brand journalism in fashion

Brand Journalism in Fashion: How Brand Journalism is Challenging

the Traditional PR Model of Third-party Endorsement

Laura Roig Vericat

Dissertation submitted for the M.A. in Public Relartions, University of Westminster

Copyright (2013) University of Westminster and Laura Roig Vericat

Abstract

Third-party endorsement has always been in the core essence of Public Relations, however,

background research shows a rise of brand publications within the fashion media landscape,

which is challenging the traditional PR model of third-party endorsement regarding the use of

traditional media. Because of that, the disclosure of the authorship within those publications

raise concerns regarding the transparency and the credibility of the source. Therefore, the

understanding of these implications is essential for PR’s to make the most of the opportunity.

Through a content analysis and interviews with relevant practitioners and journalists, this

dissertation looks at the different approaches to Brand Journalism that brands are developing

at present, analysing the transparency of the authorship within the content as well as looking

at different insights regarding the link between the authorship and the credibility of the

source.

Findings show that as consumers are more educated and have tools to uncover deception,

transparency is key to engage with readers. Also, as consumers look for content and not a

channel, brands that are able to develop relevant content can build a media. Therefore,

transprarency and content appear to be more valued than the independency of the source

when conferring credibility to the media.

Readers of traditional fashion magazines seek advice on fashion trends and lifestyle in order

to be on trend each season; whether traditional media exercises power over them depends

on the reputation of the specific media and the value of expertise that the reader confers to

that media. A brand could potentially be as good as traditional media in building this

reputation, however, the consistant delivery of transparency and relevant content over time

are key to build a credible source.

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Statement of Originality

I certify that I am the unique author of this dissertation and that it doesn’t have any

materials previously published by another author, expect where references are made within

the content in conformity with the standard referencing system. The content of this

dissertation is product of my own work and it doesn’t violate anyone’s copyright.

I declare this is a true copy of my dissertation and that it has not been previously submitted

for a higher degree to any other University or academic institution.

Laura Roig Vericat

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Acknowledgements

Firstly, I would like to thank to all the interviewees for their collaboration, without them this

dissertation would not have been possible. Also, I would like to thank my course tutors

Michaela O’Brien and Pam William for their support during the course, specially for their

advice on this paper.

Secondly, I would like to express my gratitude to my work colleagues who have been

supporting and understanding throughout the process of this dissertation.

Finally, a big thanks to my family for their support, for believing in me and for always

comforting me with their warm words, which always make the distance closer. Also, thanks

to my close friends, who always keep me going.

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Table of Contents

Abstract.......................................................................................................2

Statement of Originality..................................................................................3

Acknowledgements........................................................................................4

Chapter One: Introduction

1.1 PR as Endorsement...............................................................................................................8

1.2 The Rise of Brand Journalism..................................................................................................9

1.3 The Status of the Media.......................................................................................................12

1.4 Implications on PR..............................................................................................................14

1.5 Research Focus..................................................................................................................15

1.6 Relevance..........................................................................................................................16

1.7 Overall Research Aim...........................................................................................................16

1.9 Structure of the Dissertation.................................................................................................16

Chapter Two: Literature Review

2.1 Introduction.......................................................................................................................18

2.2 The Role of Third-party Endorsement in Building Credibility.......................................................18

2.3 Implications of the Role of PR as Producer of Information.........................................................19

2.4 PR as a Separate Media: The Credibility Challenge...................................................................20

2.5 PR in the Digital Arena: an Opportunity with Risks...................................................................21

2.6 The Impact of Transparency in Building Credibility...................................................................23

2.7 Other Factors that Build a Credible Source..............................................................................26

Chapter Three : Methodology

3.1 Introduction.......................................................................................................................30

3.2 Hypothesis and Research Questions.......................................................................................30

3.3 Research Methods...............................................................................................................31

3.4 Respondents......................................................................................................................32

3.5 Limitations.........................................................................................................................33

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Chapter 4: Findings and Discussions

4.1 Introduction.......................................................................................................................34

4.2 Fashion Brand Journalism Landscape: The Three Approaches that Rule The Media........................34

4.3 Authorship of the Content Linked to the brand: Three Degrees of Transparency...........................36

4.4 Editorial Format Helps to Deliver Branded Content...................................................................38

4.5 Without the Filter of Journalists, Consumers Become the Gatekeepers........................................40

4.6 Independency in Building Credibility.......................................................................................41

4.7 Transparency as a Trust Builder.............................................................................................43

4.8 Content versus Authorship in Transmitting Credibility...............................................................44

4.9 Convenience versus Authorship of the Source.........................................................................46

4.10 Influencers Help to Build a Credible Source for Messages........................................................47

4.11 PR’s Think Brand Personality Gives Credibility but It is also a Filter...........................................49

4.12 Brands and Traditional Media Complement Each Other............................................................51

Chapter 5: Conclusions and Recommendations

5.1 Conclusions........................................................................................................................53

5.2 Recommendations for Future Research...................................................................................58

Bibliography......................................................................................................................59

Appendixes

1. Examples of The Three Approaches.........................................................................................63

1.1 One Brand: MANGO Magazine.................................................................................. 63

1.2 Multi Brand: The Edit...............................................................................................64

1.3 Off Brand: NOWNESS............................................................................................. 65

2. Examples of the Authorship Linked to the Brand.......................................................................66

2.1 MANGO Magazine....................................................................................................66

2.2 The Edit.................................................................................................................67

2.3 NOWNESS..............................................................................................................68

2.3.1 Product Placement...................................................................................69

2.3.2 Advertorial..............................................................................................71

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2.3.3 Key Words in Text....................................................................................73

2.3.4 Use of Complementary Brands...................................................................73

3. Editorial Format Helps to Deliver a Branded Message.................................................................74

3.1 Format examples....................................................................................................74

4. Examples of The Use of Influencers.........................................................................................76

4.1 MANGO Magazine: Use of Fashion Bloggers................................................................76

4.2 MANGO Magazine: Use of Consumers........................................................................77

4.3 The Edit: Use of Celebrities......................................................................................78

4.4 The Edit: Use of Celebrity Fashion Photographers........................................................79

4.5 NOWNESS: Use of Readers, Editors and Contributors...................................................79

4.6 NOWNESS: Use of Celebrities...................................................................................80

5. Brands and Traditional Media Complement Each Other: Examples...............................................81

5.1 MANGO Magazine in VOGUE Portugal.........................................................................81

5.2 The Edit in Pop Sugar and GRAZIA............................................................................81

5.3 NOWNESS on The Guardian.....................................................................................83

5.3 MANGO Magazine: Coverage on Fashion Blogs............................................................84

6. Interviews...........................................................................................................................86

6.1 Interview with Eric Wilson....................................................................................................86

6.2 Interview with Andy Bull......................................................................................................88

6.3 Interview with Tom Martin....................................................................................................91

6.4 Interview with Maria Rodriguez.............................................................................................94

6.5 Interview with Sharon N. Hughes..........................................................................................96

6.6 Interview with Juan Mora.....................................................................................................98

6.7 Interview with Ruth Atherley...............................................................................................101

6.8 Interview with Mireia Tomas...............................................................................................104

6.9 Interview with Sophie Maguire............................................................................................105

6.10 Interview with Kate Reardon.............................................................................................107

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Chapter One: Introduction

1.1 PR as Endorsement

There are many definitions of Public Relations but the use of third party endorsement is

included in most of them. For example, Time Bell describes Public Relations as “the use of

third party endorsement to inform and persuade”1. In fact, the use of third party

endorsement is what has always differentiated Public Relations from Advertising. The PRSA

(Public Relations Society of America) explains that Public Relations does not pay for media

coverage and “It’s this third-party endorsement that gives PR its power and credibility”2.

However, nowadays, with the rise of social media and Brand Journalism, brands have the

possibility of talking directly to the audience, and the definition of Public Relations as

endorsement might not be as accurate for the digital age.

Nevertheless, as third-party endorsement is what validates the information and gives

credibility to the message, when Public Relations creates its own media, the trustworthiness

of the source might be questionned. On the other hand, journalists have always acted as the

gatekeepers of information; fact-checking the information and adding value to stories by

investigating more than one source and that is why eliminating them can also generate risks

in terms of transparency.

House publications, mainly aimed at internal publics, were once the predecessor of brand

journalism and the truth is that they were the least consumed form of communication3.

However, nowadays, brands, specially those specialised in fashion, lifestyle and luxury are

exponentially becoming media companies, appealing to external publics too. In fact, The

New York Times reported that, fashion brands such as Net-a-Porter have already built a

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1 Young, P., Mediations online, Why the PR as endorsement model fails, 31st October 2012, retrieved 15th August 2013, <http://publicsphere.typepad.com>

2 PRSA, PRSA online, What is PR, retrieved 17th August 2013, www.prca.org.uk

3 Bivins, T., Public Relations writing: the essentials of style and format, Contemporary Publishing Group, 1999

http://publicsphere.typepad.com


http://www.prca.org.uk


strong readership, with 4.000 milion visits per month, far more than Style.com or Harper’s

Bazaar UK4.

In addition to the use of mass media, Public Relations also relies on other forms of

endorsement such as celebrity, expert or consumer’s recommendations. In fact, in the digital

age, consumer’s point of view has increased in value; a study performed by Nielsen with

25.000 Internet users from 50 countries, showed that recommendations from personal

acquantances or opinions posted by consumers online were the most trusted form of

communications 5.

Grunig and Hunt define Public Relations as “the management of communication between an

organization and its public”6 and perhaps this is a more accurate definition of Public Relations

in a changing media environment where it looks like the value of third party endorsement is

moving towards individuals.

1.2 The Rise of Brand Journalism

Fashion PR practitioners have always managed media relations in order to get positive

coverage in fashion titles, however, now brands have the opportunity to publish directly,

eliminating the filter of journalists. In fact, brands such as Net-a-Porter, MANGO, Louis

Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH), Acne, H&M, Barneys New York or Ralph Lauren have already

started building their own media by using brand journalism7.

