Has the surge of consumerism affected advertising in magazines such as Vogue?
Introduction
“Consumerism is ubiquitous and ephemeral. It is arguably the religion of the late twentieth century.” (Miles, 1998). The surge of consumerism during the digital age has become clear, and its impact on publishing has spiraled in recent years. Popular magazines with a higher price tag, such as Vogue, have become heavily dependant on advertisements for expensive, luxury products such as perfumes, clothes and make-up. Through articles and comparing past publishings to newer ones, as well as a survey, this essay will investigate the reason why consumerism has become so popularised within publishing and the effects of this surge. I will use theoretical frames such as affordance, postmodernism and Marxism to reinforce the research I have found. (?) – keeping relevance to subject? How are you going to apply this theory? ??? (rise of capitalism, dominance of the market, access to choice and the tools of production, centralised control of information (rich people controlling the lifestyle choices of the lower classes))
History of advertising in magazine
Consumerism was first recognised at the same time as the rise of mass capitalism. The beginning of the 18th century in North Western Europe when economies began to expand and wages started to rise. This meant that families who before had barely enough money to survive could finally go out and begin investing in small luxuries such as pillows, a comb or a mirror.
This expenditure created an economic cycle, meaning that the more people spend, the more businesses began to grow and wages began to rise. By the middle of the 18th century, this cycle grew so much in England that it became what historians now recognise as the first consumerist revolution. With such industrial growth came the decline of the bourgeoisie (property owning class) and the rise of the proletariat (working class), and these proletariat families now had enough discretionary income to indulge.
Consumer behaviour enhances the economy in such a way that if we no longer choose to acknowledge the luxury wears around us, the economy would soon crash and become feeble.
The start of the digital revolution dates back as early as the 1950’s to as late as the 1970’s with the introduction of electronic devices such as transistor, which is the key active component in any electrical device, even those used today. We are now in a period defined as the digital age, or the digital revolution, the shift from traditional means of advertisement (…) what effect does this have on the economy?
Vogue was founded in 1892 by business man Arthur Baldwin Turnure. Initially established as a weekly publication in the United States, the magazine was aimed towards male readership, including content such as sports coverage and social affairs. In 1905 the publication was purchased by Conde Nast, who imported and sold the American issue and continued to launch a British issue in 1916.
Vogue dominates both the digital and printed world. They have two branches of magazine aimed at different interpretants; Vogue and Teen Vogue. They have issues in 17 countries (including India and Russia), making it one of the most popular fashion magazines worldwide. Put simply, both Vogue and it’s September Issue are the magnet of the fashion world, pulling the attraction of everybody with a force like no other. The September Issue is highly anticipated and influential. The thickest issue of the year is filled with advertisements showcasing the newest Autumn/Winter ranges alongside some of the biggest industry designers, such as Marc Jacobs and Karl Lagerfeld.
Vogue is the epitome of fashion; yet fashion is subjective. It is a multi- billion pound industry in the United Kingdom and is matched globally. Magazines such as this lead consumers to believe they are buying into the current trends, with postmodernists adding that we are seen as consumers rather than citizens and many believe that this is reflected in the fashion industry, especially with regards to the consumer trend. From this we can theorise that by having such a heavy weighted issue filled with advertisements, consumers are more likely to feel connected to brands. If they can indulge in a fashion magazine with such a highly respected history and reputation, they are inevitably going to feel more likely to indulge in more expensive products advertised within the publication, such as Chanel clothing and Louis Vuitton bags.
Advertorial paragraph
What is it? Why has it become popularised?
Advertising in magazines in the digital age
The division of classes are referenced by Karl Marx, a famous sociologist. He
According to social grading data, the year 2000 is when Britain became more middle class than working class. Social grades are a strong predictor of an individuals lifestyle, how much they earn and how much they spend. The fact that Britain has developed into a middle class nation denotes a reason for a consumerist surge. The country now has much more discretionary income and as a population they are more likely to spend that income on luxury goods.
In 2009, magazine sales had dropped and advertisers began refusing to pay the same rates as they did for the previous year, all whilst knowing their ads would not be circulated as much. Richard Johnstone (whos’ he?) said “magazines remain a great vehicle for fashion and beauty brands, as well as having a halo effect, and advertisers understand that.” However, with bigger brands now expecting more for their money, they were open to searching for easier ways to access their consumers. It is at this point that the digital age was acknowledged as a real threat.
In 2012, Vogue made the conscious effort to create a responsive website that resized to accommodate tablets and phones, including in-content responsive advertisements. This introduced the immersive magazine content that readers could easily overlook in print, on their screen.
Book
In the book, ‘Consumerism: As a way of life’ Miles suggests that consumerism is becoming its own religion that people practice everyday.
Do Magazines need advertisements?
It has become evident that magazines use advertisements to fund their publications, and relying on these advertisements the magazine price would rise. This is reflected in New York based magazine The Great Discontent who pride themselves on self-funding their publication and not profiting from advertisements; their issues range from $9 to $50. Launched in 2011, The Great Discontent started as an online publication and in 2014 after a successful Kickstarter campaign, they raised over $100,000 to print their first publication.
How things might progress
According to Jeremy Leslie (whos he?) “it remains unclear what the new Vogue wishes to be”. (Leslie, 2018) Leslie’s statement is something that I have to agree with; the future for Vogue is undeniable, their iconic history and reputation is something no other magazines can compete with, but their content is changing. The introduction of advertorial written pieces has increased over the last 10 years
Harvard Referencing