Image 1
Stylist Case Study 2011
Image 2
Contents Introduction Market Customer Brand Content Advertisement Distribution & Price People Foot Notes / Images Bibliography
Image 3
Image 4
Customer
Introduction Stylist Magazine office is situated in Holborn, London. Stylist magazine launched on 7th October 2009. Stylist is a free 56 page weekly printed UK based magazine that is available in 6 cities, Stores, Airports and online via their website www.stylist.co.uk. Stylist has an average of 421,158 readers a week. 1 It’s parent company ShortList Media is owned by hedge fund GLG, newspaper group DC Thomson, French Connection founder Stephen Marks, film producer Matthew Vaughn and Sir David Arculus, the former managing director of Emap, who is also the group’s chairman.2
Image 5
Mike Soutar, who launched the men’s equivalent ShortList (picture) two years prior to launching Stylist, said that Stylist is targeting a new market: “In order for us to succeed, other people do not have to lose,” magazines. he said. “I suspect Stylist will attract quite a sizeable group of people who do not buy into women’s weekly magazines.”3 This states that Stylist target a wide variety of people that do not just buy weekly magazines. Commenting on the success of the magazine, Glenda Marchant, Stylist’s publisher, said: “As we reach our first birthday it’s an understatement to say that Stylist has had a phenomenal first year...The speed at which readers have engaged with our thoughtful, quality journalism – unique in an otherwise celebrity-flooded weekly market – has been incredible, and we constantly receive feedback from women congratulating us on smart, fresh content that’s relevant to them and their lives.”4 Stylist’s life span is currently 1 year and 5 months. Mike Soutar,
stated that Stylist broke even by August in their first year, 12 months ahead of schedule.5 Stylist have printed 53 covers in the last 12 months with various celebrities and inspirational people from around the world
Stylist state that their cliental are smart, successful, sophisticated women. Stylist targets affluent 20 to 40-yearold female commuters with the intention of inspiring their lives within the subjects of fashion, beauty, lifestyle, people Market and places and career As Stylist is only distrib- news. The magazine uted in the UK, it is cate- targets female commutgorized within Women’s ers within large cities of Weekly magazines. Styl- the UK such as Glasgow, London, Manchester, ist has just over 3,000 Brighton and Leeds as magazines available at there are a high number News stands around the UK.6 As Stylist covers a of successful females diverse range of subjects with medium to large within it’s content, which expendable income. The National survey on male broadens the amount of and female’s employcompetition. The three main competitors within ment earnings in the UK 2011 state that full-time this category are Grazia male employees were and More Magazine. £538 per week in April These magazines are a huge competition as Gra- 2010; for women the zia focuses on delivering median was £439.8 Mike Soutar states, “We won’t a fashion and trend led be covering unflattermagazine for females ing paparazzi shots of and More provide simicelebrities and spurious lar content but for the stories about celebrity younger side to Stylists romances. There will cliental. Soutar states be as much crossover that Grazia, Stylist’s of Stylist readers with main competition, sold newspapers as maga217,000 copies, leaving plenty of room for Stylist zines.”9 with the market research Brand of Soutar estimating the market reaches 4.2 milStylist’s ethos is to lion of females in their deliver a weekly 20s-30s in the UK.7
interesting and informative read to their cliental of UK women between the age of 20-40,10 over the subjects of Fashion, Beauty, Travel, Life and Places. Stylist uses three different fonts with size 10 through out the magazine. The first font is their personalised font for their brand name and identity that is UK recognised. Their second font is for headings and titles and their third font is for the actual content of the magazine. Stylist is visually appealing and easy to read. The magazine and website is full of colour and images that are visually attractive and inviting. Stylist magazine has a four-column layout on their article pages.
Content Stylist magazine is divided into different sections that appeal to their cliental, Scoop, Travel, Weekly Column, Food, Reviews, Listings, gift Guide, Articles, Fashion, Beauty and Question & Answer Interviews. Stylist magazine begins with a contents page that displays an overview
of what is going to be in the magazine and the page number. The contents is accompanied by a short 200 word Editor’s letter every Issue with their thoughts with a passport sized picture. Stylist follows with advertisement and the Scoop section of the magazine that covers diverse news of politics, business and fashion worldwide that appeals to their cliental. The Travel section follows the Scoop section. These pages promote beautiful, relaxing vacations that are chosen to relate to the cliental. The Travel section inspires the cliental on where to go for their holiday breaks. The next section of Stylist is the weekly column. The weekly column is a different female each week that discusses a different topic to inform the cliental of a different perception of situations that arise in life. The food page is made up of somebody at Stylist’s favourite recipe that they can share with their readership. The Review section of Stylist has written reviews of a mixture of
books and DVD’s released recently with the products price and place to purchase the item. The Listings section of the magazine make the cliental aware of the recent theatre shows, films, events, music events, and exhibitions that they can attend in Glasgow, Leeds, London, Manchester and Brighton.
high street to designer. The Beauty pages within Stylist magazine include an article on beauty treatments such as plastic surgery, Botox and waxing. This then follows to the trend colours of the season and products that can help create the look. The Question and Answers section is always printed on the penultimate page of Stylist. The interviews are with popular celebrities in the public eye that can relate with Stylist’s cliental.
