Vogue Advertisements
'Vogue' Advertisement Classifications from 1998
The advertisements in Vogue changed from 1998 to 2010. There are 56 more pages in the 1998 issue, and these pages are mainly advertisements. Advertisements are extremely important to magazines. Advertising dollars, not subscriptions, fund a majority of the costs associated with printing a publication.
There are a much wider variety of advertisements in the 1998 issue. There are cigarette advertisements, advertisements for alcohol and intimate apparel advertisements. In 2010 there were more advertisements for cars and advertisements for online websites and other technology.
To map the changes in advertisements over time, the number of advertisements in the two magazines shows how ads changed over time. (In both issues there were advertisements measuring only one column in size, but since that is more difficult to count, these ads were excluded.) In the 1998 issue there are 241 full-page advertisements and in the 2010 issue there are only 198 full-page ads. That is 43 more ads in the older edition than the more recent one.
These advertisements were then analyzed and classified into several different groupings. The ads were grouped to see exactly which groups changed over time. At first glance, the beauty ads in 1998 were overwhelming; it seemed there were no ads dedicated to beauty in 2010. Further analysis revealed there is still beauty ads but there are not as many and may not be as noticeable.
To further examine the advertisements a pie chart of both magazines was created. To figure the presents, the total advertisements in each category were divided by the total advertisement pages in the issue.
There are a much wider variety of advertisements in the 1998 issue. There are cigarette advertisements, advertisements for alcohol and intimate apparel advertisements. In 2010 there were more advertisements for cars and advertisements for online websites and other technology.
To map the changes in advertisements over time, the number of advertisements in the two magazines shows how ads changed over time. (In both issues there were advertisements measuring only one column in size, but since that is more difficult to count, these ads were excluded.) In the 1998 issue there are 241 full-page advertisements and in the 2010 issue there are only 198 full-page ads. That is 43 more ads in the older edition than the more recent one.
These advertisements were then analyzed and classified into several different groupings. The ads were grouped to see exactly which groups changed over time. At first glance, the beauty ads in 1998 were overwhelming; it seemed there were no ads dedicated to beauty in 2010. Further analysis revealed there is still beauty ads but there are not as many and may not be as noticeable.
To further examine the advertisements a pie chart of both magazines was created. To figure the presents, the total advertisements in each category were divided by the total advertisement pages in the issue.
Being classified in this way the viewer can see specifically how advertising content changed.
'Vogue' Advertisement Classifications from 2010
One example is how the number of advertisements for cigarettes decreased from six in 1998 to zero in 2010. This may be due to legislation passed in 2009 limiting the advertising of cigarettes.[1] This also may be because cigarettes have acquired a negative perception over time. These conclusions are assumptions; ultimately magazines strive to make money. If cigarette advertisers wish to advertise, magazines should welcome the revenue.
Next, consider the advertisements classified as intimate, which significantly decreased from 10 in 1998 to zero in 2010. Since only one magazine was observed there is no way to classify a trend. The number of beauty ads (hair products, makeup, face products and nail products) also decreased substantially. The only conclusion to be drawn from looking at one magazine is to assume these advertisers found an alternate way to advertise.
Ultimately, the change in numbers over these years shows a change in which advertisers are choosing to advertise in the magazine, and also the decrease in the total number of advertisers. The difference is only 43, and considering the reports of loss of advertising revenue, this may not be as drastic as expected. The loss of 43 pages may not be a huge loss; it is a loss, but the decrease could be much more severe.
There were some interesting advertisements in the 2010 Vogue. Four full-page ads in the magazine are advertising Vogue the corporation, from its website to subscribing to the magazine. This highlights the importance Vogue.com has to the magazine. Another interesting advertisement in the 2010 magazine is appealing to advertisers who advertise in magazines. The ad stresses the longevity of print over web advertising, and appeals to advertising in print. This topic was the subject of an article in The New York Times in February 2010. The loss of revenue in print is still a topic of concern.[2]
The advertisement speaking to the power of print is one of 1,400 pages set to run for this year in magazines, ranging from Ladies Home Journal to Vogue to People. The message in these ads is magazines are more effective than the Internet because print has longevity.
