Vogue turns 100: industry reaction
This week Vogue is celebrating its 100th year as one of the world’s most successful magazine brands. To mark the occasion, media experts share their thoughts on what has made the magazine such a success – and what Vogue’s long-standing credibility means for advertisers both now and in the future.
As Vogue reaches its landmark centenary year, it is worth taking a step back, looking around and seeing just what it has achieved in becoming one of the most iconic magazines in history.
Since coming to Britain in 1916 it has not only been a pioneer in its field but indeed been an icon of the whole publisher market. It is true that it has dominated the fashion and lifestyle landscape but it has gone a step further than this.
It is no longer a publication that reports on what is happening within the fashion industry but instead and importantly, it leads the debate and informs what is going to happen.
It is this that I find most interesting and something that other publishers should learn from. Vogue is not just a magazine or even a publisher; it is a brand; it has identity and it represents so much more than the paper it is printed on.
This is an important lesson for those around Vogue, not just within the fashion and lifestyle arena but all publishers.
What Vogue has achieved is credibility and heritage to such an extent that it has become synonymous with the industry in which it is situated.
It has almost gone as far as to create a vertical of its own. It leads, prescribes and some would even say dictates the fashion industry, all from the platforms it has evolved and curated. You just need to look at Anna Wintour, the editor in chief, to see what power Vogues has across its 23 markets.
What does this mean for advertisers? In short it means that Vogue has created an environment in which advertisers need to appear. It is such an influential platform that advertisers still see it as a vital medium and a guaranteed online on the media schedule.
In creating “brand Vogue” and making it a must read for all things fashion it has meant that Conde Nast have managed to continue to invest in it as advertisers continue to support it. This is made apparent in the latest issue which sees a record 275 advertising pages.
It is no accident that British Vogue launched during the First World War.
Whilst its inception may have been seemingly down to practical reasons – restrictions on overseas shipping from America meant that the original Vogue couldn’t make it across the Atlantic – its impact was immediately one of offering escapism from the reality of what was going on in the world around.
Vogue’s importance can’t be underestimated. It brought high fashion to the masses – it opened up a world previously reserved for the elite to the man (woman) on the street. And it is this ability to mix the high end with the down to earth that has seen Vogue remain at the heart of British fashion, culture and media.
Who could forget Kate Moss – the 19-year-old girl next door from Croydon – in her first (of nearly 40) fresh-faced cover? And what about in 2011, Adele’s super-long lashes gracing the newsstands?
But the influence of British Vogue extends far beyond fashion. Its early recognition of the power of simple, bold imagery to move people has influenced marketing within the fashion world for a century.
The benchmark it has set in editorial design excellence can’t be forgotten. And it’s even offered direct inspiration from its editors for characters like Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada. Its wider influence will live on long after print magazines disappear.
Building and maintaining status as a truly iconic magazine over the course of a century is no simple task. So what’s the secret to Vogue’s success? Simply, it became much more than a publication, it became a brand.
Vogue has become synonymous with revered names within the fashion industry like Kate Moss and Mario Testino. They only showcase the elite and Vogue is the pinnacle for everyone who wants to be anyone in the world of fashion.
Vogue’s clear brand identity and core focus – the link between fashion, high society and class – has dictated every decision it’s made, both in print and online. Within the fashion industry Vogue remains, unquestionably, a force to be reckoned with, and can teach brands a great deal about the power of purpose.
Mainstream issues affecting the media industry like adblocking and the decline of print media haven’t affected Vogue in the way they’ve affected other publishers. In a world where people are increasingly using adblocking software, consumers are actively buying Vogue for the adverts and the sheer quality of the physical magazine.
The brand has become synonymous with luxury and as long as it maintains its core identity and purpose, people will continue to revere the publication and look forward to celebrating the magazine’s second centennial anniversary too.