Is Vogue Still Relevant?
It seems like nobody has had the backbone to stand up and admit that American Vogue has lost its luster….until now. Last week, Cathy Horyn finally took the reigns and called out the stale magazine in The New York Times.
Headed by Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour for the last 20 years, the pages of Vogue feel out of touch and lacking the spark that made the magazine legendary when compared to its rivals. A near-constant rotation of the same old faces on the covers (including Gisele, Gwyneth Paltrow, Nicole Kidman and Sienna Miller) makes you wonder if you saw the same exact issue a year ago.
Interestingly, part of the reason that Wintour has survived this long at the helm is no doubt due to her knack for keeping luxury advertisers onboard and forking over the big bucks. Her authority, knowledge and commanding presence are convincing enough to those who haven’t found the same success with their luxury goods online.
Whereas other magazines are attempting to reach out to average readers, Vogue dedicates entire pages to socialites that have no relevance and offers downright hilarious tips on dealing with the recession like featuring a $975.00 sewing kit.
Vogue needs a jolt and a freshening up, with or without Wintour.
What’s your take on the current state of American Vogue? Does it still matter?
Tags: magazines, print, Social Change
January 10th, 2009 at 11:46 am
When I got my Jan.09 Vogue in the mail (Hathaway cover) the spine was so thin that the Title Vogue barely fit. Its just not Vogue, it’s all the magazines on the rack. Advertising has been dropping the last 5 years. Conde Nast could see revenue drop 30 percent in the first quarter of 2009.
What we are entering is a new era of advertising. Its going to get out the way we got it out before print; word of mouth. And it’s the mouth it’s coming out of that will see the product.
January 10th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
To clarify: And it’s the mouth it’s coming out of that will see the product succeed. Pick the right spokesperson for the product,not just a celebrity, but someone with the blog, website, high profile; someone who knows and is known on the internet.
January 13th, 2009 at 9:46 am
Ophelia Chong: I agree with word of mouth advertising. The rules have changed and it seems like magazines that were part of the old guard are struggling to keep pace. People can see through the facade of celebrity advertising and want a real, relatable person that they can trust.