Apple Watch Fashion Shoots, Q&A With Hearst’s CEO, Editorial Product Ideas, Fashion for Free, TFP’s Infographic Pick of the Week
Welcome to TFP’s roundup of news and tips for media industry pros! This week, we’re sharing stories about how the fashion world is embracing the Apple Watch, the unique business model of Paris-based fashion magazine Stylist, a Q&A with Hearst CEO Steve Swartz and his direction for the media company, editorial products we need but haven’t built yet, and more.
- As its April release nears, the Apple Watch is building a following not only among techies but in the fashion industry as well, appearing in a number of covers and spreads in magazines around the globe. Mashable highlighted some of those shoots, the latest being the cover of Chinese fashion magazine Yoho!, which features American actor Archie Kao sporting a white-band model. The wearable also appeared on a Victoria’s Secret model in this month’s issue of Self and is featured in a 12-page ad in this month’s Vogue.
- In the world of fashion, one magazine is finding success with a business model unlike that of competitors: Issues are free. Distributed by hand to select commuters and pedestrians in Paris and nine other French cities, Stylist reaches 400,000 readers each week, compared with a monthly distribution of under 150,000 by Vogue Paris, according to a report by The New York Times. However, “free is not cheap,” the magazine’s director pointed out. While the magazine’s content, focused on luxury and affordable fashion, offers the same level of quality found in other major publications, the fact that the magazine isn’t sold on newsstands gives it more freedom to innovate in terms of editorial choices and covers, the Times said.
- At Hearst, focus remains on the media giant’s core magazine business, which is still a top revenue producer, but the company is also ramping up investments in emerging digital opportunities to keep pace with changes in the industry, said CEO Steve Swartz in a Q&A with The Wall Street Journal. Noting that “there are multiple ways to succeed in the digital world,” the former WSJ editor said in addition to holdings in popular online sites such as BuzzFeed and video-streaming service Roku, the company this year has invested more than $200 million in digital youth properties, including YouTube’s AwesomenessTV and Vice Media. Along with that, Hearst is continuing to move into the business media sector, upping its 30% stake in Fitch Ratings to 80% in a deal worth almost $2 billion, according to the report.
- While we spend a lot of time analyzing the role of media and how it serves consumers, an insightful article from Nieman Lab looks at useful “editorial products” that don’t yet exist but could be created if journalists had the resources to do so. Among the author’s ideas: a mechanism by which readers are able to act on stories requiring solutions versus just consuming the news; a safe, moderated place for polarizing discussions; a way for readers to create a “perfect personal channel” rather than relying on recommendation algorithms; a large-scale, moderated online town hall; systematic accountability coverage of all government agencies; and an interactive loop where readers tell journalists what stories they want covered instead of the other way around.
- On the Technology for Publishing blog: You’ve likely heard of the Deep Web, but what is it exactly? This week’s infographic pick addresses that question, with a look at how the anonymity of the “invisible web” supports a wide range of content and online activities—both legal and illegal.
- ICYMI: Check out the latest article from Technology for Publishing CEO Margot Knorr Mancini, who looks at how a well-structured content delivery system can help publishing companies leverage disruptive change. Also see our monthly Women in Media roundup of stories on women’s roles, contributions, and achievements in the media industry.
Image: Mashable/Marcio Jose Sanchez, Associated Press
This Week in Publishing appears every Friday on the TFP blog. Every week we compile interesting and noteworthy stories from the publishing world and put together a wrap-up to help our readers stay up-to-date. Think we missed something great? Leave a comment below and let us know!
Posted by: Monica Sambataro
