It will be placed in many places throughout the magazine and on the website, not just on the social media page. Apple Pie wants the reader to be aware of this hashtag so it could be utilized effectively. Photo caption contest: Apple Pie will post pictures once a week so that readers can comment with captions. The winners will be featured online, as well as the print if it coincides with the publication date.
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Promotion & Distribution Overall Strategy To get the word out about Apple Pie, the magazine will use social media to create buzz surrounding the launch of the publication, as well as the website. At the beginning, it will depend heavily on American Apparel’s promotion of the magazine. Advertising for the magazine will start out small by using Facebook ads. From there, Apple Pie will continue to do advertising digitally. A direct-mail campaign could only work for a part of the target audience, but it can be a great start. Apple Pie will be able to easily access lists from that of the sponsor American Apparel. Apple Pie can also purchase lists from its competitors. American Apparel will create a stable promotional base. Issues of Apple Pie will be sold in stores across the U.S., as well as promoting through the use of the companies’ established social media. Apple Pie’s website will be a great tool to drive traffic towards print subscriptions. The website will provide content for readers, but “the good stuff” will need a subscription, and if a reader subscribes online they also subscribe to print. 48
Social Media Marketing At the beginning, the most traffic to the Apple Pie social media sites will generate from American Apparel’s promotion of the magazine through its own social media platforms, especially Facebook and Twitter. Apple Pie will build its own social media fan-base through its sponsor, because much of the target audience for the magazine is already in the American Apparel customer pool. American Apparel will promote the magazine in the weeks prior to the launch, through Facebook and Twitter posts like the following: •
If you’re into American Apparel, you’ll love a new magazine called Apple Pie, set to launch next month. Check out its website applepie.com and follow the mag on social media @applepie.
•
Are you a creative soul who supports American manufacturing? Apple Pie Magazine has got you covered. Follow the mag on Instagram and Twitter now, because the first 200 followers receive a free issue of the debut magazine. You won’t regret it.
•
Subscribe to the new magazine Apple Pie, and receive a 20 percent-off coupon to American Apparel. It’s a win-win situation.
The first 200 followers on Twitter and Instagram will receive a free issue of the magazine, as well as a discount for a product that will be featured in the first issue and a coupon for the next purchase at American Apparel.
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By the time of the launch of the magazine, the social media following will be significant, and much of the promotion from American Apparel’s platforms can be transferred onto the Apple Pie social media accounts. Another way to generate traffic to the platforms and earn followers would be to encourage “retweets” or “shares.” For example, @applepie on Twitter could do fun contests and tweet: “Retweet for a chance to win an American Apparel giftcard #applepie” or “Retweet and you will be entered to win a free issue of Apple Pie Magazine.” On Facebook, the idea is similar, except it would be “sharing” posts instead of retweeting. One of the requirements for submission into the contest could be to “like” the Facebook page and follow the Twitter and Instagram accounts. For Instagram, starting creative contests that appeal to the audience, young urbanites who are artistic and original, will engage them to promote the magazine and participate in these contests. An example of an Instagram contest would be to encourage followers to post a photo of them and their favorite American-made clothing brand, or a picture of their favorite Americanmade product. The most creative and aesthetically pleasing photo will win a product of their choice from the latest issue and their photo will be featured on the website and Apple Pie’s social media platforms.
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The Launch Sponsor hype American Apparel’s annual flea market, located in downtown LA at its warehouse, has now been established as an everyday flea market. Apple Pie will host events at the warehouse location to generate hype surrounding the magazine. To Kick-off the first issue, Apple pie will host a launch party with magazine giveaways, subscription giveaways and product giveaways. Because the warehouse is located in LA that will limit Apple Pie’s exposure to only one state, so to broaden its launch exposure, each store located in the U.S. will also hold events. They will be much smaller, but will include drawings and giveaways, and will generate the hype needed.
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Product hype Apple Pie will partner with products and companies that are featured in the magazine to establish merchandise specifically designed for Apple Pie. The companies will launch the products like they would any other, only with an Apple Pie logo on it. Products will include items like, t-shirts, stationary, hats, beanies, coffee mugs, etc… The products will also include information about Apple Pie, a free issue and how to subscribe for future issues. Farmers Market hype Apple Pie will set up it’s own booth at a farmers market and share its content through the interaction with those who attend farmers markets. Those who come and visit the table will receive a free copy along with the option to subscribe to future issues. Also on the table, Apple Pie will promote the contents of its pages by displaying products and items within the pages. Beyond the launch After Apple Pie has been well-established, the magazine will host it’s own events. It will host an American-Made event that will allow companies, artists and wannabes to sign up for tables. In a way it would be like a convention bringing together readers and sponsors to share ideas.
