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Does the Brand Really Matter
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Does the Brand Really Matter?
Katy Herrera
Com 407
Arizona State University
Does the Brand Really Matter
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Does the Brand Really Matter?
Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Sports Illustrated, and Good Housekeeping. It’s hard to walk into
a grocery store with out noticing the glossy covers displayed for all to see. Magazines are a
popular part of today’s consumer culture, some more popular than others. But what really goes
into producing these glossy publications and keeps readers coming back for more? Further, why
are some publications more successful than others, and what kinds of decisions do successful
media companies make that others do not? Recent literature would suggest that branding plays a
large role in the decision making process within the media industry. In an ethnographic study I
conducted at a luxury lifestyle niche magazine in Arizona, I discovered the significance branding
plays in defining a singular vision for a magazine and that it actually is at the heart of all of the
diverse processes that go into magazine production.
Lit Review
Branding
Brands add an “intangible value” to the product or service that a company sells. A
strong brand differentiates itself from it’s competitors and as a result provides the company with
a myriad of benefits including customer loyalty, increased profit, and increased marketing
effectiveness (Keller 2009).
Brand management is essential for companies, particularly in today’s technological
times where consumers are inundated with information and advertisements. So how does this
apply to the media industry?
Editorial vs. Business
Magazines are unique from other companies and industries in that their business
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objectives are two-sided. In contrast to traditional companies who aim to reach one audienceconsumers- magazines must engage both advertisers and readers. Because the majority of
magazines rely on advertising for funding rather than reader subscriptions, publishers spend
considerable effort appealing to potential “space buyers” in order for the magazine to stay in
business. Publishers must balance these efforts with providing content that is of interest to their
readers, so they will continue to pick up the magazine, and so advertisers will be able to touch
the audience they are paying to reach. In an article written about the editor in chief, Helen Gurley
Brown, of the highly successful Cosmopolitan Magazine, she was quoted saying “ I work as hard
hustling advertising as I do editing” (Hunt, 2012).
Managing these two sides can be tricky to say the least. Van Deusen (1967) discusses
the differences and challenges between the editorial and business sides and presents them in
terms of public relations versus advertising. On the editorial side, editors interface with public
relations representatives and rely upon the press releases and information these individuals pitch,
to construct their articles. In contrast, publishers work with advertisers to fund the magazine. The
challenge here lies on the side of the company trying to gain coverage in the magazine. Their
main objective is to gain exposure for their brands, and they have limited funds to do so. If an
outside company can be featured in an editorial piece, there will be little to no expense, contrary
to the hundreds of dollars it would cost to buy a space for advertising.
Editors attempt to separate themselves from the advertising world in an effort to
preserve the integrity of the magazine. If other companies or readers believe space in editorial
articles can be “bought”, the magazine will lose credibility. Managing and separating editorial
from business is key, but understanding the relationship between the two is even more important.
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These two sides of the industry are interdependent, and efforts to improve one can benefit the
other (Van Deusen, 1967)
This unique quality of the media industry complicates the brand management process.
In an effort to better understand how a media company manages this process, Siegert Gerth, and
Rademacher developed the MBAC (media, brands, actors, and communications) model.
MBAC Model
The model illustrates how the brand’s identity is at the center of the decision making
process and how each element of the model influences the other. At the top of the model are all
of the topics and information a media outlet can choose to cover. Managers then consider these
topics within the context of their political, social, competitive, regulative, and technological
environments. Beyond this point, decisions on both the editorial and business side are made in
relation to the media brand identity.
Brand Identity
Brand identity encompasses everything a company stands for. In the magazine
industry, this includes audience, purpose, editorial style, and vision. It is what differentiates one
magazine from another (Siegert Gerth, & Rademacher, 2011). This concept can be likened to
editorial philosophy, a concept that Hunt introduces in her article on Helen Gurley Brown from
Cosmopolitan Magazine. Hunt says editorial philosophy “explains what the magazine is intended
to do, what areas of interest it covers, how it will approach those interests, and the voice it will
use to express itself. It is highly specific”. She argues the importance of defining a single vision
so the magazine can move in a consistent direction. Brown’s success as the editor of
Cosmopolitan came largely from her ability to segment her audience and develop an editorial
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philosophy surrounding that demographic (Hunt, 2012).
