ARE BRAND MAGAZINES AN UNDERRATED WAY TO BUILD FANS?
WHISPER IT QUIETLY, PRINT IS BACK
As the race for consumers' attention on social media becomes harder and the platforms dictate so much of what you need to do to even get a chance for eyeballs, could more brands be looking at print as an effective way to communicate with customers?
Bottega Veneta quit their social media activity in 2021 and have been producing magazines and fanzines since. Leaving social hasn’t had any negative impact on the brand and while the print output isn’t a natural like for like and harder to measure, it does give the brand a space to experiment more than the tightly defined parameters of social.
For their fifth iteration of the limited-edition fanzine, it coincided with the arrival of its Winter 24 collection by Matthieu Blazy and is a deep dive into the creative world of Bottega Veneta through Blazy’s eyes, exploring what informed his latest collection.
They weren’t the first brand to dabble in print, with Carhartt now 10 issues in, while the likes of Mad Happy and Patta are all producing efforts that are released sometimes yearly, sometimes as often as quarterly to coincide with each season’s collections.
For fans of the brands producing these in often limited print runs, they’re already gaining status as must have souvenirs.
These are more about building the relationship with consumers and fans of the brand than an awareness medium.
As a physical product, they’re collectable keepsakes and feel more of a tangible exchange with consumers and fans than an email or social post.
Down the years print has been used to create one-offs to coincide with a product release like Jordan collaborating with the poster-sized street culture magazine Sneeze to print a branded issue dedicated to an archival Air Jordan 1 style.
When adidas launched their new Originals campaign “We gave the world an Original…”, they produced a limited publication to explore some of those stories in more depth than a 15 second reel could.
Service Works released issue 001 of Service Works: Menu last Black Friday, a free zine featuring exclusive recipes from some of their favourite cooks. While recent drops by Supreme and Palace last year also included print zines for their collaborations with Martine Rose and Vivienne Westwood, respectively.
When talking about brands' print efforts, we can’t forget the role of the catalogue. J Crew brought back their famous catalogues as part of the brand's recent turnaround in fortunes and return to popularity. Still to this day images from older catalogues by them and brands like Ralph Lauren do the rounds to acclaim on fashion sites and social media as people seek nostalgia and inspiration.
One of the longer running catalogues that goes under the radar is by Patagonia, part brand catalogue part outdoor magazine with some stunning photography. Only available in-store in limited numbers, these don’t stick around long.
These catalogues were and still are about showcasing a brand’s world and more than simple product shots. They’re often shoots that wouldn’t look out of place in a GQ or Vogue. They’ll often have well known writers also contribute stories.
All these examples so far come from clothing brands but the likes of Aesop, AirBnB and Red Bull have all created print efforts with the latter’s Bulletin running for 20 years now and widely distributed as it explores the sports and music world’s it’s associated with.
The digital and social world had a massive impact on print advertising revenue and eventually readership, but print is still thriving if you know where to look.
Mass consumer titles like GQ and Vogue have all struggled to keep their print publications staying relevant in a digital world, but the more specialised and niche titles are thriving as demanding print schedules give way for more freedom, focus and opportunities to build community. Look at Apartamento, Pit or Like the Wind for just some examples of publications that focus on one particular area or subculture and have built a community around them.
Consumers are choosing the more specialised titles to go deeper on their passions and express tastes. Often these publications have dedicated communities and events to build connections.
Each of these brands in this article have consumers who see themselves as fans and are buying into the brand’s world, a magazine isn’t just a natural extension of how the brand communicates, it’s an invitation into what the brand thinks and the world around it. They’re part brand books but you won’t find internal marketing speak here. Sure there’s products to be shown and sold but you’ll also find articles and features on the people wearing the brand and the subcultures and communities around it.
It’s the more specialised publications that show me why I’m not surprised to see more fashion brands produce mags or fanzines and expect to see more this year as brands rethink the role of social media and look at other ways to communicate and build the connection with brand fans.
vivrant things
See what I did there? Each Tuesday post will be followed by links and recommendations of things that’s got me excited, stimulate thinking or just simply needs to be shared.
I’ve finally got round to reading the oral history of Saturday Night Live, “Live from New York” which is perfect timing as the iconic show celebrates its 50th anniversary and has enlisted the great Guestlove to create a doc about the musical guests down the years. The documentary is great, but you’ll want to watch the 7 minute cold open mash-up multiple times as each viewing reveals something new.
I loved this Trench article on the state of grime sets in the streaming era which sent me down a YouTube hole of classic sets and clashes as well as wondering where my brother put all his Sidewinder tapepacks and Lord of the Mics DVDs.
Speaking of print, it’s always great to get your hands on interesting magazines or fanzines, particularly the ones that are hard to put into a box and come with provocations to get you thinking. A friend of mine Péter Kormanyos, who I worked with at creative agency TBWA has released his debut zine, Purgatory Sandwich. It’s a space to explore the unconventional, or as Peter describes it “unidentified creative fuckaroundery” and you can now get your copy in the UK via the great MagCulture.
Current Listening
Larry June, 2 Chainz and Alchemist ‘Life is Beautiful’ album
Paul ‘Trouble’ Anderson and Norman Jay mixes on Mixcloud