Ralph Lauren launched its own media division in partnership with NBC Universal in 2007,

when the brand published Ralph Lauren Magazine, the first e-commerce site to include

editorial content, and Ralph Lauren Magazine, covering fashion, design, sports as well as

9

4 Carr, D., New York Times, New York Times online, Publishing Without Publishers, January2011, retrieved 15th August 2013, <www.nytimes.com>

5 Joyn, Top 20 influencers in UK / US, Joyn London online, 20th August 2011, retrieved 6th August 2013 <www.joynlondon.com>

6 Moloney, K., Rethinking Public Relations, Online resource, Routledge, London 2000

7 Pfeiffer, A, Editing as a Brand Investment, The New York Times, 21st February 2012, retrieved 18th August 2013, <www.nytimes.com>

http://www.nytimes.com


http://www.joynlondon.com/




featuring interviews with celebrities8. Rather than only covering their products, the intention

of launching a media division was to promote the idea of a Ralph Lauren lifestyle. In fact, the

American brand invented the concept of lifestyle back in 19909; while most fashion houses

were struggling to survive, Ralph Lauren earned millions by selling a personality with clothes,

and it wasn’t long before they sought to develop the same idea further with editorial.

After Ralph’s Lauren initiative, other brands, especially within the luxury sector, started

developing editorial projects to promote their own lifestyle. For example, LVMH launched

NOWNESS10, a cultural platform providing insights on fashion, beauty, art, and design,

among other topics. Regarding it success, the executive vice president explained to The New

York Times “It is perceived as an independent media, and addresses the word of luxury in a

nonpromotional way” also explaining that it had more than 300.000 registered users, while

videos reached one million hits at that time11.

In 1990 marketing took over fashion and the fashion consumed today is about inclusion,

fulfilling consumer’s desire of belonging to a lifestyle that makes them feel and look good12.

Fashion magazines where already covering lifestyle features within their content and

mentioning products that would compliment. For example, VOGUE would talk about the

perfect hats for enjoying the sun in Cannes or the best dresses for a night out in the city with

girlfriends. For brand journalism, lifestyle became a way of talking about brand positioning

while having the possibility of mentioning their products within an editorial context.

However, different brands have different strategies, so while MANGO, Net-a-Porter and

Barneys New York would include links to e-commerce, NOWNESS or Ralph Lauren, would

10

8 Schomer, S., Fast Company online, Ralph Lauren’s $13 Billion Bet, 10th August 2011, retrieved 16th August 2013, <www. fastcompany.com>

9 Agins, T., The End of Fashion, Harper, New York, 2000

10 Bunz. M., The Guardian website, LVMH launched luxury online magazine Nowness, 26th February 2010, retrieved 16th August 2013, <www.theguardian.com>

11Pfeiffer, A, Editing as a Brand Investment, The New York Times, 21st February 2012, retrieved 18th August 2013, <www.nytimes.com>

12 Agins, T., The End of Fashion, Harper, New York, 2000

http://www.theguardian.com




avoid mentioning products in a direct way and only tap into lifestyle stories that go with their

brand.

The truth is that for some brands such as Net-a-Porter, their editorial project has not only

generated brand awareness but also increased traffic online while having a positive impact

on sales. In 2011, The New York Times reported that Net-a-Porter had already made more

than half a billion dollars with the help of their magazine; The Edit had 900 people working

for them and had four million visitors a month13. In a recent interview for The Business of

Fashion, Lucy Yeomans, former editor of Harper’s Bazaar UK and editor in chief of Net-a-

Porter, explained that the magazine now has 5 millions visits a month and that also the

company are about to launch a print title too14.

Taking into consideration this data, is the endorsement of the media essential to engage with

readers? By putting the consumer at the centre, those brands having links to e-commerce

within the content, offer a whole purchasing experience, from inspiration to validation and

payment; simplifying the decision making process. Lucy Yeomans explains “All I want to do is

make her life as easy as possible”15, talking about their customer and showing that the

convenience factor might be a reason why readers consume this type of media.

With the raise of brand journalism, it looks like editorial credibility, traditionally owned by

heritage fashion magazines, is now bought by brands themselves. However, even if it looks

like a great opportunity for brands, Brand Journalism might also pose risks in terms of

transparency and credibility. For example, Net-a-Porter and MANGO only feature the

products they sell, and since there isn´t any body regulating Brand Journalism, it has

become a difficult industry to observe.

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14 Vikram, K., The Business of Fashion website, The Long View: Lucy Yeomans Says It’s Time to Change Rules of Fashion Media, 17th February 2013, retrieved 17th August 2013, <www.businessoffashion.com>




http://www.businessoffashion.com




Patrick Barret, founder of Simpatico PR, defines Brand Journalism as “a brand or corporate

entity adopting the skills and mind-set that any journalist is taught at college and hones

during their career: objectivity, clarity, speed, thrift of language…”16. However, how objective

can a brand be about its own products? Are brands ready to take the challenge?

1.3 The Status of the Media

Traditional fashion magazines such as VOGUE or ELLE, failed to adapt rapidly to the digital

age, in fact, they are still struggling to find their place within the digital panorama17. First,

the raise of blogs started diminishing their readership and now they find themselves

competing with brands such as Net-a-Porter for readers18.

In fact, in his talk ‘The Walls are failing’, Tom Martin, digital strategist, provides an

interesting insight when saying that traditional magazines are failing to provide interesting

content; in a digital age, printed news is already old news and there are too many

publications with the same content. Martin talks about an interesting shift from publishers to

technological companies, who provide anyone the opportunity to create and publish content:

“individuals with a good focus can build a media”19. In fact, he affirms that nowadays readers

look for content, not for a channel. While people used to go to a specific channel to consume

news, the reader of today looks primarily for the information, not the source.

Also, Lucy Yeomans explains that traditional fashion magazines are losing positions: “the

generation that’s coming up, it’s more and more, “We want service, we expect service.” If

you want a book, you want to download it onto your Kindle or iPad, immediately, we are

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16 Barrett, P., Brand Republic, Brand Republic online, Think BR: Why is brand journalism important?, 16th November 2012, retrieved 15th August 2013, <www.brandrepublic.com>

17 Martin, T., The Walls are Falling: Will Brand Journalism Replace Public Relations?, retrieved 16th August 2013 <tommartin.typepad.com>


19 Martin, T., The Walls are Falling: Will Brand Journalism Replace Public Relations?, retrieved 16th August 2013 <tommartin.typepad.com>

http://www.brandrepublic.com




impatient now”20. In fact, in 2011 publications such as ELLE started commercial ventures,

trying to imitate Net-a-Porter’s model21. Eric Wilson, in his article ‘Magazines Begin to Sell

the Fashion They Review’22 for The New York Times, explained that Vogue started working

with retailer Moda Operandi, so readers could pre-order looks directly from the runaway.

From his point of view, readers could be more interested in buying an item based on a style

editor’s recommendation. The truth is that other ventures such as “Shop Bazaar”23 from

Harper’s Bazaar USA, are an interesting example to watch for 2013. The publishing house

launched the project in September 2012 and since then they have seen a steady increase in

traffic and media sales, opening the door for other magazines to join what could be the new

media model: content-to-commerce24.

However, when commercial interests are mixed with editorial, lots of questions regarding

transparency and credibility arise: would revenue affect editorial integrity? Will readers trust

media as they used to? Readers expect traditional fashion magazines to be independent,

however, are they independent anyway? Lucy Yeomans adds an interesting insight when

talking about both Brand Journalism and traditional journalism: “I totally believe in having

editorial integrity. And, as with editorial in relation to advertising, I don´t think it’s any

different in relation to retail. From Net-a-Porter standpoint, I am shooting stock for the

magazine, so I’m absolutely shooting what we have bought…Yes, you are working with a

piece of the buy, but I can honestly say that I feel like I’ve had more freedom to shoot what

ever I want since I’ve been here”25. On the other hand, Ksurry explains for Parallel

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21 Mariotti, A., Third Wave Fashion online, Content and Commerce, 16th August 2012, retrieved 16th August 2013, <www.thirdwavefashion.com>

22 Wilson, E., The New York Times online, Magazines Begin to Sell the Fashion They Review, 25th September 2011, retrieved 16th August 2013, <www.nytimes.com>

23 Harper’s Bazaar, Harper’s Bazaar website, Internet Retailer, Shopping Inspiration, Press, 1st May 2013, retrieved 16th August 2013, <www.shop.harpersbazaar.com>

24 Smith, C., Magento online, Harper’s Bazaar Customer Success Story, retrieved 16th August 2013, <www.magentocommerce.com>




http://www.thirdwavefashion.com




http://www.shop.harpersbazaar.com


http://www.magentocommerce.com




Interactive that “Ads don’t guarantee coverage, but truth is, there is a very thin veneer

separating advertising and editorial in traditional media”26.

In her interview for ‘The Business of Fashion’, Lucy Yeomans also talks about the lack of

resources that traditional fashion magazines are facing, how that is also impacting on the

quality of their content, so brands have more tools for market research and therefore have

more information about reader’s interests.

With the raise of Brand Journalism and the intent for fashion magazines to sell, it seems that

the media sphere is moving towards a business model never seen before. In fact, it is

interesting to see how renowned fashion editors are starting to join brands to develop brand

journalism projects: Lucy Yeomans, former editor of Harper’s Bazaar Uk moved to Net-a-

Porter, Jeremy Langmead, former editor of Esquire joined Mr. Porter, Dennis Freedman, went

from W to Barneys and Fiona McIntosh, former editor of Grazia is now at My Wardrobe27.

1.4 Implications on PR

After analysing the status of the media, there are three factors that PR practitioners need to

consider. Firstly, traditional media is failing to provide relevant content. Secondly, consumers

are looking for content, not a channel. And finally, readers have become more impatient and

the new media model content-to-commerce is proving to be a big opportunity for brands to

fill the gap. Therefore brands that are providing original content would possibly be heard.