In the model proposed by Siegert et al., brand identity plays a “middle man” between
the editorial and business sides of a media company. To fully understand the decisions and
processes that occur in this area of the model, let’s first take a look at what comes out of this
stage, the brand position.
Brand Position
Brand Position is the part of the brand identity that is directly communicated to the
target audience. In this stage, the company aims to plant associations between the media brand
and key qualities of the brand identity. It includes the marketing and advertising strategies a
company uses, as well as the actual content within the magazine. The ultimate goal in brand
positioning is three fold, “to differentiate their outlet from their competitors, … structure the
internal decision making and production processes, … and offer the audience and advertising
industry dependability and orientation” (Siegert et al., 2011). Siegert et al. argue that the content
inside the magazine is “a mirror of the brand identity and the most important way of promoting
it” (2011). Content can be either editorial or advertisements, each play an important role in
communicating the brand identity.
A study conducted by Rosengren and Dahlén (2013), revealed that advertising
content actually has a significant influence on how readers perceive a media vehicle. Even when
editorial content was kept consistent, magazines that featured high-end and high-reputation
brands were perceived as more valuable than their counterparts. These findings reveal that
advertising in magazines does not function as “white space” as was previously believed, and that
not all ads are “created equal”. Advertising content delivers “fast and easily comprehensible
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messages” to readers. Rosengren and Dahlen also found that the overall visual quality of an ad
can enhance the perceived value of a magazine; “relevant, attractive advertising is as much a part
of the magazine experience as the editorial content” (2013).
In addition to strategic management of content, media outlets use interactive
marketing strategies to position their brand. These strategies can include events and competitions
hosted by the company, blogs, and the utilization of social media (Whelan & Wohlfeil, 2006). As
was mentioned previously, today more than ever before consumers have access to and are
flooded with information and advertisements. Consumers can now choose whether or how they
will receive commercial content, making advertising appeals especially difficult. In response
some companies have increased advertising efforts, which has lead consumers to become even
more avoidant of these kinds of mediums (Keller, 2009). Interactive marketing strategies like
those listed above engage the consumer which Whelan and Wohlfeil argue, “are a valuable
element in building and maintain brand relationships among customers that drive the brands
image and value” (2006). Support for these strategies is echoed in a study by Brown, Kozinets,
and Sherry, “brand image can be strengthened through interactively communicating a brand story
with an idealized community by facilitating shared customer experiences in ways that
innovatively communicate brand values” (2003). When it comes to positioning a brand,
interactive marketing strategies may be the optimal communication vehicle.
Brand Image/Reputation
The next and final level on the MBAC model is brand image and reputation. This
stage focuses on how others perceive the brand. Keller (2009) mentions, “the power of a brand
lies in the mind of the customers”. A media outlet outlines what is called the brand identity and
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then communicates those values through the brand position, but the brand image is what the
reader believes the brand to stand for. Siegert et al. discuss how brand image can vary from
person to person because we all see the world differently. It is the sum of these images which
defines a brand’s reputation. This final stage is the level a company ultimately aims to refine and
improve. From the selection of topics and ads to feature, to the marketing strategies, all of the
decisions a media company makes center around communicating their brand identity in a way
that enhances their overall brand image.
The MBAC model is new, even its’ creators recognize further research should be
conducted to evaluate how well the model captures the decision making processes in the media
industry. The model fits well with the already existing literature, but can it be applied in real life?
