CASE STUDY PRESENTATION: BY AYDAN KELLY

1. CASE STUDY PRESENTATION: BY AYDAN KELLY

2. OVERVIEW • Genre: Men’s lifestyle • Launch: October 1933 • Editor in chief: David M Granger • Frequency: Monthly • Address: 72 Broadwick Street London W1F 9EP • Production Company: Hearst Magazines • Country: United States • Language: English • Esquire was launched in October 1933, with the intent of being a monthly, men’s magazine, featuring articles based on men’s fashion, Politics and general men’s interests. • It was founded and edited by David A. Smart, Henry L. Jackson and Arnold Gingrich. These three specialised in different features of the magazine, which combined led to the identity and success of esquire magazine. • Gingrich specialized in publishing, Smart, in business and Jackson led and edited the fashion section, which made up most of the magazine in its first fifteen years of publishing. • Jackson's Republican political viewpoints contrasted with the liberal Democratic views of Smart, which allowed for the magazine to publish debates between the two. • in 1933 Esquire was a quarterly press run of a hundred thousand copies. It cost fifty cents per copy. • Esquire was sold to Hearst magazines in 1977, and is still currently published by them. During June 2012 a total amount of 721,399 copies were put into circulation/sold. The current cover price for an issue in the UK being £4.25. • The content is largely focused on men’s fashion, with advertisements for luxury clothing brands throughout the entire magazines. However, often the main selling point/ what’s on the cover is an article or interview with a well known musician, actor or public figure.

3. Content • Content • Esquire’s contents is split into three sections. Each edition features articles grouped into sub sections under the ‘Regulars title’, while the rest of the contents changes weekly: • Regulars • -Style • -Culture • -Object of desire • Features • Fashion • Being aimed at somewhat higher society and focused around more intellectual contents; Esquire is written in a fairly formal, informative manner, particularly in areas focused on politics. However due to the wide array of different features, the type of language changes subtly throughout, for example interviews, speech will often be less formal, as an interview is usually just a slightly edited transcript of a conversation between an interviewer and interviewee. Of course this can change based on who the interviewee is. While during articles recommending restaurants or holiday destinations, the language won’t be particularly informal, as it is intended to be relatable to those who can afford these experiences, but it remains friendly, as these experiences are often used to take away from the seriousness of day to day life, and formality would contrast with this idea.

4. Audience research • Advertising makes up a large portion of Esquire magazines and revenue. From this, the audience could be defined as successful young to middle age males with high paying jobs with a strong interest in male fashion, cars and a high quality, high class lifestyle. Made clear by the advertising content. • Giorgio Armani • Prada • Ralph Lauren • Dolce & Gabbana • Aston Martin • Rolex • Ben Sherman • Vivienne Westwood • The Kooples • ACNE • Along with multiple other watchmakers, tailors, Whiskey producers and general clothing brands. Demographic. • Esquire magazine’s targeted demographic is A and B, potentially C1, and if they could be described within the Aspirers group in psychographics. People described as strivers would also be potential custom for the magazine. • Using Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs, customers of esquire would fall into the category of esteem needs, as it is very superficial.

5. DISTRIBUTION • Distribution is often used in two forms, print/magazine or online. Esquire is available as single editions from newsstands, and book shops at a cover price of £4.25. It is also available as part of a subscription package, for which you pay a discounted price in advance for all of the issues within a specified amount of time. Soon, esquire also releases a monthly digital edition of the magazine, making it available to almost everyone. • Additionally, there is a public access webpage, for which you don't have to pay any fee. It gives the impression of being more fit for its intended purpose, being almost wholly dedicated to articles fitting of the themes intended, style and a high class lifestyle. Most of the articles are short and there is a large focus on photography, with many articles dedicated to the photographers of the magazine, picking things like their ten best celebrity shots. • The combination the print media and the website is also important because it adds a free addition to the customer's experience. While adding to the revenue of esquire. For example, the magazine might link to the website, providing footage of an interview used in an article for example, as it is free for the customer to do so, they often will. Esquire then makes money from the advertisements on the website's. This is known as convergence, the combined use of different forms of media.

6. PRODUCTION • Esquire is produced by Hearst magazines, a branch of the multinational mass media group; Hearst corporation. Hearst is one of the largest diversified communications companies in the world. Its major interests include 15 daily and 36 weekly newspapers and more than 300 magazines worldwide, including Cosmopolitan, Elle and of course esquire. Along with 29 television stations through Hearst Television, Inc, which reach a combined 18% of U.S. viewers. • Hearst deals with a diverse range of print and digital media (as stated above) ranging from multiple newspapers, men's magazines, women's magazines, food magazines and much more within multiple additional sub genres along with television stations, perhaps most notably the ESPN network, one of the largest sports broadcasters in the world. Together, this means that Hearst can cater to the interests of a vastly diverse audience.

7. My Experience • From my experience, I have learnt that Esquire is definitely suited to its targeted demographic, the financial upper ends of society. However, many of the articles tickled my fancy, and therefore it is also suitable for the aspirers who are interested in the prominent themes of esquire, but have not yet got the capabilities/ disposable income, to fulfill the desires for the content of the advertisements within (of which there is many). Which in some ways, takes away the experience.