Advertisement
Image 6 The Gift Guide section of stylist tries to introduce to their cliental must have items of the season to buy for themselves and others. The items range from fashion, beauty, household and food and drink products. The Fashion pages include a Fashion article that is relevant to the trends that week accompanied by a four to six page editorial shoot with clothes ranging from
Despite being a free publication handed out to commuters at tube stations and major cities around the UK, Stylist continues to attract highend fashion and beauty advertisers. Whilst flicking through the Stylist Issue 69, the following advertisers placed in the magazine were Folli Follie, Polo, John Lewis, Links London, Estee Lauder, Harvey Nichols, British Airways, Toyota, Loreal, Westfield London and Nivea.11 These advertisers sell products that vary from a low to a high price range. The advertisers are also spread
across the five themes of the magazine, Fashion, Beauty, Lifestyle, People and Places. Stylist business company advertisers on their website are E-on, The Ritz, London, E News and Mango.12
Distribution & Price The way a business chooses to offer its products to its customers has a huge impact on its success. Stylist is free, and is handed out in 10 cities across the UK every Wednesday and tube stations in London:
Image 7 It is handed out every Wednesday, the day before ShortList, in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow and Brighton via a network of street vendors, with a distribution of 400,000 magazines per week. 10 Stylist is also available to read online on a Wednesday, occasionally on a Tuesday via their website www.stylist.co.uk and in French Connection and various UK Airports.13 There is a subscription option on Stylists website that allows cliental
to buy single editions of the magazine and pay postage and packaging or buy Stylist magazines in bulk. Stylist has several online accounts for media contact on Twitter with 20,404 followers 14, Facebook (3442 Likes) 15, Myspace, Stumble Upon and Digg This. Stylist generates their revenue from advertising. Their advertising rates are their main source of income as brands and P.R agencies depend on them greatly to get great coverage of their brand to an average of 412, 158 readers of female commuters in the UK.16
Image 8
People The Stylist team is: Glenda Marchant- Publisher The Publisher’s main job role is to look over the finished product and to publish the magazine. Lisa Smosarskli- Editor The Editor’s job role entails, art direction, writing, the overall plan of the visual and content of the magazine and liaising with advertisers and contributors. Alexandra FullertonFashion Director The Fashion Director’s main focus is putting enough fashion in the magazine that relates to the cliental, introducing new hot trends. Susan Riley- Deputy Editor The Deputy Editor’s job role consists of supporting the Editor whilst fulfilling similar roles to the Editor. Matt Phase- Creative Director The Creative Director oversees the branding and visual identity of the magazine. Stylists have guest writers and interviewers that are on a freelance contract that contribute to the magazine on a weekly basis.
Foot Notes Images
1- Stylist Magazine, Issue 43, Page 3, Lisa Smosarski, Editor. 2- http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/ oct/06/stylist-new-womens-magazine 3- http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/ oct/06/stylist-new-womens-magazine 4- http://www.brandrepublic.com/ news/1033470/gallery/8462/page/2/#8462 5- http://www.brandrepublic.com/ news/1033470/gallery/8462/page/2/#8462 6- http;//www.drapersrecord.co.uk 7- http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/ oct/06/stylist-new-womens-magazine 8-http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget. asp?id=285 9- http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/ oct/06/stylist-new-womens-magazine 10- www.facebook.com/ stylistmagazine 11- Stylist Magazine Issue 69 12- Stylist Magazines 13- www.facebook.com/ stylistmagazine
14- twitter.com/StylistMagazine 15- www.facebook.com/ stylistmagazine 16- Stylist Magazine, Issue 53, Page 3, Lisa Smosarski, Editor.
Images 1- Stylist Front Cover, Issue 1. 2- Stylist Front Cover, Issue 69. 3- Stylist Front Cover, Issue 64 4- Stylist Front Cover, Issue 68. 5- ShortList Front Cover, Issue 78. 6- Stylist Contents Page, Issue 64. 7- Stylist Contents Page, Issue 69. 8- Editors Letter, Stylist Issue 69. 9- Stylist Front Cover, Issue 61. 10- Stylist Front Cover, Issue 62. 11-Stylist Front Cover, Issue 63.
12- Stylist Front Cover for their 1 year anniversary.
Bibliography http://www.brandrepublic.com/news/1033470/ gallery/8462/ page/2/#8462 http://www.Drapersrecord.co.uk
Image 9
http://www.facebook. com/stylistmagazine http://www.guardian. co.uk/media/2009/ oct/06/stylist-new-womens-magazine http://www.mediaweek. co.uk/news/919843/Stylist-revealed-ShortListsbrand-womens-free-mag/
Image 10
http://www.stylist.co.uk http://www.statistics. gov.uk/cci/nugget. asp?id=285 Stylist Magazine, Issue 43, Issue 53, 2010. twitter.com/StylistMagazine http://www.statistics. gov.uk/cci/nugget. asp?id=285
Image 11
Image 12
Ieuan James Davidge ieuan.davidge@hotmail.co.uk