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Circulation Strategy Online Newsletters After Apple Pie has established its fanbase and has attracted an audience, the magazine will generate online newsletters to send out via email that will include links to exclusive content on the website, sneak-peeks of the next issue and updates about the magazine in general. There will be links to each social media handle and the newsletters will showcase the social media contests and giveaways that are going on. These emails will be obtained through the American Apparel database, but also through subscription sign-ups and promotional entries. Also, a box to sign up for the newsletter will pop up when one visits the website.
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Advertising Advertising on Facebook and Twitter are the initial ads that Apple Pie will plan, but advertising on American Apparel’s website and in-store will also be effective. Leading up to the launch, social media/ online promotion will be the most effective advertising and PR, since the audience depends heavily on social media, checking in socially between 20-21 hours each month. Advertising will build more as the magazine grows and strengthens. The companies and people featured in the magazine will promote themselves (and thus the magazine) and sharing with their own followers that it/they are being featured in the magazine, which will account for great PR. Playing off this, Apple Pie can advertise on the websites of the companies that are featured in the magazine, which in turn generates a larger following for Apple Pie. Social Media Sharing/ Recommendations Along with social media marketing, distribution will increase through social media. Followers can “share” posts and retweet Apple Pie’s posts to “spread the word” about the magazine to increase subscription sales. A subscriber will be offered to “recommend a friend” and receive a discounted rate for his or her subscription. Direct-mail This strategy will be used to retain existing customers/subscribers to the magazine. Directmail content will include exclusive birthday offers for the subscriber and offers from products featured in the previous issue. Since direct-mail is expensive, it will be exclusively used to send out birthday promotions and other special offers to the most loyal readers and customers. Distribution Apple Pie’s first issue will be distributed at newsstands throughout the U.S. In addition to the 64 pages of regular content, there will be a promotional insert containing: • • •
An introduction to Apple Pie An opportunity to subscribe at a discounted price, and Links to follow Apple Pie on social media and its website.
Not only will readers have the chance to purchase Apple Pie in American Apparel stores nationwide, they will be able to find Apple Pie at bookstores like Barnes & Noble, Hastings and Borders, as well as small privately owned local bookstores. The magazine will also be available at organic and natural food stores, including Whole Foods, The Fresh Market and other locally owned organic grocery stores, much like The Merc. 55
Target audience demographics Apple Pie targets urbanites ages 20-35, those who inhabit in the cities and towns of the nation. They are affluent consumers who have an optimistic outlook on life. The audience is time-poor, city-proud, media-literate, brand-centric, trend-sensitive and culturally-aware. An urbanite is an affluent consumer with an optimistic outlook on life that is very different from those who live in "small town" or rural areas. Urbanites are both a subculture and a contemporary lifestyle. They have 6 key characteristics: Time-poor, city-proud, medialiterate, brand-centric, trend-sensitive and culturally aware. Circulation 125,000 Circulation is justified by the audience presented from the sponsor, American Apparel’s databases, in particularly social media. American Apparel has 1,643,663 Facebook followers, which we considered Apple Pie’s universe to be. Ten percent of this following is 164,366. This number still seemed high for the first-year circulation total, considering American Apparel’s social media following does not necessarily mean everyone who “liked” the company on Facebook buys its clothes all the time or would be interested enough to buy the magazine it is sponsoring, so we decided 125,000 a logical number for first-year circulation. Subscriptions will account for 95,000 of the total rate base, and 30,000 will account for single copy sales. Frequency Apple Pie will print six times a year. This frequency would be to keep readers wanting more, and the website will sustain its visibility between issues. In order to keep readers engaged between issues, the website will provide content and encourage social media use among the readership, including games, contests and asking the readers questions. Cover Price $7.99
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Subscriptions Apple Pie’s prices reflect the printing cost and the value of the magazine as a work of art. Also, the magazine targets an audience with disposable. Also, this magazine has no direct competition. 1 year/ $25.00 Renewal rate $15.00 2 years/ $47.00 Renewal rate $25.00 3 years/ $58.00 Renewal rate $45.00 Digital versions will be included with regular print subscription. No particular special rates.