Patrick Barret explains that brand journalism can help a brand to tell its story effectively but

he also point out that the mind set of journalists need to be adopted “credibility will naturally

flow from independent thinking and questioning”28. Lucy Yeomans explains that if the content

demands it, they will start featuring other brands that they don’t necessarily sell “I don’t

14

26 Ksurry,, Parallel Interactive Communications online, Is Brand Journalism More Honest than Traditional Journalism?, retrieved 16th August 2013, < www.parallelic.com>

27 Guest Contributor, The Business of Fashion online, How Commercial Content is Changing Editorial, 28th June 2011, retrieved 17th August 2013, <www.businessoffashion.com>


http://www.parallelic.com






think you have editorial integrity otherwise”29. About mentioning competitors, Patrick Barret

says “well it depends on how brave you are, how secure you feel and how credible you want

to be”30, highlighting the importance of being objective.

Public Relations has always told one side of the story in order to benefit the organisation in

question but it looks like brands are starting to realise that they actually need to tell all sides

of a story to engage with their public.

Also, it is important to highlight that developing editorial content, implies a big responsibility,

especially because the media sphere is evolving in an unexpected way and the lines between

“church and state” are becoming blurred. With brands publishing editorial content and

magazines starting to sell, if the authorship of the content is not clear, readers might not be

able to tell what type of media they are consuming, which would raise public concern as

Public Relation’s goal is mainly based on persuasion.

1.5 Research Focus

Brand journalism is a rather new aspect of the Public Relations and even though PR

practitioners have already talked about how it should be implemented, little research has

been done on how fashion brands are currently developing it. This study will look at Brand

Journalism within the fashion industry as well as the different strategies that brands are

practising. As Brand Journalism challenges the traditional PR model of third-party

endorsement, it will also analyse the challenges and implications on transparency and

credibility, and whether practitioners think this is impacting the relationship between the

brand and the audience.

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1.6 Relevance

The rapid expansion of Brand Journalism within the fashion industry at a time where

traditional media is struggling to find its place is drafting a media sphere never seen before;

now brands and traditional fashion magazines are instead competing for readers. This

context offers a great opportunity for brands to develop relevant content, however the

disclosure of the authorship within the content, might pose risks in terms of transparency

and credibility. Because of that, the understanding of those implications is essential for PR

practitioners in order to make the most of the opportunity that the new media landscape is

presenting.

1.7 Overall Research Aim

This study aims to provide an insight into how fashion brands are developing Brand

Journalism and how the different strategies implemented have an impact on the credibility

and transparency of the source. Through a content analysis of the brand journalism

landscape within the fashion industry, as well as interviews with Public Relations

practitioners, Fashion Editors and Digital Strategists the intent is to unveil precisely how

Brand Journalism is used in a rapidly changing media sphere.

1.8 Structure of the Dissertation

This thesis looks at how fashion brands are currently implementing brand journalism as well

as the impact that the different models have on the credibility and transparency of the

source. In this study, Public Relations will be referred to as PR, Public Relations practitioners

as PRs and the fashion company Louis Vuitton Moët Hennesy as LVMH.

The first chapter looks at the traditional PR model of third-party endorsement and the way it

is evolving in the digital age, providing an insight of the challenges that the emerging model

can potentially have. It also reviews the rise of Brand Journalism within the fashion industry,

giving examples of fashion brands that are currently implementing it. Finally, it looks at the

16

current media landscape, setting the scene for potential opportunities for PR, as well as

explaining the research focus and relevance of the study.

The second chapter includes the literature review, which focuses on relevant models and

different theories extracted from books and journals, providing a discussion on the topic and

highlighting the relevance of this research.

Chapter three explains the methodology as well as presenting the hypothesis and research

questions for this dissertation. It also explains the limitations of the research as well as

providing an overview of the interviewees that have collaborated with this study.

Chapter four presents an in-depth analysis combining the feedback from interviews with the

findings from the content analysis, linking back to the theoretical models presented in the

literature review.

Finally, chapter five highlights the key points of this study in a form of conclusion as well as

providing suggestions for future research.

Appendixes include visual examples from the content analysis, which support findings in

chapter four, and also the interviews conducted for this study.

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Chapter two: Literature Review

2.1 Introduction

Background research shows that the fashion media landscape is experiencing a rise of brand

publications, which is challenging the traditional PR model of third-party endorsement

regarding the use of traditional media. This literature review looks at the role of third-party

endorsement in building credibility as well as analysing the concept of independency. It also

provides an insight on the different views regarding the credibility challenge that brands

acting as publishers might face. It also defines the concept of transparency, its impact on

credibility as well as looking at other factors that build a credible source.

2.2 The Role of Third-party Endorsement in Building Credibility

Third-party endorsement has been in the core essence of Public Relations since Edward

Barneys, considered the father for the discipline, started pitching traditional media to publish

newsworthy stories from brand sources. In fact, there are many definitions of PR and the use

of the media as third-party endorsement to pursue its activity is common in most of them.

For example, Tim Bell describes PR as “the use of third party endorsement to inform and

persuade”31 and Morris and Goldsworthy say that PR “works primarily though the use of

media relations and other forms of third party endorsement”32.

As Morris and Goldsworthy explain, the concept of third-party endorsement “refers to getting

the support of independent voices”33. Also, The Business Dictionary defines third-party

endorsement as “solicited or unsolicited recommendation or testimonial from an entity other

than the manufacturer and seller of a product or service”34. It is precisely this concept of

18


32 Goldsworthy, S., Morris, T., PR today: the authoritative guide to public relations,Palgrave Macmillan, New York, 2012


34 Business Dictionary, What is third-party endorsement, retrieved 18th August 2013 <http://www.businessdictionary.com>



http://www.businessdictionary.com




independency what transmits credibility, so being independent means providing a non-biased

opinion about an issue, and this is one of the reasons why traditional media is perceived as a

trusted source of information.

In addition to this, the pillars that sustain the profession of journalism – objectivity,

impartiality, truthfulness, accuracy, fairness and public accountability – make journalists a

reliable filter for news, becoming the gatekeepers of information. In fact, the implementation

of these professional standards also built a reputation for media as a reliable source and that

is why obtaining positive media coverage became the main way in which PR achieved its

objectives 35.

In fact, the use of third party endorsement is what has always differentiated PR from

advertising; so people tend to give more credibility to other people talking about a company,

instead of the same company talking about itself. However, commercial and political interests

can easily contaminate the concept of independency and it is necessary to point out that

being independent and being perceived as independent are two different things 36.

2.3 Implications of The Role of PR as Producer of Information

Maloney explains that when the media becomes a business, the values it stands for become

blurred: a different media would have different political views; the use of advertising as a

financial source would affect editorial integrity and the need of selling papers and being

profitable would affect the quality of the news. On the other hand, the role of PR as a

producer of content and source for information subsidy would also have an impact on the

independency of the media. In fact, his theory about the PR-isation of the media explains

that its commercial needs, in addition to a lack of resources, produces a growing dependency

of journalists on PR. The author explains that that leads to the disablement of their critical

skills, specially in celebrity and fashion news, which are mainly PR based. Because of that, in

some cases PR material is published without checking37.

19




In addition to this, Maloney defines PR as a “selective communication of the telling kind”38

and explains that PR goals differ completely from journalism purposes: while independent

journalism informs, opens a debate and, the most important, filters and validates PR

content, PR “wants the listener to accept”39. If journalism fails on its scrutiny skills, it

appears what the author denominates a “false identity: a form of journalism but a substance

of PR”40. If PR material appears in the media without declaration, this lack of transparency

opens a big window for manipulation, so readers trust the source because its perception of

independency.

However, in a digital world, the public is much more educated; has different tools to double

check information and the most important, wants to know how the information system

works. Eventually they would identify the deception and because of that, Maloney thinks that

this form of practising journalism is affecting their own credibility. PR’s focus on achieving

media coverage because the media has a strong reputation for having an independent voice

but if they credibility decrease, it would also affect PR’s objectives in a negative way.

2.4 PR as a Separate Media: the Credibility Challenge

In order to avoid the lack of transparency and its consequences regarding credibility, the

author says that PR elements should be declared within the content. Moreover, Maloney

introduces the concept of PR as a media system in its own right, like advertising and

marketing. This way, the public would understand that the intention of the information is to

persuade.

However, Maloney’s theory about PR as a media system in its own right opens a debate

regarding whether the third party endorsement of the media is essential for PR to transmit a

20




credible message: Could a PR source be perceived as an authoritative source?

The Internet has changed the communications paradigm and while a few years ago the

ownership of the media was still restricted, nowadays everyone can be their own publisher,

which enables Maloney’s theory to a practical level. However, Morris and Goldsworthy in their

book “PR Today” explain “when it creates its own media, digital PR loses PR’s unique selling

proposition: third-party endorsement, usually and hopefully from an authoritative media

source”41. Also, Kotler explains that consumers are five times more likely to be influenced by

editorial copy than by advertising, referring to the power of third-party endorsement in

transmitting credibility.

On the contrary, Phillip Young appoints that “PR as endorsement fails”42 so the use of the

media is not a way of legitimating information but the only effective way of transmitting the

message. Before the Internet, traditional media was the cheapest way of reaching larger

audiences: while PR worked on the message, the owner of the newspaper worked on the

distribution, which was the most expensive bit. Nowadays, thanks to the new media, the cost

of distribution is almost inexistent and therefore there is a big opportunity for brands to talk

directly to their public. While brand journalism is appointing to be the medium, the challenge

relies on appealing the same audience directly.

2.5 PR in the Digital Arena: an Opportunity with Risks

In addition to democratising the media landscape, with the emerging of blogs and the use of

social media, the Internet also introduced a two-way communication paradigm, which

enabled the possibility of, not only talking directly to the public, but also engaging in

conversation with them43.

Looking back in time, the emerging of blogs, especially within the fashion industry, changed

21



43 CIPR, Share This, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, London, 2012



the way of practising journalism, introducing a new writing style focused on the individual44.

The same audience had the possibility of creating content and this focus generated trust for

readers, who understood bloggers as a friend from whom they could received an advice.

