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?  

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, and fashion. 

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

Median Age - 32 years

28-46 year olds: 61%

Female readers - 85%

Male readers - 15%

Average income - £87,255

AB (Upper Class/ Middle Class) - 47%

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.

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

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 superglamorous and ultra-modern ‘reality’ for its readers

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

It’s a physical magazine that only comes out twice a year (perfect for my information overwhelm). It’ll look great on my bookshelves. 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.

7) Who is 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? 

 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.

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. 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.

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” - The New York Times

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

On their 'Digital' page the gentlewoman has a various amount of different sections such as Library (shows the profiles of the previous women's who were on past editions of the magazine), Club (the online home for The Gentlewoman Club and its various activities and events), Magazine (A short 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 sub-

scriptions and back issues). This helps offer opportunities for audience engagement and interaction as there is a lot of information about the gentlewoman as a whole and helps audiences understand the magazine more. 

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

Distribution

UK ................................................................. 51%

Europe ....................................................... 23%

USA ............................................................... 18%

Rest of the World .................................. 8%

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

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. 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). Members are invited to a range of events - exhibitions & walking tours/B.Y.O vinyl sessions/running club - it’s a fantastic resource that strengthens the inclusive character of the brand. Bi-annual. Int. distribution (subs & newsstand). Avg. circulation 99,500

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?

Night at Savile Club, The Gentlewoman Club's architectural tour in Los Angeles, The Gentlewoman Club's day trip to Durslade Farm.

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 and the National Media Museum, as well the first editor of Nick Knight's fashion website SHOWstudio and chair of fashion imagery at London College of Fashion.

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? 

Martin says the club grew organically out of the gatherings the magazine used to host at independent bookshops to launch its latest issues. “We were really struck by the kinds of people that attended: designers, gallerists, collectors, switched-on students, smart businesswomen,” recalls Martin. “But what we noticed when we started increasing activities was not just who, but how people were attending: by and large, they arrived alone, with the expectation of meeting other people, so the atmosphere was really friendly and people stayed.”

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."

5) Website and social media research

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

The Gentlewoman website promotes the magazine by giving us a little preview of some of the pages inside their magazine so it gives their audiences a bit of an understanding of what to expect inside. 

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? 

You can view 46 of their pages for free online and I feel like this a smart marketing campaign as it does give their audiences what to expect inside their magazine but they should not give away a total of 46 pages for free they should shorten it to maybe 10-15 pages as they could be giving too much away. 

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

You can pre-order their magazines so you can get it straight away when it comes to sales. Furthermore gives more of an insight into the celebrities lives they show on their front covers such as Chaka Khan and talking about her one-night only, no-holds-barred “Ask Me Anything”.

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

Gives their audiences an insight into what is upcoming next for Gentlewoman what new things and events they are working on. 

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

That they welcome in all genders and all types of fashion and celebrate each and every one individually. This helps create a welcoming and comfortable atmosphere around them.