Competitor Comparison
Competition
Total
Single Copy Sales
Subs. Copy Sales
Frequency
Subs. Price
Cover Price
Martha Stewart Living
2,088,788
142,551
1,946,237
10/ year
$49.90
$4.99
Real Simple
1,975,000
335,750
1,639,250
12/ year
3yrs/$64.44 2yrs/$52.56 1yr/$29.88
$4.99
Esquire
746,556
87,215
659,341
11/ year
2yrs/$25 1yr/$15
$4.99
GQ
938,359
135,842
802,517
12/ year
1yr print & tablet $20 1yr print $15
$5.99
Apple Pie
125,00
30,000
95,000
6/ year
1yr/ $25
$7.99
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Marketing Plan Advertising Vision At first, our advertising plan will focus on the sponsorship with American Apparel. Apple Pie’s advertisers will include the brands that are featured in the magazine, similar to the advertisers in publications such as Real Simple, but also brands that are up-and-coming and smaller American businesses. Our print-based advertising will be the main source of revenue from advertising, but there will also be advertising from the same type of brands on the Apple Pie website. The tablet version of the magazine will have the same advertisers the print version does, so all brands that advertise with the print magazine will also be advertising on the tablet version. Apple Pie’s goals for advertising will be to establish a mutually beneficial relationship with each advertiser, establish contracts with advertisers to ensure long-term success and to attract more readers each year so the advertisers can get more coverage and Apple Pie gain more revenue.
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Advertising Specifics Food: Applegate Farms, Organic Prairie, Jiffy Baking Mix, Jacobsean Sea Salt, CogniTea, Groundwork Coffee Automobile: Jeep Cherokee, Jeep Patriot, Chevy Malibu Technology: Seura TVs, Orb Audio, Vitamix Beauty: Thesis Beauty, LURK perfume oils, Burt’s Bees, Beardition, Bobbi Brown, Portland Beard Company Recreation: Sweetpea Bicycles, FlipBelt, Vew-Do Fashion: HELM boots, Baldwin jeans, Duluth Pack, Topo Designs, New England Shirt Co. Home: antho, Tervis, Fiesta, Cloud Star, The Sorta Kitchen: Bambu, Ancillary Products & Services Apple Pie will partner with products and companies that are featured in the magazine to establish merchandise specifically designed for Apple Pie. The companies will launch the products like they would any other, only with an Apple Pie logo on it. During the launch, Apple Pie will give away these products in contests and sweepstakes. These products will work well with Apple Pie's audience because they are products used by them every day. The products also link back to the purpose of the magazine, which promotes the American-made lifestyle.
Products will include items such as: Vintage-like T-shirts – Apple Pie will work with American Apparel to create its very own T-shirt in the American Apparel soft signature fabric. Stationery/ Journals – Apple Pie will collaborate with Field Notes to create its very own line of notebooks with recycled paper covers and lined paper. Beanies – American Apparel will also manufacture beanies as an Apple Pie ancillary product. These will be sold during fall and winter. Beanies are known to appeal to young urbanite creative types—exactly who Apple Pie appeals to. 59
Coffee mugs – This is a product that appeals to just about everyone. The audience that Apple Pie focuses on are, indeed, coffee-lovers; however, coffee mugs can be used for more than just coffee, such as hot chocolate or tea. One could also use them as pencil holders or use them as a planter (maybe another Under the Roof idea?).
Services include: Mobile phone app – this service will include specialized content from the magazine, a way for readers to download content, buy music from featured American bands, sign up for giveaways and contests, buy products featured on the magazine, collect/earn coupons, etc. This app will also be connected with American Apparel, offering discounts on purchases and advertising AA on the app. A mobile app fits perfectly with the tech-savvy minds of the Apple Pie readers. Lifestyle “finder” – This will be kind of like a personal stylist or interior designer, but someone readers can hire for advice on everything from their wardrobe to furnishings to new art pieces. It will be a digital relationship and will ride on the advantage of convenience. This lifestyle counselor can be hired for a one-time use or contracted to a certain amount of time. This will be a great way for readers to have a personal relationship with the magazine. Advertising Rates Competition
Total
Frequency
Rate Base
Ad Rate
CPM
Martha Stewart Living
2,088,788
10/ year
2,050,00
$188,580
$90.28
Real Simple
1,975,000
12/ year
725,000
$131,390
$184.30
Esquire
746,556
11/ year
938,359
$177,123
$189
GQ
938,359
12/ year
1,975,000
$208,700
$106
Apple Pie
125,000
6/ year
125,000
$18,750
$150
60
Year 1
Year 3
Year 5
Number of issues per year
6
6
6
Number of subscribers
95,000
115,000
135,000
Number of single-copy sales
30,000
40,000
35,000
Total circulation
125,000
155,000
180,000
CPM Apple Pie’s CPM is reasonable compared to that of its competitors. It is also justified by the number of readers. Apple Pie has a national circulation that is directed to a very specific audience, which means advertisers who choose to advertise with Apple Pie will be promised the audience they are looking for. Apple Pie has a $150 CPM and a $12.50 web CPM. Rate Base Apple Pie will guarantee its advertisers a rate base of 125,000. This is justified by the circulation. (Circulation is justified by the audience presented from the sponsor, American Apparel’s databases. In this case, social media.) Subscriptions will account for 95,000 of the total rate base, and 30,000 will account for single copy sales. Ad Rate The ad rate for Apple Pie is calculated based on its CPM. In its first year of publication, Apple Pie’s predicted rate base is 125,000, and with a CPM of $150 a full-color ad rate is $18,750. Apple Pie has an average discount at 30%, or $5,625 for the first year of publication. It will be given to those who advertise early, and contract for 5 years.