Also, the interactivity that the platform permits enabled an open discussion with blog

readers, who then felt their opinion was heard. Their proximity and their use of colloquial

language and their ability of producing interesting content make them engage with the

audience. In fact, in 2011, JOYN, a consultancy for lifestyle brands, published a report

regarding the Top 20 Influencers in UK and USA and the surprise was that 7 of the 20

influencers were independent bloggers 45.

Because of their power of influence, bloggers were seen as a powerful PR tool to generate

brand awareness but their relationship sooner started having a detriment effect on their

credibility. Brands would give them free products to then see a great review about them. As

bloggers were struggling to find a sustainable business model46, they would agree on

sponsoring brands without disclosure. When all this information went public their editorial

integrity was questioned47, in fact as there isn’t an official professional body controlling the

industry, their behaviour became difficutl to observe.

In 2012 they started to see a steady detriment on their trust48. The lack of transparency had

an impact on their credibility and as they relied on brands for content, the original content

that engaged with readers at the begining was gone49.

In fact, this opens another debate: are brands able to tell engaging stories? Philip Young

22

44 Phillips, D., Young, P., Online Public Relations: a practical guide to developing an online strategy in the world of social media, 2nd edition, Kogan, London, 2009

45 Joyn, Top 20 influencers in UK / US, Joyn London online, 20th August 2011, retrieved 6th August 2013 <www.joynlondon.com>

46 Tracy McVeigh, Fashion bloggers seek profit in battle of the gimmicks, The Observer online, 11th September 2011, retrieved 8th August 2013, <www.guardian.co.uk >

47 Fashionista, Can You Trust the Editorial Integrity of Personal Style Blogs? A Closer Look at How Bloggers Make Money, fashionista online,November 14th 2011, retrieved 7th August 2013, <www.fashionista.com

48 Trend Watching, The consumer trends that will shape our world, Trend watching online, January 6th 2012, retrieved 8th August 2013, <www.trendwatching.com>

49 @JESSICAKIA, Have Bloggers Become Fashion’s Sycophants?, Digitalista blog, September 6th 2011, retrieved 8th August 2013, <www.digitalista.tumbrl.com>



http://www.guardian.co.uk/


http://www.fashionista.com/


http://www.trendwatching.com/


http://www.digitalista.tumbrl.com/


says that traditional media platforms are still relevant because “traditional media stories are

much more interesting”50. The author explains that journalists put together different sources

within the content and that is why their stories are more interesting than PR based ones,

which only come from one source. From his point of view, PR can be perceived as an

authoritative source but the secret relies on story telling skills: “There is a strong argument

for believing that organisations should have the confidence to speak directly with

stakeholders, and this is an opportunity for PR, no a drawback”51. Also, William Daddi, senior

vice president at Magnet Communications in New York, affirms “If a consumer chooses to

access editorial, it is by definition relevant to them”52, which highlights the need to producing

engaging content to establish a relationship with readers.

Background research shows that by using Brand Journalism some brands are starting to

become strong publishers, reinforcing Young’s theory that PR as endorsement fails, however,

are they adding other point of view within the content? In order to make the most the

opportunity that the Internet has allowed it looks like brands have to be ready to develop a

transparent approach while being able to deliver relevant content.

2.6 The Impact of Transparency in Building Credibility

The blogger’s example also reflects on Maloney´s theory about the PR-isation of the media.

It looks like what really damages the credibility of the source is a lack of transparency, so the

miss use of third-party endorsement is understood as what Maloney denominates black

propaganda, content credited to a false source, that provides misinformation and “passes on

lies and deceptions”53.

The trust that a source is able to transmit relies on different factors and transparency is key.

23



52 Karolefski, J., Brand Channel online, PR Stirs it Up, 14th July 2003, retrieved 16th August 2013, < www.brandchannel.com/>






http://www.brandchannel.com/


As cited by Julia Jahansoozi in “Public Relations: Critical Debates and Contemporary Practice:

“Dialogue is considered essential for a relationship to exist and transparency is identified as a

key relational condition that is connected to other relational characteristics such as trust,

accountability, cooperation, and collaboration”54. This way, transparency not only allows the

atmosphere to generate trust but it also sets the conditions for this trust not to be abused:

“Trust is only likely to be abused where there is little chance of detection and therefore

transparency may solve this issue”55.

It is important to point out that transparency is a concept that needs to be defined; as it is

culturally specific and different sources would highlight different implications. The New PR

describes transparency making a parallelism with natural science: “Transparency, as used in

the humanities, implies openness, communication, and accountability. It is a metaphorical

extension of the meaning used in the physical science: a “transparent object is one that can

be seen thought”56. In addition to this, it also quantifies the concept by talking about

different degrees of transparency: “All organisations are to a greater or less degree

transparent”57.

Regarding the degrees of transparency, The New PR introduces the concept of Convert

transparency: “Convert transparency is where organizations ‘push’ or manipulate

information”58. The term ‘push’ refers to marketing promotion tools online, like SEO (Search

Engine Optimisation). Also within the same category it is described the concept of

Astroturfing, which is considered opposite to transparency: “the practise of falsely creating

the impression of independent, popular support by means of an orchestrated and disguised

24

54 L’Etang, J., Pieczka, M., Public Relations: critical debates and contemporary practise, Laurence Erlbaum Associates, 2006


56 The New PR Wiki, The New PR Wiki online, Nature of Transparency, retrieved 16th August 2013, < www.thenewpr.com>



http://www.thenewpr.com






marketing exercise”59.

By definition, a greater degree of transparency would mean fewer chances for companies to

abuse the communications in their own interest. Maloney’s theory about the PR-isation of the

media implies that if PR material appears on the press without declaration, mixed within

journalistic content, the lack of transparency opens a big window for manipulation, so

readers trust the media because they perceive it is an independent voice. For the same

reason, brands acting as publishers and producing journalistic content without declaring the

authorship or the intentions of the content would in fact abuse the communications in their

own interest. However, as Maloney say, nowadays readers are much more literate and a lack

of transparency can actually affect their credibility60.

Regarding the media, the New PR says “the media is transparent such as when there are

many, often competing, sources of information, when much is known about the method of

information delivery and the finding of media production is publicly available”61. Taking this

definition into account, it would mean that brands acting as publishers would have to add the

competitor’s point of view in order to be transparent. However, Julia Jahansoozi also explains

that transparency can have a detriment effect so “Radical transparency”62 can negatively

impact on the decision-making process 63. An overload of information can generate confusion,

therefore brands adding products from competitors might confuse the audience. In addition

to this, an extreme degree of transparency also imply risks in terms of privacy, competition

and control, therefore, brands featuring competitors might damage their own interests.

The author poses PR as the filter of information which “enables to construct meanings,

25












emphasizing social engagement”64. Therefore, PR has an important social role and a position

of power to discriminate content, select and present the information.

As in Brand Journalism there isn’t a gatekeeper, the rules of disclosure rely on the ethical

values of the content creator. This position of power implies a big responsibility of PR towards

the society and therefore transparency should be key when producing brand journalism.

Fustenberg, cited in “Public Relations: Critical Debates and Contemporary Practice, says

“transparency only reveals the behaviour and not the intent behind it”65. If it is true that

brands can use transparency as a way of generating trust, it also should be used as a way of

balancing relationships out and therefore avoiding any abuse of power. As transparency is a

concept that have multiple implications, positive and negative, Fustenberg thinks that it

should be used carefully considering “who gives transparency, who benefits from it and up to

what point the benefits to one side exceed the costs to the other”66.

2.7 Other Factors that Build a Credible Source

PR is a discipline of the persuasive kind. In fact, Maloney explains that PR wants the listener

to accept, however, in order to pursue its goal, it is essential for PR to establish a credible

source for messages. Therefore, it is crucial to analyse what conforms credibility and what

are the main factors that build a credible source. McCroskey says “credibility is that attitude

towards a speaker held by the listener”67, explaining that it is the audience who give

credibility to the source and not viceversa. However, there are different factors retained by

the speaker that transmit credibility. For example, Aristotle said that the character of the

speaker is the most powerful factor68.

26

64 64 64 L’Etang, J., Pieczka, M., Public Relations: critical debates and contemporary practise, Laurence Erlbaum Associates, 2006



67 Tench, R., Yeomans, L., Exploring Public Relations, Prentice Hall, England, 2006


Harold Lasswell established a transmission model of communications based on “Who says

What in Which channel to Whom to What effect”69, summarising all the different elements,

which within the communication process, have the power to influence credibility. As seen

above, Aristotle gave the maximum power to the personality of the speaker and Perloff

explains that there are four elements retained by the speaker that help the audience to give

credibility to the message: expertise, trustworthiness, similarity, and physical

attractiveness 70. In fact, PR uses these elements as third-party endorsement to back up their

messages, for example, experts would validate a message, consumers would transmit

proximity and celebrities would endorse a product or a cause.

In most of the cases, PR uses traditional media to publish messages using these forms of

third-party endorsement, but it would be interesting to anlayse the power of these

endorsements, taking traditional media out of the equation: is PR able to build a credible

source using these forms of third-party endorsement? The atribution theory, cited in

“Exploring Public Relations”, explains that the audience wants to know the reason why the

speaker valiedates a message: “do they really think what they are saying?”71. Money, status

and profession affect the motivations of the speaker and therefore have an impact on the

credibility of their words. In some cases, bands establish a commercial relationship with

third-parties such as celebrities and perhaps that can have a detriment effect on their

credibility. In fact, the use of celebrity is a tool of double effect, so their personal attitude can

either help or hinder a brand.

Another interesting factor that affects credibility is the power that the speaker has over the

audience. Raven explains that there are different types of power based on the access to

information, pertinance of a social group, expertise, legitimation and rewards.

27




Regarding the power of pertinance, William Daddy says “consumers are looking to reaffirm

their personal identity thought the content they choose to access”72. In fact, readers choose

to consume a title because they feel identified with it. For example, the readership from

VOGUE is different from the readership of TATLER magazine, so each group of readers feels

identified with the values they transmit. It is interesting to point out that people also

consume a brand because they feel they belong to a certain community73. The marketing

battle, especially in fashion, is no longer focused on the product but on the lifestyle values

that the brand transmits. Because of that, it is interesting to analyse whether the power of

the brand would transfer a referent value to the publication.

