The Gentlewoman: Audience and Industries

 

1) Media Magazine feature: Pleasures of The Gentlewoman

Go to our Media Magazine archive and read the article on The Gentlewoman (MM84 - page 34). Answer the following questions:

1) What does the article suggest is different about the Gentlewoman compared to traditional women's magazines? 

Its minimalist covers are so completely different that it’s actually shocking. The only text is the title, subtitle and name of the person in the photograph, which is taken as a portrait and framed like a painting. It’s a bold statement that says this is more than just a magazine, this is art. In case it wasn’t different enough, the masthead is in lower case. Compared with Vogue, Elle or Cosmopolitan, the gentlewoman has no need to shout.

2) What representations are offered in the Gentlewoman?  

Most of the non-advertising-related subjects are creatives of some kind – artists, musicians, fashionistas, writers, actors, dancers – but there are occasional oddities, subjects that you simply would not get in other women’s mags – an undertaker, a botanist, a Zambian rapper, a courtroom artist, a Moroccan mountaineer – that both elevate the gentlewoman to being more serious and give it a more down-to-earth feel than the ethereal airbrushed beauties we are usually bombarded with in women’s magazines.

3) List the key statistics in the article on the average reader of the magazine. 

85% - women

61%- age 28-46

47%- A or B categories of the NRS social grading system

4) What is The Gentlewoman Club? 

An ‘international society’ of ‘sophisticated women and men who demand quality and originality from their agenda of cultural happenings’. The club is both a real, offline way to get to know others who share similar interests, a way of deepening brand loyalty among readers, and a cynical way to covertly market products to a highly affluent and motivated targeted audience who are made to feel special.

5) What theorists does it suggest we can apply to the Gentlewoman's club?

Gauntlett’s ideas about how we, as media consumers, use media products to help create our identity.

6) What does the writer of article suggest they are getting out of their relationship with the magazine?

"It provides me with a glimpse into the world of high fashion and celebrity and picks a few choice social trends to help me feel in the know. It meets some of my needs for cultural and media interaction."

7) Who are the team behind the magazine?

Gert Jonkers and Jop van Bennekom.

8) How does the Gentlewoman use their website and social media to promote the magazine? 

The sheer number of luxury adverts tells you that the cost to the reader is not what’s really propping up the production, the gentlewoman’s liberal use of cross- platform social media helps deepen readers’ relationship with the brand,while being a largely free resource to the company.

9) What are the 'creative collaborations' in the magazine? How do they 'spill over into real life'?

Also known as ‘native advertising’, brands use the gentlewoman’s own writers and photographers to market their products to the gentlewoman’s audiences.And the collaborations spill over into real life with special events for club members.

10) How does the article sum up the audience pleasures of the Gentlewoman? 

All these strategies help to make the gentlewoman feel modern and relevant to those the magazine is targeting. Of course, what pleases me may not please you; the gentlewoman is not for everyone. But this in turn gives it a sort of cult appeal – exclusivity, being in the know, enjoying the old medium of magazines in a modern way.

2) The Gentlewoman Media kit

Look through The Gentlewoman's Media Kit and answer the following questions:

1) How does the Media Kit introduce the magazine?

Established in 2010, The Gentlewoman is widely recognised as the definitive

style title for the modern woman. Intelligent, opinionated and entertaining,

it has set a new standard in women’s magazines with its high-quality writing

and fashion photography celebrating modern women of style and purpose.

2) On the 'Digital' page, what different sections of the website are there and how do these offer opportunities for audience engagement and interaction? 

Library- A repository of the in-depth profiles of women of great renown and distinction from past editions of the magazine.

Club-The online home for The Gentlewoman Club and its various activities andevents. Also featuring lively chats with Club members and engaging interviews with today’s most fascinating women of note.

Magazine- A summary of each edition of The Gentlewoman with editorial excerpts.

Collaborations- A portfolio of The Gentlewoman’s creative brand partnerships. 

Shop- The outlet for The Gentlewoman’s product collaborations, magazine subscriptions and back issues.