Methods
To understand the inner workings of print media production, I shadowed the editor in
chief at Arizona Foothills Magazine. I took on the role of a participant observer, which required
me to manage two objectives as outlined by Spradley as “(1) to engage in activities appropriate to
the situation and (2) to observe the activities, people, and physical aspects of the situation”
(1980). While the majority of my time was spent as a spectator, observing the actions and
interactions of the employees, at times I was able to contribute ideas and suggestions for content
to be included in the magazine and on their website. I sat in on multiple interviews conducted by
the editor in chief for feature articles in the magazine, and spent a total of 27 hours sitting beside
her as she went about her day to day activities as editor in chief.
Site
The magazine where I conducted my study is located in North Scottsdale, and is a
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publication that is directly mailed to elite neighborhoods within the state of Arizona. The office
is located on the second story of a small office building, and consists of a large common area, a
set of six cubicles, and two actual office rooms. Six employees regularly work at the site, each of
which I had regular contact with during my study. These employees were my participants, but I
focused largely on the editor in chief, the creative director, the art department director, and the
publisher.
Data
In the beginning I looked at the different tasks and responsibilities the editor managed
on a day-to-day basis. I collected data writing field notes directly after my time in the field using
thick description, a concept proposed by Gertz (1973) which provides a rich context from which
meaning can more accurately be derived. Using an iterative approach, I looked to the literature on
magazine publishing to aid my exploration of the processes that were occurring at my site.
Through this approach I came to focus more on the reasons behind the decisions the editor would
make and how those decisions influenced the production of the rest of the magazine.
I conducted two semi-structured interviews using open-ended questions and relied on
collaborative interaction. My subjects included the editor in chief as well as the creative director
of the magazine. In my interviews, my questions centered on the role each of the women play in
the production of the magazine and how that role interacts with the other positions. Arizona
Foothills is a luxury lifestyle magazine, so I asked each of the women how they define luxury, to
explore how their perceptions of the brand may influence their decisions.
Data Analysis
To analyze my 30 pages of field notes, I used the constant comparative method and
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open coding to identify common themes, patterns and relationships within my data. From this
analysis and the iterative approach, I discovered the MBAC model, mentioned above, which
seemed to accurately synthesize and structure my data. I then used secondary-cycle coding
(Tracy, 2012) to examine my data in relation to the model.
Findings
In my efforts to apply the model created by Siegert et al., I began by identifying the
magazine’s brand identity. Throughout my time in the field I continuously heard the editor and
other employees refer to the magazine as a “luxury lifestyle publication”. When their sales
representative, Sarah, would reach out to potential advertising clients she would emphasize the
“high-income, high-education” demographic the magazine reaches. The magazine is directly
mailed to elite neighborhood in Arizona and available for purchase in local Sprouts stores. On
the company’s website, the publisher identifies the audience as representing the “hottest
demographic group in the valley”. He emphasizes reader’s financial ability to enjoy regular
dining out, finer homes and interiors, and other luxury items.
The main purpose of the magazine is to “enhance enjoyment of living in the Arizona
desert” through engaging editorial pieces which cover topics from health to home decorating. In
sum, the magazine can be defined in three words, “style, sophistication, and substance”. This
magazine has managed to segment an audience and establish a clear vision and consistent
direction, which Hunt (2013) claims to be essential for a successful publication.
Once I had developed a clear understanding of the magazine’s brand identity, I
decided to look at the two central components in the MBAC model, the editorial and the business
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sides. I shadowed Amanda, the editor in chief, who manages all aspects of the editorial content.
She interfaces regularly with public relations representatives who assist her in finding
information to feature in each issue. On the other side is Ben, the publisher. He oversees and
secures the advertising that is needed to fund each issue with assistance from Sarah.
An aspect that is not included in the MBAC model is the role of the art director. At
Arizona Foothills, Jim serves this role. He is in charge of “marrying” the editorial and advertising
pieces through the creation of the schematic. This is the official layout for the magazine, and it
determines what will be on each page. The idea of two separate sides, editorial and business, is
helpful in distinguishing between the two, but it appears the boundaries between the two are a
little bit more blurred.