Also, research shows that some people are easier to influence than others and the key factor

in between is related to self-esteem. For example, readers with lower self-esteem would be

easier to persuade, while readers with a higher self-esteem would question the message

before forming an opinion. However, those easier to persuade, would engage with superficial

elements such as colour or emotion and therefore would be also easy to convince by another

sender using the same elements 74. On the other hand, those with a higher self-esteem would

also refuse challenging messages in order to maintain their believes. In fact, this shows a

parallelism with the theory affirming that readers consume a certain type of media to

reinforce their personality.

On the other hand, the content itself also has an effect on the credibility of the message. PR

usually build a message using different arguments that tend to support only one point of

view. Research shows that more educated people are more interested in receiving two points

of view, even if the message finalises with the brand’s point of view75. Maloney agrees that

nowadays, the public is better educated and therefore the PR messages are subject to

question. The author introduces an interesting theory “it is possible to find people who

28

72 Karolefski, J., Brand Channel online, PR Stirs it Up, 14th July 2003, retrieved 16th August 2013, < www.brandchannel.com/>

73 Lea-Greenwood, G., Fashion Marketing Communications, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, London 2012





appear to want to consume PR propaganda”76, especially referring to brand fans, who are

more likely to be influenced by messages reinforcing only one point of view. However,

Maloney explains that even if the reader is willing to consume PR messages, that doesn’t

necessarily mean that they will agree with the message, giving the audience the power to

decide.

The use of such endorsements like celebrity helps to create newsworthy content, especially

within the fashion industry, where celebrities are key in setting trends. A study from Yale

University regarding the power of the source showed that after a few weeks of exposure, the

audience remembered the message but no the source77. This highlights Young’s theory about

the need of providing interesting content to engage with readers, and perhaps the use of this

endorsements can help brands not only to validate the message, but also to provide

interesting content.

29



Chapter three: Methodology

3.1 Introduction

The background information presented in the introduction of this dissertation, as well as the

theoretical models analysed in the literature review, show the most relevant, up to date

research around the topics of third-party endorsement, credibility and transparency in

relation to brand journalism within the fashion industry; introducing a gap for further

analysis. This dissertation aims to develop the topic further by conducting qualitative

research based on a content analysis of brand publications and interviews with experienced

practitioners and journalists. It looks at the performance of the new phenomenon, analysing

its implications for the Public Relations industry, correlating expert’s opinions with the

theoretical models but it does not attempt to present, prove or deny any theories. It aims to

provide new insights into the topic, which can also inspire future research.

3.2 Hypothesis and Research Questions

Brand Journalism is an opportunity for fashion brands to build a relationship with its publics.

However, as it changes the traditional PR model of third-party endorsement, it poses risks in

terms of transparency and credibility.

In order to develop this hypothesis, the following research questions are taken into

consideration:

RQ1: What are the approaches to brand journalism that brands are using at the moment and

why?

The media landscape is experiencing an increase of brand publications and as different

brands have different approaches to Brand Journalism, their implications in terms of

transparency and credibility may apply differently. Therefore, this question is aimed at

providing an understanding of how fashion brands are currently developing brand journalism

in order to set the scene for this research.

30

RQ2: How transparent is the brand authorship within the content?

As seen in the literature review, PR has commonly used the endorsement of the media

because their perception of independency gives more credibility to the message. As brands

are becoming publishers, it is interesting to analyse whether they are attributing the

authorship of the content to themselves or pretending to be independent by not linking the

content with the brand.

RQ3: Do PR practitioners think that the transparency of the brand authorship within the

content has an impact on its credibility?

As brand journalism challenges the traditional PR model of third-party endorsement, if

brands are transparent with their approach, does it have an impact on the credibility of their

words? As seen in the literature review, transparency and credibility go together and it is

interesting to analyse the impact of those two concepts to the different approaches in the

current media landscape.

3.3 Research Methods

The qualitative research used for this dissertation includes a content analysis of three brand

publications and interviews with relevant practitioners and journalists.

The content analysis considers five issues of The Edit, Net-a-Porter’s magazine, and MANGO

as well as an overall look at the archives of NOWNESS, from LVMH. It looks at visual and

written clues that link the content to the brand as well as the look and feel of the publication

and whether they use other forms of endorsement within the content, such as celebrities or

consumers. It also looks at the main approach to Brand Journalism and whether they cover

their own products, mention competitors, include links to e-commerce or just mention

lifestyle stories. The samples extracted from the analysis are used as evidence to support the

main findings and visual aids can be find in the appendixes. Ultimately, the content analysis

provides an understanding on how those fashion brands, mainstream and luxury, are

31

developing Brand Journalism and the implications that the different models have in terms of

transparency and credibility.

As Brand Journalism implies different areas of expertise, the professionals approached for

the research come from different backgrounds: digital strategy, fashion PR, brand journalism

and also journalism. The inclusion of journalists into the research, gives an external point of

view, adding value to the discussion. Interviews were conducted via e-mail, phone and face

to face.

3.4 Respondents

Mireia Tomas is a fashion account manager at Gablons Public Relations and Communications

in Barcelona; Sharon N. Hughes is a consultant and online marketing specialist for fashion

brands with an extensive experience in Public Relations and also acts a lecturer at The

London College of Fashion; Juan Mora is a fashion account manager at Bryan Morel PR and

works for MANGO in the UK; Tom Martin has an extensive background on advertising and

digital communications, he is the founder of the digital strategy agency Converse and he also

gives talks on communications and analysis of the media; Andy Bull is the author of the

recent published book ‘Brand Journalism’, he has an extensive experience as journalist

working for both brands and traditional media and he also works as editorial consultant; Ruth

Atherley is the communications strategist and brand journalist at AHA Creative Strategies, an

agency specialised in delivering PR in a digital age; Maria Rodriguez is the marketing director

at Conteam, a digital communications agency based in Madrid, and she also has an extensive

background working for fashion brands; Sophie Maguire is the editor in chief of Semple

Magazine; Kate Reardon is the Editor in chief of Tatler Magazine in the UK and has also

worked for VOGUE USA and Vanity Fair, and finally, Eric Wilson is a fashion editor for The

New York Times and writes about the evolution and challenges that the fashion industry

faces nowadays.

32

3.5 Limitations

Even though an overall research on the Brand Journalism landscape has been conducted to

discriminate the different models currently being implemented by fashion brands, this paper

focuses only on a small number of global publications, therefore the findings cannot be

generalised for the overall industry. Moreover, the brands analysed in the content analysis

were not able to share their PR strategy, therefore findings haven´t been contrasted with the

source and the views cannot be accurately analysed. Findings are mostly based on insights

provided in the interviews, which, on the other hand, should also be seen as individual

thoughts on fashion brand journalism within the industry. Furthermore, because of a lack of

resources, this research does not look at the opinion of readers and given the relevance of its

point of view, a study of the audience is suggested for further research.

33

Chapter 4: Findings and Discussions

4.1 Introduction

This chapter provides an in-depth analysis of the research findings while enabling a

discussion considering interviewees points of view and the theoretical models provided in the

literature review. In order to provide an insight into the research questions explained in

chapter three, it shows the different approaches to Brand Journalism that brands are

currently developing, analysing the transparency of the authorship within the content as well

as looking at different opinions regarding the link between the authorship and the credibility

of the source. It also provides an overlook to the current media landscape as well as

providing relevant insights about factors that have had an impact on the credibility of brand

publications.

4.2 Fashion Brand Journalism Landscape: the Three Approaches that Rule the Media

After analysing the Fashion Brand Journalism sphere, research shows three different

approaches to Brand Journalism: ‘One-Brand’, ‘Multi-Brand’ and ‘Off-Brand’. While all three

cover different kinds of stories based on the lifestyle of their target audience, only two of

them have product presence and direct links to e-commerce.

A clear example of the ‘One-Brand’ approach is MANGO magazine, a monthly title published

on the brand’s website. Each issue promotes a specific trend linked to its products, using

interviews with bloggers, photo shoots, competitions and product reviews. All the stories are

product-led and include direct links to e-commerce. As the brand sells worldwide, the

magazine is translated into several languages, offering a local approach within a global

strategy. Each issue has an average of 11 pages and the structure changes depending on the

title. Even if the brand offers the information in an editorial format, the magazine only covers

their products, offering just one brand to solve the trend challenges 78.

34

78 See appendix 1.1: One Brand: MANGO Magazine

On the other hand, The Edit is a fashion, lifestyle and beauty magazine published weekly on

Net-a-Porter’s website, that offers a ‘Multi-Brand’ approach. Each issue covers different

trends by interviewing celebrities, featuring artists, travel destinations, doing product

reviews and giving tips to the reader; lifestyle photo shoots, videos and product pictures are

the core visuals of the publication. Each issue has an average of 30 pages and this includes a

front cover, letter to the editor, contents section, advertising and a contributor’s list in the

end. All the stories always follow the same structure and the content is divided by ‘The List’,

where the reader can find tips of different kinds of topics, ‘Cover Story’, which normally

includes an intimate interview with the celebrity featured on the cover, ‘Style Rethink’, a

retrospective on trends and iconic items, ‘The Interview’, which normally includes a style

icon, ‘Beauty’, with product reviews and advice, and ‘Travel’, featuring top travel destinations.

There is another section, which varies depending on the issue and it goes from featuring tips

for exercising to make up master classes, for example. Even though all the stories are told

from a lifestyle perspective, they include product presence, exclusively from those brands

sold by Net-a-Porter, as well as including links to e-commerce. Featured celebrities wear their

clothing, style icons are also styled using Net-a-Porter products, and stories featuring travel

destinations include “what to wear there” sections. Also, stories talking about exhibitions are

linked to their brands. For example, one of the must see exhibitions they feature on “The

Pre-Fall Issue”, is about Karl Laguerfeld and Fendi, a brand that is on the brand’s portfolio79.

An example of the third approach is NOWNESS, a daily lifestyle media owned by the fashion

conglomerate LVMH, which doesn’t include a product presence, neither is linked to the brand.

