The Gentlewoman: Audience and Industries blog tasks

 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? 

Yet, the gentlewoman sticks a middle finger up at these conventions. 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!

2) What representations are offered in the Gentlewoman? 

Representation in the gentlewoman is pleasingly wide ranging. the gentlewoman does a pretty good job of presenting a spectrum of womanhood (it may not surprise anyone to hear that the vast majority of its subjects are emphatically not men). This includes playing with ideas of gender performativity and stereotypes,

such as the fashion feature on the smart summer suit (issue 25, pp.272- 287) – a masterclass in androgyny. 

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

The gender of average reader is female. Age ranges between 28-46(61% of readers.). Social class of an average reader is A or B. Average income is extremely high, £87K. And on average they all have higher education

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.

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

David Gauntlet'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.

7) Who are the team behind the magazine?

The team behind the gentlewoman is small but clearly influential. Creators Gert Jonkers and Jop van Bennekom have come up with a number of subversive and unconventional publications.

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

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.

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

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?

“A stylish read, unlike any other women’s magazine out there”

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 and

events. Also featuring lively chats with Club members and engaging interviews with today’s most fascinating women of note.

• The Calling: a questionnaire for creative visionaries exploring their life’s

work; subjects have included fashion designer Jil Sander, Paola Antonelli

of MoMA and fabulous popstar Alison Goldfrapp.

• The Reader: lively and chatty Q&A conversations with Club members.

Magazine:

A précis 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?

Median age … 32 years

22%...18–27 years

61%… 28–46 years

11%…47–55 years

6%… 56+ years

Female readers …85%

Male readers … 15%

ABC1 … 76%

AB … 47%

Average income … £87,255

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.

5) What Creative Collaborations

I'm assuming its supposed to say "What is Creative Collaborations". 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. Speaking to its audience as readers not consumers, the magazine showcases inspirational women through a distinctive combination of glamour, personality and warmth.

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

The Gentlewoman brings together in its pages modern women of great renown and distinction such as Mhairi Black, Elena Ferrante, Zadie Smith, Sofia Coppola, Erin Brockovich and Nicola Sturgeon. Such women exemplify the editorial character of the magazine. The editorial design continues its evolution with the introduction of new typographical and layout elements.

3) How are the readers described?

Confident, intelligent and stylish, our readers are from a broad range of ages and professions. 

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?

• A Gentlewoman Club cards night at Savile Club with Browns Fashion, 
• A moment during The Gentlewoman Club's architectural tour in Los Angeles
• The Gentlewoman Club's day trip to Durslade Farm with Paul Smith

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

While many magazines are extending their brands into events for which readers must often buy expensive tickets, The Gentlewoman Club is free to those who sign up on the magazine’s website and are selected for a slot. 

3) How are Gentlewoman Club tickets given out? 

While many magazines are extending their brands into events for which readers must often buy expensive tickets, 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. "They passionately 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? 

It "engages readers between its bi-annual issues."

5) Website and social media research

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

Sir, I didn't need to see that first picture. It promotes it through it library of pictures and interview for free.

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? 

A lot of it is free online. This isn't that profitable but in the digital age in order for magazines to survive it has to be done this way.

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

Lots of behind the scene work.

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

It posts a verity of content that engage a lot of different people as well as the content being quite weird. 

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

 Everything. There is a lot of unconventional fashion on their page.