Media Magazine feature: Pleasures of The Gentlewoman
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! Compared with Vogue, Elle or Cosmopolitan, the gentlewoman has no need to shout. Its fresh take on what a magazine should look like stands out enough – made you look, it seems to whisper. From its very specific choices around typography to its choices around colour and blank space, the gentlewoman oozes class in a different and much more, yes, modern way.
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 – a masterclass in androgyny. 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.
The women featured seem to be purposefully chosen across the age and race span. In the latest issue, 19-year-old Isadora Barney graces the cover, but there are four features about women aged between 50 and 70. Furthermore, there are women from Africa and Asia, as well as Black and white women from the UK and North America, promoting a structural vision of a multicultural society and nodding to an intersectional, post- colonial future. Coupled with the fact that fashion advertising has become significantly more diverse in recent years, The Gentlewoman feels a world away from the pages of willowy white women that filled fashion magazines a decade ago.
4) What is The Gentlewoman Club?
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?
A mutually beneficial blur of constructed media and real life, that could be probed using end-of-audience theories by the likes of Clay Shirkey, fandom theories by Henry Jenkins, and David Gauntlett’s ideas about how we, as media consumers, use media products to help create our identity. It could definitely be argued that by creating a club, the gentlewoman is able to tailor and construct a super glamorous and ultra-modern ‘reality’ for its readers – a simulation that would make Baudrillard perk up.
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 and all it asks in return is the price of a cinema ticket and that I put up with some targeted marketing. Yeah, duh, it’s 2023. As an avid media consumer I can deal with and filter that.
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. They are clearly savvy and use their websites as great adverts for their products, giving away just enough content to allow potential readers to enjoy full articles and get to know the brand, while being seductively minimalist enough to encourage you to buy the physical product. There are clues as to their business model. Running a small publication with a small team means that running costs can be kept low.
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'?
An important part of the magazine from an industry point of view is what the gentlewoman calls its ‘creative collaborations’. Also known as ‘native advertising’, brands use the gentlewoman’s own writers and photographers to market their products to the gentlewoman’s audiences. I usually find this type of marketing jarring and cynical, but somehow – probably by carefully selecting which brands it works with – the gentlewoman has made it seem like an utterly natural feature of the magazine. And the collaborations spill over into real life with special events for club members. All these strategies help to make the gentlewoman feel modern and relevant to those the magazine is targeting.
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.
The Gentlewoman Media kit
1) How does the Media Kit introduce the magazine?
It features all their previous front covers with female celebrities they have collaborated with.It then indulges into its main purpose with a lot of their magazine visuals surrounding their pages. It then explores the content itself and their contributors.
2) On the 'Digital' page, what different sections of the website are there and how do these offer opportunities for audience engagement and interaction?
2) On the 'Digital' page, what different sections of the website are there and how do these offer opportunities for audience engagement and interaction?
The Gentlewoman’s website invites readers further into the magazine’s world, extending the warm, personal and conversational editorial voice of the print publication into the digital realm.
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 inter- views 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?
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.
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
Distribution
The Gentlewoman has established a remarkable newsstand performance with an extensive circulation.
UK ................................................................. 51%
Europe ....................................................... 23%
USA ............................................................... 18%
Rest of the World .................................. 8%
Newsstand and promotion
Each new issue of The Gentlewoman is released together with a powerful promotional programme across the UK and other key cities in Europe and the US.
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.
Previous events have included:
• A readers get-together at Tenderbooks, London, for a festive preview of
The Gentlewoman No 17
• The Glimpses of the Future international architectural day tours of
Los Angeles and London developed and staged in partnership with COS
• A launch party for The Gentlewoman No 15 at Pasticceria Marchesi,
Milan, co-hosted with Prada
• A glamourous night of cards hosted in partnership with Browns Fashion
at The Savile Club, London
• A Bring-Your-Own-Vinyl afternoon in celebration of Record Store Day
featuring a reading by Brix Smith Start from her memoirs
• A literary soirée with Sonia Rykiel. A book group with discussions led by
Marketa Uhlirova, Dr Ann Lewis and actress Stacy Martin
• An evening celebrating Arts & Crafts furniture with the antique traders
The Millinery Works, London
• A special tour of Louis Vuitton Series 3 – Past, Present, Future by award-
winning stage designer Es Devlin
• Shop-keeping at House of Voltaire – jovial evening of affordable art
5) What 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.
Past collaborations have included:
• Delfina Delettrez: The Cocktail Needle. Supporting collateral included
an editorial feature in the A/W ’17 issue of the magazine; specially-
designed co-branded packaging; an exclusive launch cocktail
• COS: Glimpses of the Future architectural tours of London and
Los Angeles. Supporting media included illustrated map inserts and
an editorial feature in the A/W ’17 issue of the magazine; photographic
documentation; asset creation and distribution across respective
digital platforms.
• Chanel: a fabulous six-page portrait series with Lucia Pica,
Chanel’s global creative make-up and colour designer, photographed by
Karim Sadli.
• Giorgio Armani: an eight-page portrait series showcasing Giorgio
Armani’s New Normal collection featuring the women defining the
new, modern Italy. Photographed by Liz Collins.
• Nike: a seasonal running club and animated digital project.
D&AD Award Winner feature
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. From the same publishing house as celebrated magazine Fantastic Man, The Gentlewoman continues the house’s tradition for publishing innovation.
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, 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).
Business of Fashion website feature
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'?
In a media landscape saturated with glossy magazines, 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.
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?
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." "It’s not daily content by any manner of means but it strikes a tone on our social media accounts that’s akin to the whole ‘arch-women’s society’ atmosphere of the magazine."
Website and social media research
1) How does it promote the magazine?
Spicy conversation and thrilling encounters are the order of the day across the pages of Issue nº 27. We meet the French facialist Sophie Carbonari, the anarchic artist Caroline Coon, the restaurant dynamo Erchen Chang and the totally marvellous Melanie Chisholm. In a bonanza of in-depth profiles, we’re in the studio with the cosmic hitmakers Nova Wav, at home with the photographer and indefatigable activist Nan Goldin, cracking code with the computer scientist Anne-Marie Imafidon, and talking dolls and deadlifting with our cover star, Greta Gerwig. Modern Manners heralds a new era for the bra, while the fashionable frontierswoman Emma Balfour leads us to her forest hideaway in New South Wales.
2) 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?
£ 165
3) What content from the magazine or Club events can you find on there?
The Gentlewoman celebrates modern women of style and purpose. Its fabulous biannual magazine offers a fresh and intelligent perspective on fashion that’s focused on personal style – the way women actually look, think and dress. Featuring ambitious journalism and photography of the highest quality, it showcases inspirational women through its distinctive combination of glamour, personality and warmth. These qualities are also at the heart of its website, thegentlewoman.com, a virtual place where real women, real events and real things are enjoyed.
4) How does it encourage the audience to engage with the magazine?
Their comment section. is available to anecdote any opinions and views of the audience towards the magazine.
5) What representations of fashion and gender can you find on their Instagram page?
A huge variety of diversity is shown from all different backgrounds of many different women through their professions.
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