As the authors describe it, it delivers high-end culture experiences online, covering luxury

lifestyle stories about art, beauty, culture, design, fashion, gastronomy, music, sports and

travel. With exclusive collaborations with artists, photographers and filmmakers, NOWNESS

offers original content, exclusively curated for the site. The content is story-led instead of

product-led and it doesn´t include links to e-commerce80.

Talking about The Edit, Eric Wilson, Fashion Editor for The New York Times, explains that

even though it looks like journalim, it cannot be considered journalism: “I think it’s a mistake

35

79See appendix 1.2: Multi Brand: The Edit

80 See appendix 1.3: Off Brand: NOWNESS

to consider Net-a-Porter magazines to be journalism...so basically their job is to make pretty

press releases. The big difference today is that they are able to send them directly to the

consumer, as opposed to the press”. In fact, the first two approaches to brand journalism

have a commercial focus. The Edit and MANGO Magazine enhance all the stages of the

decision making process, from inspiration to purchase, so readers can make the purchase

after being inspired by the editorials. However, NOWNESS strategy is about building a media

channel to generate awareness instead of pushing sales.

Nevertheless, it is important to set the scene of the different approaches that brands are

currently implementing because as they have a different focus, different risks in terms of

credibility and transparency apply.

4.3 Authorship of the Content Linked to the Brand: Three Degrees of Transparency

The content analysis shows that there are three different levels of linking the authorship of

the magazine with the brand. While MANGO Magazine uses the same branding for the

magazine and it is the brand itself that speaks to the reader, Net-a-Porter uses a different

branding and a journalistic voice. In those cases, the brand is transparent regarding the

authorship, however, as NOWNESS has a different branding, it is located in an independent

site and doesn’t state the link between content and the brand, this raises questions

regarding the transparency of the source.

In MANGO Magazine, the logo of the company always appears when the magazine is loading

and in some cases it appears on the first page. Even though the features are not signed,

within the text there are appreciations of authorship such as the use of the first person

narrative as it is the brand talking to the reader. In addition to this, the magazine is located

on the same website, so the link between the magazine and the brand is clear81.

The Edit appears on the landing page of Net-a-Porter but distinguishes itself with a different

branding, separating itself from the main brand. In addition to this, the magazine is edited

by Lucy Yeomans and all journalists, designers, stylists, photographers and production

36

81 See appendix 2.1: MANGO Magazine

managers are listed in every issue, not only in the contributor’s page but features are signed

by them. In this case, it is not the brand that speaks to readers but the journalists

themselves82.

According to Ruth Atherley, Communications Strategist and Brand Journalists at AHA

Creative, as long as there is brand presence, the link between the content and the brand is

clear for the reader and therefore those models don´t present risks in terms of

transparency: “The same way that I would expect the average person to understand what

the underlying editorial mandate is for any media outlet, I would expect that if you go to an

organization´s website and read an article about brand journalism and they are transparent

that they developed the piece – that there is editorial integrity there.”

However, as seen in the literature review, The New PR considers that a media is transparent

when it includes competitors, so even though the authorship of the content is transparent, as

they don´t include other products but their own, risks in terms of transparency actually

apply.

On the other hand, NOWNESS uses a different branding and it is located in a different

platform, separating itself from the fashion conglomerate and therefore giving an idea of

independency. In fact, even though it is under the LVMH fashion portfolio, next to Louise

Vuitton, Möet Chandon or Fendi on their corporate website, on the NOWNESS site, there isn

´t any reference or link to LVMH 83.

All stories are presented using short films or images with a body text that supports the

visuals. While the text is never signed, short films are credited, showing the names of the

artists, film directors and production teams. In this case, it is the media itself who talks to

the reader. Even if it pretends to be independent, the content analysis shows that most of

the stories published under art, fashion, design and beauty have indirect links to brands

owned by the group, uniting the editorial line with its brand strategy; promoting their brands

by appealing to the lifestyle of the target audience that purchase their products.

37

82 See appendix 2.2: The Edit

83 See appendix 2.3: NOWNESS

The content analysis shows that the content promotes brands in three different ways:

product placement84, advertorial without disclosure85 and key words in text86. On the other

hand, the content also presents links to other brands which are not included in their porfolio,

for example, complimentary brands like NIKE or main competitors like brands from GUCCI

Group. The fact that they mention competitors in some cases, make their approach more

transparent.

However, as it might be difficult for the reader to understand that the fashion conglomerate

owns all the brands mentioned in the content, the platform might give an idea of

independency but it has big lack of transparency. In fact, this approach to Brand Journalism,

it is close the concept of astroturfing defined in the literature review: “the practise of falsely

creating the impression of independent, popular support by means of an orchestrated and

disguised marketing exercise”.

When asking PR professionals about the transparency of NOWNESS, opinions were

completely different. Sharon N. Hughes, online marketing specialist, said that NOWNESS

showed the ability for editorial independence not tied to the brand. However, Mireia Tomas,

fashion account manager at Galbons PR and Communications, said that it is not clear for the

reader if there is a brand behind. Mireia Tomas also pointed out an interesting idea, saying

that among the three approaches, NOWNESS would be the one that readers would pay more

attention to and also, because it doesn´t look like it is linked to a brand, this would give

more credibility to the message. One of the reasons why NOWNESS doesn´t mention the link

with LVMH might be just this, that the idea of independency gives more authority to the

source, giving up on transparency in favour credibility.

4.4 Editorial Format Helps to Deliver Branded Content

The content analysis shows that two of the three approaches analysed imitate the look and

38

84 See appendix 2.3.1: Product Placement

85 See appendix 2.3.2: Advertorial

86 See appendix 2.3.3: Key words in text

feel of traditional fashion magazines, however, they only feature products from their brands.

Even if they look like independent titles, PR practitioners and journalists coincide that the

look and feel doesn’t affect their credibility, so readers are able to differentiate between them

both.

The Edit and MANGO Magazine combine a serif font from the Didone family, also used in

titles such as ELLE or VOGUE. Lifestyle photo shoots with product presence, behind the

scenes videos and product pictures give an editorial look to the content. The Edit also uses a

celebrity on the front cover, tactic used by traditional fashion magazines since the 90s. Also,

it is interesting to point out that Net-a-Porter’s website also uses the same typeface - De

Vinne Roman - for titles on their website, extending the editorial look to the whole

platform87.

Asking PR practitioners and journalists whether readers perceive those titles as independent

magazines, both agree that the design doesn’t impact on their credibility but it helps

delivering the message instead.

Eric Wilson, fashion editor for The New York Times, explains “credibility no, but it makes

them more accessible by speaking in the language of magazines”. Also, Tom Martin says that

it wasn’t until the release of tablets, when traditional magazines could reproduce the familiar

print look in a digital environment, when the adoption of their digital versions grew: “…

consumers tend to adopt the familiar over the unfamiliar”.

On the other hand, Ruth Atherly points out that the same way that readers are able to

differentiate between advertorial and news, they differentiate between branded content and

independent content, even if they look the same: “I think that consumers are very smart and

they don´t get tricked by marketing messages hidden in editorial style design…they want

editorial style content that is credible and reliable”.

39

87 See appendix 3.1 Format Examples

4.5 Without the Filter of Journalists, Consumers Become the Gatekeepers

In addition, to give credibility to the message, the role of journalists is also validating the

information and questioning PR sources, by investigating other points of view. With brand

journalism, the figure of the gatekeeper disappears and PR can publish stories without filter.

This poses risks in terms of transparency so brands might take advantage to publish only

one side of the story and curate the message to benefit the organisation. However, research

shows that, in a digital age, without the filter of journalists, consumers become the

gatekeepers.

In the literature review, Maloney appoints that nowadays consumers are more educated and

therefore have more tools to spot covered information. In fact, the author explains that

consumers are willing to consume PR propaganda but they also have the knowledge to

discriminate the messages. Both, journalists and PR practitioners interviewed for this study

also agree that consumers are savvy enough to identify the authorship of the source, value

their intentions and therefore make full-informed decisions. Kate Reardon, editor in chief of

TATLER UK, explains: “...consumers are sophisticated enough to know exactly what

messages is being told”. Also, Eric Wilson says: “...readers are very sophisticated today and

they are very likely to notice if things are not authentic”. In addition to this, Tom Martin

adds: “consumers have a highly tuned bullshit meter and brands that attempt to pass

advertorials as editorials will be discovered and shunned”.

In their opinion, consumers have tools and the ability to seek the truth so, if brands try to

hide marketing messages within the content, readers will spot it and won’t engage with

them. Also, if the content is not relevant for them, they won’t engage either. The same way

that journalists won’t publish a story that is not relevant for the audience, consumers won’t

read it.

However, Andu Bull, author of the book ‘Brand Journalism’, explains that “Brand Journalism

should be presented with transparency, just as traditional publishers put advertising feature

on sponsored content”. Maloney also pointed that out on his theory about the PR-isation of

the media, explaining that it should be disclosure of PR sources.

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The truth is that none of the three approaches analysed for this study have a disclosure

message within the content. However, as seen before, the branding clues in MANGO

Magazine and The Edit help the reader to understand that that is branded content. The major

concern comes with NOWNESS who are pretending to be independent hiding marketing clues

within the content. For further research, it would be interesting to analyse what readers

think about this platform specifically.

4.6 Independency in Building Credibility

As seen in the literature review, third-party endorsement means getting the support of

independent views and it is this concept of independency that gives credibility to the source.

In fact, Morris and Goldsworthy explain that the use of third-party endorsement is what

defines PR and so when PR develops its own media, it loses its unique selling point. However,

considering the endorsement of the media, are traditional fashion magazines that

independent? Professionals interviewed for this dissertation agree with Maloney’s point of

view about the media; when it becomes a business, the values it stands for become blurred.

In fact, they consider traditional media to be a brand of its own.