The article explains in the last two years advertisements have begun to return to magazines, and it was this shift that helped spark the decision to run the ads this year. The overall goal is to remind advertisers even the online present is rooted in a product with cultural influence.[3] This implies readers of online only issues of a magazine are still reading content linked to a print product.
While many readers visit the website, the print Vogue is read because of the dramatic and artistic layouts for the fashion. This drama is especially appealing in print, and the appeal has drawn readers to choose this magazine over others, and that same reason should link advertisers to the print product.
[1] “A Brief History of Cigarette Advertising” [database on-line] (Time On-line, 2009, access November 1, 2010); available from http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1904624,00.html; Internet.
[2] Russell Adams and Shira Ovide, “Magazines Team up to tout ‘Power of Print’-- as pickup in Ad Sales Boost Their Confidence, Publishers point to Strengths they Say remain Relevant in Internet Age,” The Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition). (March 1, 2010) B.4, ProQuest.
[3] Russell Adams and Shira Ovide, “Magazines Team up to tout ‘Power of Print’-- as pickup in Ad Sales Boost Their Confidence, Publishers point to Strengths they Say remain Relevant in Internet Age,” The Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition). (March 1, 2010) B.4, ProQuest.
Next, consider the advertisements classified as intimate, which significantly decreased from 10 in 1998 to zero in 2010. Since only one magazine was observed there is no way to classify a trend. The number of beauty ads (hair products, makeup, face products and nail products) also decreased substantially. The only conclusion to be drawn from looking at one magazine is to assume these advertisers found an alternate way to advertise.
Ultimately, the change in numbers over these years shows a change in which advertisers are choosing to advertise in the magazine, and also the decrease in the total number of advertisers. The difference is only 43, and considering the reports of loss of advertising revenue, this may not be as drastic as expected. The loss of 43 pages may not be a huge loss; it is a loss, but the decrease could be much more severe.
There were some interesting advertisements in the 2010 Vogue. Four full-page ads in the magazine are advertising Vogue the corporation, from its website to subscribing to the magazine. This highlights the importance Vogue.com has to the magazine. Another interesting advertisement in the 2010 magazine is appealing to advertisers who advertise in magazines. The ad stresses the longevity of print over web advertising, and appeals to advertising in print. This topic was the subject of an article in The New York Times in February 2010. The loss of revenue in print is still a topic of concern.[2]
The advertisement speaking to the power of print is one of 1,400 pages set to run for this year in magazines, ranging from Ladies Home Journal to Vogue to People. The message in these ads is magazines are more effective than the Internet because print has longevity.
The article explains in the last two years advertisements have begun to return to magazines, and it was this shift that helped spark the decision to run the ads this year. The overall goal is to remind advertisers even the online present is rooted in a product with cultural influence.[3] This implies readers of online only issues of a magazine are still reading content linked to a print product.
While many readers visit the website, the print Vogue is read because of the dramatic and artistic layouts for the fashion. This drama is especially appealing in print, and the appeal has drawn readers to choose this magazine over others, and that same reason should link advertisers to the print product.
[1] “A Brief History of Cigarette Advertising” [database on-line] (Time On-line, 2009, access November 1, 2010); available from http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1904624,00.html; Internet.
[2] Russell Adams and Shira Ovide, “Magazines Team up to tout ‘Power of Print’-- as pickup in Ad Sales Boost Their Confidence, Publishers point to Strengths they Say remain Relevant in Internet Age,” The Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition). (March 1, 2010) B.4, ProQuest.
[3] Russell Adams and Shira Ovide, “Magazines Team up to tout ‘Power of Print’-- as pickup in Ad Sales Boost Their Confidence, Publishers point to Strengths they Say remain Relevant in Internet Age,” The Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition). (March 1, 2010) B.4, ProQuest.