Before an issue goes to print, Amanda edits and reviews each page- including
advertisements. In addition, the editorial content is completely dependent on the number of ads a
particular issue will have, which sometimes isn’t determined until the very final stages of
production. As Amanda is edition editorial pieces, she includes suggestions for where articles can
be cut in the event that there isn’t enough space to run the full piece due to the inclusion of more
ads. The magazine also will design ads for free for any companies who wish to “buy space” in an
issue. This practice is reflective of the company’s efforts to manage their high-end, sophisticated
brand identity, but it also illustrates an overlap of advertising into the editorial and design realm.
Next I decided to see how the MBAC model would operate on the most basic level in
relation to Arizona Foothills. At the top of the model are all of the potential topics a magazine
can cover; according to the model, editors will choose topics that are most relevant to their brand
identity. This idea is consistent with what I witnessed shadowing Amanda. In a meeting I sat in
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on between Amanda and a public relations representative from San Diego, this process was
particularly evident. The representative, Diana, was hoping to gain coverage for some of the
resorts she works for in San Diego. After Diana presented the information she had prepared she
asked if any of her clients would be a good fit for the magazine. Amanda explained that since it
is a luxury lifestyle publication, they like to keep their content as “high-end” as possible. She
went on to mention how they like to cover emerging trends and avoid covering the same
locations. Likewise, Amanda was hesitant to include San Diego in the travel section again since
the magazine had done a feature on a resort there a few months previous to their meeting, but
was excited about the new spa feature at one of the resorts Diana mentioned. This spa is the first
of its kind and allows guests to gather the herbs and oils they wish to include in their spa
experience from their garden. Amanda was inclined to include this spa in an upcoming issue
because it would fit with the magazine’s purpose to “enhance living” and takes it one step further
by introducing the “next best thing” in luxury living.
This brand-centered focus Amanda maintained during our meeting with Diana
prevailed through the rest of her work. The articles that she would choose to include in the
magazine all had a “feel good” vibe and never strayed into the hard news arena, which is often
covered by traditional media. Writers were chosen for their expertise in particular areas rather
than their writing experience. For example, Amanda includes a health article from a top doctor in
the state for every issue. She must spend extensive time editing the pieces the doctors turn in, to
make their writing style appropriate for the magazine, but she continues to turn to these experts
because of the quality of information they can provide. This is reflective of the “substance”
aspect of the magazine’s brand identity as well as an effort to cater to the well-educated audience
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the magazine aims to reach.
When I asked Amanda what “luxury” means to her she said, “time with family.
Luxury to me is experiential rather than material”. This perception of luxury can be seen in
Amanda’s selection of topics for the magazine and is in line with the magazine’s purpose, which
is to “enhance living in the Arizona desert”. Most of the feature articles are written by free-lance
journalists who write about experiences they have had. In the April bridal issue, the fitness
section was written by a writer who attended a yoga class at a top resort in Arizona. Another
article featured different bachelor and bachelorette experiences available to brides and grooms in
the state.
The literature says the content a media company produces is a mirror of their brand
identity and is the most important way of promoting it. At Arizona Foothills, efforts to maintain
and communicate their high-end status can be seen through a meticulous fact checking process
and strategic selection of topics. But a magazine’s content is not the only tool they can use to
position their brand. Interactive marketing tools have been seen to be particularly effective in
communicating brand identity, and Arizona Foothills is well versed in utilizing these options.
The magazine has a very strong online presence through their personal webpage and
active Twitter account, but their most interesting marketing tools they use are their competitions.
Each year, the magazine hosts two major online competitions, which actively involve readers
across the state, Best of the Valley and Face of the Foothills.
For their Best of the Valley competition, readers go online and vote for their
favorites in categories for everything from the best margarita to the best physician. This
competition is held every year and the winners are featured in their March issue, appropriately
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themed “Best of the Valley”. The aspect of the brand identity that is actively communicated here
is the concept of “enhancing living” and “luxury lifestyle”. The competition allows readers to
identify and define what they believe to be “luxury” and in the process associate the magazine
with those definitions. This is an example of how the managers have attempted to control brand
image and reputation, by allowing readers to independently determine what “luxury” is.