Traditional fashion magazines such as VOGUE or TATLER are mainly product-led and that

makes them dependable of brands to provide content. Kate Reardon says “we don’t depend

on the brands to give us press releases or images but we do depend on the brands to create

products that our readers are going to buy and read about it”. However, considering that PR

is the link between the brand and the press, journalists do rely on PR as a source of

information subsidy. As Maloney says in the literature review, if journalists fail on their

scrutiny, the role of PR as producer of information can affect their editorial line.

Advertising can also affect their view. Sophie Maguire explains “I believe once a magazine, or

any publication, set about making a profit from advertising they lose their voice,

independence and in turn respect...print magazines will inevitably fold without some ad

backing of course, but when a magazine can survive from ad backing alone they no longer

impartial forward thinkers”. However, Eric Wilson thinks that there is still a large degree of

41

independency “of course there are pressures. And of course magazines cover the companies

that advertise with more prominence than those that do not...but for the most part, the

choices they make reflect a large degree of independency. Whenever a designer tries to

assert too much control, you still see resistance, like VOGUE does not cover Girogio Armani

very much, even though he pulled his advertising”.

Sophie Maguire also makes a link between independency and credibility “By selling out and

having words put into their mouths, they lose credibility and any editorial independence that

once was”. In fact, Maloney explains that if journalists fails in providing an independent point

of view, there is an effect on the credibility, so consumers are more educated and have the

tools to identify when news are not genuine.

It looks like independency helps building credibility, however, when it comes to the media,

interviewees coincide that it is an utopia. Andy Bull explains “It is naïve to think that

traditional publishers are independent. The Daily Mail is a brand, as is The Times, as are all

the publications I have worked for. Each of those publishing brands has an agenda, and the

journalists on a title know what that agenda is and stick to it when making their news

judgement”. Ruth Atherley adds “I think that no matter who develops the piece - it is

important to keep in mind what the agenda of the writer / producer of the piece is...media

can also have corporate agendas”.

If traditional media is not that independent and that is affecting their credibility, could brands

produce their own content and expect to be credible? Is independency key to building a

credible source for messages? From the blogger’s example analysed in the literature review,

it looked like what really damages credibility is a lack of transparency, so the miss use of

third-party endorsement is understood as black propaganda. Talking about brand journalism,

Sophie Maguire explains “the integrity of the message is slightly different. It’s this upfront

sale from a brand that I believe works in their favour”. Because of that, perhaps what it

matters is honesty and not pretending to be independent.

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4.7 Transparency as a Trust Builder

In the literature review, Julia Jahansoozi explains that transparency is key to establish a

dialogue with publics and journalists and PR’s interviewed for this study coincide that

transparency is a trust builder. Therefore, those brands using a transparent approach are

more likely to engage with their readers.

Both Eric Wilson and Kate Reardon believe that readers need to have a sense of trust in the

authorship of news. PR’s explain that in order to build a sense of trust, brands need to be

authentic about the brand journalism approach, being transparent about their intentions at

all times. Andy Bull explains that “wise publishers, and wise brands, seek to produce

journalism / brand journalism that is untainted by commercial interests, political affiliations

and so on, or which is transparent about those interests etc are”. Tom Martin also supports

this idea by saying “consumers are willing to engage with brands but they would rapidly

dismiss brands attempting to deliver biased content.” Also Ruth Atherley corroborates the

point “I believe transparency is important and credibility is built through honest authentic,

transparent communication.”

As they include links to e-commerce and different branding clues within the content, The Edit

and MANGO Magazine are clear about their intentions: they sell the products they have in

stock. However, NOWNESS’s intentions are not as clear and while hiding the authorship of

the content might initially work in their favour, it can also be seen as an intention of

providing biased content and therefore might generate trust issues with their audience.

In chapter two, McCroskey explains that is the audience who give credibility to the source

and Tom Martin, gives an interesting insight that also links transparency with credibility: It´s

really an illusion that is only broken if a brand or media vehicle is “found out” so I think it´s

an outcome of broken credibility versus a status in an of itself.”

Comparing the degrees of transparency delivered by traditional media and brand journalism,

Andy Bull explains “what is important is that the consumers of news and information are

aware of the agenda behind the brand they are consuming that news and information from.

43

With traditional news brands, it is often hard for the average person to know what the

agenda is. With a brand that is not primarily a publisher, it is often easier for the average

consumer to assess what the agenda might be”. Also Sophie Maguire agrees with him by

explaining “once people realise their £4.90 Vogue is in fact a walking advert of deceit, will

they decide to spend their money elsewhere? On brand journalism perhaps, where yes they

are being sold a lifestyle and, or a product, but it is done with an honest integrity that a

customer will spot and appreciate.”

Maloney explains that commercial interests and dependency on PR have an impact on the

transparency of traditional media, which also affects their credibility. In fact, the author

explains that PR should be a media system in its own right, precisely to avoid the lack of

transparency and the detriment effect on credibility. If the authorship of the content is clear,

it looks like Brand Journalism appears to be an opportunity for brands to be transparent and

therefore build trust among their audience.

4.8 Content versus Authorship in Transmitting Credibility

In the literature review, Phillip Young appoints that “PR as endorsement fails”, saying that

the key in transmitting credibility relies on story-telling skills. PR’s interviewed for this

dissertation believe that third-party endorsement is, in fact, a trust builder but the quality of

the content is key in engaging with readers.

When talking about the influence of traditional fashion magazines, Eric Wilson provides an

interesting insight: “It is based on creating the impression of authority and the imprimatur of

coolness. Fashion magazine readers want to be cool. They want to see a fantasy, and they

also want to feel they belong”. Regardless of the authorship of the source, brand journalism

also creates this aura of coolness. In fact, Juan Mora explains that coolness is one of the key

attention drivers for MANGO Magazine and celebrities that the brand associates with, play a

major role: “How cool is MANGO that associates itself with such a cool person”.

Kate Reardon thinks that the influence of traditional fashion magazines is based on

journalistic skills and their ability to provide quality content: “Magazines are influential due to

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the skill of editors and stylists and they are the first form of curated content”. In fact, Net-a-

Porter trusts former editors to develop their magazine, so they have got the knowledge

about how to curate the content.

Phillip Young thinks that brands need to add different points of view in order to provide

engaging content. Telling other points of view not only would give more transparency to the

publication but it would also increase their credibility. Practitioners explain that consumers

expect brands to deliver entertainment and information, not only sales. While it might look

like brands are afraid to feature products from competitors, Tom Martin explains that adding

other brands on would enrich the reader’s experience: “It´s not like the consumer isn´t

aware of these alternatives so discussing them with your branded content doesn´t help sell

those brands. It simply makes your content more valuable to the reader. By removing the

need to expose themselves to other media to get the complete picture or total information, a

brand increases its opportunity to develop greater propinquity with the consumer. This

propinquity leads to the consumer from awareness to knowing to linking to buying from a

brand.”

On the other hand, Andy Bull points out that “the best brand journalism will be identical to

really good, balanced, traditional journalism” and Tom Martin says: “…brands committed to

entertaining, educating and helping consumers lead better, more interesting and informed

lives via the creation and distribution of great content, will see consumers see them (the

brands) as equal to traditional journalists”.

In their opinion, relevant content has the power to bypass the influence that a third-party

would have on readers for adding an independent view on the story. However, Kate Reardon

points out that traditional fashion magazines are influential because they are the first form of

curated content, introduction a factor of time in building a bond with readers. Also, Tom

Martin, explains that a trajectory on time is crucial to became a trusted source: “The New

York Times didn´t build its audience over time, it has taken them over 100 years to gain the

reputation and audience they have. Given the expansiveness of digital tools and social

platforms, it may not take a brand 100 years to develop that audience but it´s not going to

happen in a few years either”. Finally, he points out that “during the transition period, brands

45

need to focus on how they can leverage traditional media to not only drive sales today but

audiences tomorrow”.

4.9 Convenience versus Authorship of the Source

PR’s and journalists coincide that commercial motivations of brands such as MANGO or Net-

a-Porter, which include e-commerce links within their publications, only make it easier for

consumers and don’t necessarily affect the trustworthiness of the source, specially because

they are transparent about their intentions.

Sharon N. Hughes explains that nowadays consumers are “mobile buyers” and that

convenience prevails to trust. Also, Kate Reardon explains “I think it makes perfect sense for

all of these boundaries to be blurred when it comes to retail commerce and fashion”,

explaining that it is logical for consumers to buy directly from the source of inspiration. She

also explains that readers “are not as naïve as they might have been in the 1950’s”,

therefore they know what they are buying into and they value the practical side of it.

In fact, Kate Reardon gives an interesting insight: “I think everybody has commercial

motivations...you still have to sell journalism, everybody is selling something”. However, it is

interesting to point out that most of the e-commerce ventures of traditional media failed.

Regarding his article for The New York Times ‘Magazines Starting to Sell the Fashion they

review’, Eric Wilson explains “What is more concerning is when VOGUE is selling a product,

because it does damage the magazine credibility when they are seen as being in business

with the subjects” adding, “I think it’s very interesting that of all the examples I cited in the

2011 article, most of them actually failed.” This shows an interesting trend to consider: it

looks like retailers could use editorial but when editors join e-commerce, the business

damages their credibility. It looks like consumers expect brands to sell but not traditional

magazines. In fact, Maloney says that commercial motivations can ultimately affect the

credibility of the media, and this is just a practical examples about it.

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4.10 Influencers Help to Build a Credible Source for Messages

In addition to the use of the endorsement of the media, PR has traditionally used other

endorsements such as experts, consumers or celebrities to validate their messages. As seen

in the literature review, their power of influence is not only based on third-party

endorsement - being independent from the main source - but also on the elements of

expertise, trustworthiness, similarity and physical attractiveness, which Perfoll attributes as

factors that help the audience to give credibility to the message. The content analysis shows

that all three approaches to brand journalism use these different type of influencers and PR’s

and journalists agree that this is helping brands to be perceived as an authoritative source.

According to their positioning, MANGO Magazine features mostly bloggers and customers;

The Edit Hollywood stars and celebrity models and NOWNESS includes different types of

celebrities, artists and also readers within its content.