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Subscription
62
Subscription Price
$25.00
$26.00
$26.00
Cover price
$7.99
$8.99
$8.99
Total pages per issue
68
68
68
Advertising pages per issue
13
13
13
Editorial pages per issue
51
51
51
Editorial pages for the year
306
306
306
Full-color ad rate
$18,750
$23,250
$27,000
CPM
$150.00
$150.00
$150.00
Average discount (%)
30%
26%
23%
Average revenue per ad page
$5,625
$6,045
$6,210
Revenue
Revenues
Year 1
Year 3
Year 5
Subsriptions
$2,375,000
$2,990,000
$3,510,000
Single-copy sales
$719,100
$1,078,800
$1,213,650
Advertising
$438,750
$471,510
$484,380
Total revenues
$3,532,850
$6,090,620
$6,906,060
63
Expenses
64
Expenses
Year 1
Year 3
Year 5
Advertising
(19%) $671,242
(17%) $1,035,405
(16%) $1,104,970
Circulation
(42%) $1,483,797
(38%) $2,314,436
(32%) $3,073,939
Salaries
(10%) $353,285
(10%) $690,062
(11%) $759,667
Distribution
(11%) $388,614
(10%) $690,062
(10%) $690,606
Production
(20%) $706,570
(20%) $1,218,124
(16%) $1,104,970
Administration
(9%) $317,957
(9%) $548,156
(10%) $690,606
Total Expenses
(111%) $3,921,465
(104%) $6,496,245
(94%) $7,424,758
Net income (loss)
($388,615)
($405,625)
($518,698)
Position Salaries
Editorial Positions & Salaries
Year 1
Year 3
Year 5
Editor-in-Chief
67,100
78,062
80,667
Senior Editor
(x3) 51,000
(x4) 60,000
(x4) 55,000
Freelance Writer
44,000
(x2) 46,000
(x3) 47,000
Photographer
8,185
(X2) 12,000
(X2) 10,000
Freelance Illustrator
10,000
15,000
18,000
Web/Social Media Editor
31,000
(x2) 33,000
(x2) 36,000
Copy Chief
40,000
(x2) 44,000
(x3) 47,000
Proofreader/ Fact Checker
(x2) 25,000
(x3) 30,000
Asst. Web/ Social Media Ed.
37,000
37,000
$690,062
$759,667
Total
$353,285
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General Design Brief Apple Pie is hip, clean and vintage, yet modern. Apple Pie has lots of white space and pleasing visual elements, including pops of color, photography and illustrations. Colors used in Apple Pie have been muted. They will appear more matte than shiny. Photographs are less saturated and appear to have a type of filtered effect, but more natural. As for illustrations, they are used strategically and with purpose. They look hand-made and one-of-a-kind.
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The Style Guide
Logo:
apple pie an american-made movement
Color Palette: C 62 R 92 M 22 G 165 Y 7 B 206 K 0
C 15 R 221 M 24 G 185 Y 90 B 63 K 0
C 11 R 214 M 86 G 72 Y 72 B 32 K 2
C 50 R 131 M 4 G 194 Y 44 B 163 K 0
Magazine Grid:
6-column grid
12-column spread
*Scaled to fit 68
Headline Art:
title here Imaga Illustration:
Text styles:
SUBHEAD 1 (COLORED) UNIVERS 65 BOLD, 12 PT. Subhead 2 univers 65 bold, 10 pt. This is body copy Univers 55 Roman, 10/12 pt. Dus, sunt voluptat fugitiur? Ovidelibus vendicab ist, cum andaecum fugit pliqui temporro ea imet doles diorum vitium dolorat aestoreptas ex et laniae veribus ped quiducimenet oditas elloribus et eture quis rerum volorum sit aliquib erruptatqui nem fugitam sin nost pratemque volorum que digendendit, totaspe net eum vent explige ndaesequas maximol orporibus solorrovidus et eum id quist, torehendae. Nem re nemporrorita sit mi, tem qui ditatias que sandaeru
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