Digital Branding: Lessons from Vogue, Monetizing Social, Creator Tips | Field Notes with Connie Chan | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Susan Plageman, a veteran in the fashion and publishing industry, discusses the impact of technology on media and fashion brands, offering insights and tips on building standout digital brands.

Key Insights

• 👶 Pre-internet, magazines like Cosmo had a significant influence on fashion trends and served as a platform for advertisers to reach new consumers.
• 👶 The digital transformation required content creators to anticipate and guide consumer behavior, adapting to new formats and platforms.
• 👾 Vogue successfully transitioned into the digital space by creating visually engaging content and leveraging social media platforms to expand their reach.
• 🚛 Brands and content creators should focus on their unique strengths and clearly articulate their value proposition to successfully navigate the evolving media landscape.
• 🤗 The relationship between fashion, sports, and entertainment opens up new opportunities for collaboration and innovation.
• 🛰️ Fashion is not limited to clothing brands; it is about creating a feeling and telling a story, making it relevant for various industries and content creators.
• 📺 Successful digital brands are those that can disrupt themselves, constantly evolve, and stay true to their brand vision.

Transcript

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Questions & Answers

Q: How did magazines like Cosmo influence fashion and trends in the pre-internet era?

Cosmo, along with other leading women's magazines, played a crucial role in shaping fashion trends, promoting brands, and introducing new celebrities. It was a market-maker and a space for advertisers to reach new readers.

Q: How did digital transformation impact the media industry?

The internet brought significant changes to the media landscape, with publishers needing to adapt to new formats and behaviors. It required a shift in mindset, creating content that responded to culture and news on a daily basis and embracing the power of visuals and videos.

Q: How did Vogue approach the transition to digital platforms?

Vogue embraced digital platforms, utilizing social media and creating engaging video content that complemented their print issues. They capitalized on the visual and interactive nature of digital media to further explore and present their content to readers.

Q: How did the rise of social media platforms influence Vogue and other publications?

Vogue and similar publications actively embraced social media, using platforms like Instagram and TikTok to showcase their content and engage with their audience. Social media became an extension of their brand and allowed for more creativity and experimentation.

Summary

In this video podcast, Connie Chan interviews Susan Plagemann, a veteran of the fashion and publishing industry, about how technology has transformed the media landscape. Susan discusses her experiences working at magazines like Cosmo, Marie Claire, and Vogue, and how they adapted to the digital age. She shares insights on the changing business models, the impact of social media, and the importance of understanding and leveraging brand strengths. Susan also provides advice for creators and companies in building standout digital brands.

Questions & Answers

Q: How did magazines like Cosmo and Glamour play a huge role in fashion and media in the past?

Back in the day, magazines like Cosmo and Glamour were leaders and market makers in the women's arena, reaching women aged 18 to 34. With no internet or websites, these magazines were the go-to source for fashion trends, style inspiration, and information about celebrities worth following.

Q: What was the main revenue driver for magazines like Cosmo in the past?

Print ads, especially full-page ads, were the main source of revenue for magazines like Cosmo. Key beauty companies would advertise in these magazines to maintain and expand their consumer base, as Cosmo attracted new readers consistently. The magazines had a significant influence due to their large circulations.

Q: How did the business lines change for magazines like Cosmo in response to the internet and digital media?

While Susan Plagemann was at Cosmo, they explored new business lines to transform the brand into a mega brand. They considered ventures like a Cosmo Cruise, Cosmo Espanol, and Cosmo Girl. The Cosmo Girl project, which targeted the next generation of consumers, proved to be the most successful. They had to adapt the traditional print-focused revenue model to include digital platforms like the internet and email.

Q: How did magazines like Marie Claire embrace digital media and create new content formats?

After working at Cosmo, Susan Plagemann joined Marie Claire and oversaw the launch of the first-ever video podcast series. The team would select 10 to 12 stories from each issue and produce video stories based on the editorial content. They put print first and used it as a guide for video content creation. The videos were primarily watched on the magazine's website, which had a more targeted audience compared to social media platforms.

Q: How did media publications respond to the internet in the early 2000s?

Initially, media publications were excited and terrified by the possibilities of the internet. They had to adapt and anticipate consumer behaviors, guiding them on how to consume content in new ways. There was a learning curve regarding the format and length of content. The amount of content also increased due to the internet, as print articles were no longer sufficient on their own.

Q: What was the significance of building vogue.com from scratch?

Susan Plagemann joined Vogue in 2010 and was tasked with building vogue.com as the company shifted its strategy to individual websites for each brand. Vogue did not have its own website at that time. They built vogue.com from scratch, monetized it, and had the freedom to explore and create. Their innovations attracted attention and partnership opportunities in the market.

Q: How did Vogue embrace social media and use it to its advantage?

Vogue fully embraced social media and its visual capabilities. They created engaging content like dancing videos, musician features, and videos showcasing fashion events. They also utilized wordplay with hashtags and experimented with videos, gifs, and other formats. Vogue recognized the value of social media in reaching their audience and reinforcing their brand.

Q: How did the intersection of social media and editorial content influence each other at Vogue?

The content created on Instagram and other social media platforms influenced the editorial content in Vogue and vice versa. It was not a completely different set of content but rather an opportunity to further explore and speak to the readers in different ways. Vogue utilized social media to offer deeper or quicker content experiences that were not possible in the print medium.

Q: How did social media and changing business models impact the thinking of new business lines or revenue streams?

Susan Plagemann wanted to charge consumers to follow Vogue on social media, recognizing the value Vogue brought to platforms like Instagram. While this idea was dismissed in the past, recent developments have shown that platforms are now being asked to compensate publishers for their content. This shift in mindset acknowledges the value of high-quality content and opens up new revenue opportunities.

Q: What is Susan Plagemann's role as president of WME Fashion, and what does she oversee?

Susan Plagemann oversees four companies: art and commerce, the Wall Group, IMG models, and IMG fashion and events. These companies represent artists in photography, hair, makeup, and styling, as well as the modeling industry. She focuses on highlighting their talent, deepening relationships with brands, and creating buzz and provocation around fashion events.

Q: What advice does Susan Plagemann have for creators and companies in building standout digital brands?

Susan advises creators and companies to ask meaningful questions and truly listen to understand their potential partners' priorities. By understanding what the partner values most, they can tailor their solutions accordingly. She also emphasizes the importance of disrupting oneself, staying focused on brand strengths, and delivering consistent value in a chosen lane.

Takeaways

The digital transformation of the media landscape has revolutionized the fashion and publishing industry. Magazines like Cosmo and Vogue have had to adapt their business models and embrace new technologies to remain influential. They have leveraged social media platforms like Instagram to create visually appealing and engaging content. The intersection of social media, editorial content, and changing business models has presented new opportunities for creators and companies. Understanding brand strengths, asking meaningful questions, and delivering value are key to building standout digital brands in today's evolving tech landscape.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Susan Plageman reflects on her experience as a publisher at Cosmo and Vogue, highlighting the significant influence and market-making power of magazines in the pre-internet era.

• She explains how magazines like Cosmo drove trends and served as a platform for advertising, particularly in the beauty industry.

• Plageman discusses the transformation of media with the rise of the internet, including the challenges of adapting to digital formats and the need for content creators to anticipate and guide consumer behavior.