The other competition the magazine hosts is called Face of the Foothills. Girls ages
18 and older can submit photographs online or attend casting calls at local shopping centers to
enter. During a designated voting period, readers can go online and vote for the girl they believe
should be featured as “the face” of Arizona Foothills magazine. Models who enter through
casting calls are given a 1,000-vote advantage over girls who simply submit photos online, which
encourages more active engagement with the media brand. The top ten girls who receive the most
votes go on to the final round where the publisher decides who would best represent the brand.
The winner gets a cover and fashion spread inside of the magazine, represents the magazine for a
full calendar year, is featured as the face on the banner for the website and all news headers for
the entire year, is the thumbnail for the magazine’s Twitter account, receives more than $5,000 in
cash and prizes, and receives a weekend stay at a luxury hotel in the valley. Similarly to the Best
of the Valley, this competition puts the construction of the brand image in the hands of the
readers. It gives them the opportunity to choose the “face” of the magazine, which is an image
readers will continue to associate with the brand. To determine the final winner, the publisher
looks for the girl that best represents “style, substance and sophistication”
The main goal in brand positioning is to refine and maintain a strong and reputable
brand image.
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Implications
While the MBAC model does not completely capture everything that goes into the
decision-making and production of a magazine, it does serve as a useful tool to understand the
overall picture.
In my experience at Arizona Foothills I got to see these processes in action. At the
time I did not fully see what was happening, but looking back through the lens of this model I
have been able to frame and understand my experiences. Overall, the things that I saw in the field
were consistent with the literature.
The editorial and business worlds overlap more than the model would suggest, but I
believe this is an inevitable quality that companies must learn to manage. I see value in keeping
the sides separated within the model to aid managers in this process.
This study illustrates the interdependent nature of the editorial and business sides of
the media industry and shows the pivotal role branding plays in all aspects of the production
process. A strong brand keeps readers and advertisers engaged with the magazine, which is
essential for a successful publication. Publishers should turn to the MBAC model to understand
this significant role that branding plays so they can adjust and refine their business and editorial
decisions accordingly.
Limitations
Because the majority of my hours were spent shadowing on the editorial side of the
company, further research should examine the advertising side in greater detail. As I mentioned
earlier, the MBAC model is new and would benefit from studies within broader contexts. The
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magazine I studied is a niche lifestyle magazine, I am curious if the processes of production are
different for larger major publications.
References
Brown, S., Kozinets, R. and Sherry Jr., J. F. (2003) 'Teaching old brands new tricks: Retro branding and
the revival of brand meaning'. Journal of Marketing, Vol. 67, No. 3, pp. 19-39.
Hunt, P. D. (2012) Editing desire, working girl wisdom, and cupcakeable goodness. Journalism History,
38(3), 130-141.
Keller, K. (2009). Building strong brands in a modern marketing communications environment. Journal
Of Marketing Communications, 15(2/3), 139-155.
Rosengren, S., & Dahlén, M. (2013). Judging a Magazine by Its Advertising: Exploring the Effects of
Advertising Content on Perceptions of a Media Vehicle. Journal Of Advertising Research, 53(1),
61-70.
Siegert, G., Gerth, M. A., & Rademacher, P. (2011). Brand Identity-Driven Decision Making by
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Journalists and Media Managers-The MBAC Model as a Theoretical Framework. JMM: The
International Journal On Media Management, 13(1), 53-70.
Van Deusen, D. T. (1967). Janus-faced magazine publishing. Public Relations Quarterly, 12(1), 31-33.
Whelan, S., & Wohlfeil, M. (2006). Communicating brands through engagement with 'lived'
experiences. Journal Of Brand Management, 13(4/5), 313-329.