3) What are the audience demographics for The Gentlewoman?

The Gentlewoman is enjoyed by confident, independent and stylish women and men from a strikingly broad range of age groups. Characterised by their desire for cultural entertainment in their media, readers of The Gentlewoman enjoy the highest quality fashion, social pursuits and creative happenings.

4) What is The Gentlewoman Club and what does it offer readers?

The Gentlewoman Club is an international society of the magazine’s readers, which currently has up to 39,000 active members – sophisticated women and men who demand quality and originality from their agenda of cultural happenings. These loyal subscribers attend the Club’s get-togethers in substantial numbers, notified of which via the Club’s monthly newsletter and social media platforms.

5) What Creative Collaborations has the gentlewoman had?

The Gentlewoman’s creative collaborations are an innovative way to communicate a unique brand message through the publication’s distinctive editorial voice. These bespoke partnerships offer diverse and engaging cross-platform solutions including photography, film, inserts, contract publishing and specially-curated events and digital projects.

3) D&AD Award Winner feature

Read this short D&AD advertising agency award feature on The Gentlewoman. Answer the following questions:

1) How is the magazine described?

The Gentlewoman celebrates modern women of style and purpose, offering an intelligent perspective on fashion through ambitious journalism and photography

2) What does it say about the content and design of The Gentlewoman?

The editorial design continues its evolution with the introduction of new typographical and layout elements, along with the magazine’s ongoing commitment to enhancing its photography by working with the leading names in the field.

3) How are the readers described?

Confident, intelligent and stylish, our readers are from a broad range of ages and professions. Characterized by their thirst for cultural entertainment, we have an intimate relationship with readers through The Club (28,000 subscribers)

4) Business of Fashion website feature 

Read this Business of Fashion feature on The Gentlewoman - the magazine that is also a club. If you don't want to sign up to the website (free) then you can access the text of the article on Google Drive here (you'll need your Greenford Google login). Answer the following questions: 

1) What events are listed as part of The Gentlewoman Club?

Set to embark on a full-blown architectural tour of London’s most famous brutalist landmarks and modernist social housing estates, finishing with lunch at the Isokon building, a white concrete block designed by architect Wells Coates.

2) Why does it suggest the magazine has managed to 'cut through the clutter'?

The Gentlewoman has cut through the clutter with an intelligent take on fashion and culture aimed at smart and tasteful women much like Martin herself, who was previously a curator at the Women's Library.

3) How are Gentlewoman Club tickets given out? 

The Gentlewoman Club is free to those who sign up on the magazine’s website and are selected for a slot. Martin, who hosts each event, hand-picks the attendees much like one might curate the guest list for a dinner party.

4) What does the article say about The Gentlewoman's relationship with its audience? 

"The Gentlewoman has an extremely engaged readership that sees design as a lifestyle, just as we do,” says Atul Pathak, Cos' head of communications. "Theypassionately want to educate their readership and it is always a pleasure to be able to share the Cos inspirations with others."

5) Why are Club events valuable from a digital perspective? 

The events are also valuable as generators of digital content. "I’d love to say I planned it, but it was just sheer luck that the club began to generate online assets that the magazine can use to engage readers between its bi-annual issues."

5) Website and social media research

1) Visit The Gentlewoman's website. How does it promote the magazine? 

It has different sections to read into more magazines, buy their products and read about people they've collared with.

2) Visit the magazine page of the website. How much of the magazine is available to view online? Is this a smart marketing technique to sell print copies or is it giving content away for free? 

All the magazine is available online it's smart because magazine lovers likely prefer the printed versions.

3) Look at The Gentlewoman's Twitter feed. What content from the magazine or Club events can you find on there? 

It has highlights the most recent big guest on the magazine and has links to join their club.

4) Go to The Gentlewoman's Instagram page. How does it encourage the audience to engage with the magazine? 

It posts photoshoot pictures and has a link to their website in the bio.

5) What representations of fashion and gender can you find on their Instagram page? 

The fashion is mostly minimalistic and bare and has a slightly more androgynous feel.