For example, each issue MANGO features a fashion blogger or style icon, which gives style

tips on combining their products. The use of these influencers not only drives traffic to the

magazine from other trusted sources, like their blogs or social media platforms, but as Juan

Mora explains, it also gives more credibility to the source: “…as celebrities are the ones

communicating the message, they work as brand ambassadors …Because MANGO is linking

their messages to people that have a non biased opinion…it looks less forced than other

bigger names that are clearly being paid to say so. Because people trust them and their

fashion opinion then they trust MANGO”88.

From Juan’s quote, it is interesting to point out the relation between money and credibility,

which links back to the attribution theory, which explains that the public wants to know the

reason why the speaker validates the message. Interpreting his words, it looks like bigger

names, used by other brands would have less credibility because people would assume they

have been paid. Less popular personalities would then have more credibility because readers

would assume they haven´t been paid, however, they might have been paid anyway. In fact,

Maria Rodriguez, marketing director of CONTEM, corroborate Juan’s words: “…if brands abuse

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88 See appendix 4.1: MANGO Magazine Use of Fashion Bloggers

the use of bloggers or celebrities that are the image of too many brands, the credibility or

the value that they can create for the brand decreases dramatically”.

Juan Mora also explains that MANGO Magazine is oriented to engage with brand fans in an

editorial form “the role of the magazine is to create and give MANGO even more fashion

credentials, make the brand relevant and fashion orientated, without shouting” referring to

the use of advertising. In fact, the magazine has a clear customer focus; it promotes style

competitions among their customers, offering them the possibility of being featured on the

title and also, interviews with bloggers include questions about MANGO’s key items for the

season and tips for their customers. This inclusion leads to a two way communication tactic

in pro to engagement and brand loyalty and it also shows an intention of using customers as

influencers, appealing to the similarity factor explain above89. Also, Andy Bull, highlights the

importance of customers as the most powerful endorsers: “Celebrity endorsement sounds

very old media to me. I believe most brands would rather have the mass endorsement of

many ordinary people.” However, Kate Reardon explains that celebrities are key and “all the

different forms of media are going to use celebrities in which ever way they can”.

The Edit uses Hollywood celebrities such as Liv Tyler and celebrity models such as Georgia

May Jagger or Miranda Kerr for their cover pages. Also, the content analysis show that there

is a main presence of big names such as Alexa Chung or Olivia Palermo in the inside pages90.

The use of high-profile names drives attention to the magazine but also talks about a fashion

conscious reader, sophisticated and more likely to be influenced by “red carpet” icons. The

physical attractiveness of these referents also helps the magazine to build its credibility

around fashion. Because of that, the magazine not only serves as a tool to engage with high-

end customers with a strong purchase power but it also serves as a source of style

inspiration. The use of celebrity fashion photographers such as Mario Testino, well known for

producing photo shoots for VOUGE, also gives fashion credentials to the publication91.

On the other hand, The Edit also uses the power of influence of the fashion editor; features

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89 See appendix 4.2: MANGO Magazine: Use of Consumers

90 See appendix 4.3: The Edit: Use of Celebrity

91 See appendix 4.4: The Edit: Use of Celebrity Photographers

are signed by brand journalists and even though they respond to the brand, they might be

perceived as independent experts. Also, the use of luxurious brands within the content,

transfers a referent value to the publication, so those brands are perceived as experts within

the industry and therefore they have a strong power to set up trends.

It is interesting to point out that on “The Lofi Luxe Issue”, cover girl Georgia May Jagger, is

also the main image of Katie Grand’s collection for Hogan, which can be also bought on their

website, showing a clear link between the selection of celebrities and the brand itself.

The third approach, NOWNESS, uses three different recommendations: ‘Editors Curate’,

‘Contributors Picks’ and ‘Most Loved’, including reader’s point of view. This way, contributors

are not only are commissioned to contribute with their art but they also act as endorsers of

stories, mentioning their preferences 92.

NOWNESS also uses celebrities within the content but it doesn’t tap into their private lives, it

uses them as muses for art projects. It also uses fashion insiders such as Iris Apfel, well

known on the fashion industry but rarely featured on mass media93. As NOWNESS positions

itself as a cultural platform, the main featured influencers are niche artists, who help

creating a halo of a creative hub, destination for luxury literate consumers.

4.11 PR’s Think Brand Personality Gives Credibility but It is also a Filter

As seen in the literature review, readers choose to consume a title because they feel

identified with it. Also, consumers buy into a specific brand because of the lifestyle values

that it transmits. Talking to PR practitioners, it looks like, brand personality gives credibility

to the content, transferring a referent value to the publication. However, as well as driving

credibility, the brand can also be a filter, so consumers who initially don’t engage with the

brand, won’t engage with the content either.

For example, as MANGO Magazine features only one brand, MANGO customers might be

49

92 See appendix 4.5: NOWNESS: Use of Readers, Editors and Contributors

93 See appendix 4.6: NOWNESS: Use of Celebrity

more likely to engage with it. In fact, the content analysis shows that the magazine includes

the customer’s point of view, which can lead to brand loyalty. However, readers who don’t

consume the brand might be less likely to read the content. As The Edit offers a retailers

point of view, featuring different kind of brands, there are more possibilities for the public to

find it interesting.

In fact, in the literature review Phillip Young explains that while brands have the opportunity

to publish, the challenge relies on appealing the same audience directly. Tom Martin thinks

“traditional media still is the easiest way to get a branded message in front of a mass

audiences”. Brands need to build an audience first and if they just add their point of view to

stories, it is more likely that they will engage only with fans.

Also, Young thinks that brands need to add different points of view in order to provide

engaging content and Andy Bull thinks “good brand journalism should work on non-fans,

those who are indifferent to the brand, even those who hate it. Also Maria Rodriguez

corroborates his point by saying “brand journalism should go further and be able to attract

and get the attention of not so fanatical fans of the brand too”. In fact, as NOWNESS doesn’t

specifically cover their products and it is mainly story-led, it is more likely that luxury

consumers in general, engage with the content. Therefore, GUCCI or CHANEL consumers

might find the content relevant, even though they might not buy into LVMH brands.

Telling other points of view not only would give more transparency to the publication but it

would also increase their credibility and the possibility to open the content to other

consumers, not only fans. Also, Andy Bull explains that brand journalism can actually help

the brand to appeal new consumers by developing relevant content: “Benetton Colors mag is

not about Benetton clothes. Rather, such brands create content that is designed to appeal to

the sort of people that buy its products.”

Relying on providing relevant content instead of only promoting the brand is also important

to be found on the google search. Juan Mora explains “in the digital world you need to tag

your blog posts or content with related words so when googling your content appears the

first. So if you create a magazine surrounding your product you are creating your own tag

50

cloud that will help to bring your product to the front line”.

4.12 Brands and Traditional Media Complement Each Other

When talking about the status of the media at the introduction of this paper, it looked like

brands and traditional media were competing for readers. If it is true that the media

landscape presents a more targeted readership, the content analysis shows that they

complement each other, with brand journalism being a source of information and traditional

media a traffic driver; the content published by brands becomes newsworthy for the media,

which shares the branded message with a bigger audience.

For example, while MANGO Magazine and The Edit are published on the brand’s website -

more likely to be visited by someone who has a previous engagement with the brand - the

use of style icons within the content makes the issues newsworthy for traditional magazines

such as VOGUE Portugal94 or GRAZIA 95, whose audience is much more diverse and therefore

can drive new customers to the site. Also, even if NOWNESS is not specifically linked to

LVMH, the brand also uses the magazine as a publicity tool. The creative twist of stories

using celebrities also makes the stories newsworthy for publications such as The Guardian,

which in addition of covering those stories, links back to the NOWNESS site96.

Moreover, bloggers featured on MANGO Magazine also cover their issue on their blogs.

Therefore the same branded message originated on the brand’s website travels around the

Internet getting exposure on other sources perceived to be independent97.

In fact, Eric Wilson explains that traditional media still have a quality audience: brands have

more options today to get their products noticed immediately in blogs, but the quality of the

audience (meaning people who can actually afford their products) may not be the same as

that of a traditional magazine”.

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94 See appendix 5.1: MANGO Magazine in VOGUE Portugal

95 See appendix 5.2: The Edit in Pop Sugar and GRAZIA

96 See appendix 5.3 NOWNESS on The Guardian

97 See appendix 5.4: MANGO Magazine: Coverage on Fashion Blogs

Juan Mora explains that at the moment MANGO doesn’t integrate the magazine into their PR

strategy in the UK but they have been asked by the brand to suggest style icons who could

work in the UK market, showing a clear intention of uniting all efforts to include their brand

journalism project into their media strategy.

Those examples show that the use of celebrity is such a powerful publicity tool and also that

the media is, in fact, relying on brands for content. Even if this model benefits brands, it also

demonstrates Malone’s theory about the PR-isation of the media and Tom Martin´s vision

about the media failing to provide interesting content. This leaves a worrying media

panorama because as Ruth Atherley says, the pillars of journalism are still important: “…

traditional media is incredibly important and given the layoffs and closures happening all

around the world…it concerns me. Traditional media is our watch dog, journalists provide

context and perspective and this approach is crucial”.

In fact, it looks like the raise of Brand Journalism is also concerning traditional media about

its own future. When asking Kate Reardon whether a brand is powerful enough to bypass the

power of traditional magazines, asking if they would need each other in the future, she

replied: “I work for Condé Nast, so I am going to say yes”.

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Chapter 5: Conclusions and Recommendations

5.1 Conclusions

There are many definitions of Public Relations but the use of third-party endorsement is

common in most of them. For example, Tim Bell describes PR as “the use of third-party

endorsement to inform and persuade” and Morris and Goldsworthy say that PR “works

primarily though the use of media relations and other forms of third party endorsement”.

However, background research shows that the fashion media landscape is experiencing a rise

of brand publications, which is challenging the traditional PR model of third-party

endorsement regarding the use of traditional media.

After analysing the status of the media, it looks that there is an opportunity for brands to

engage with readers directly. This is made up of three factors: traditional media is failing to

provide relevant content, consumers are looking directly for content instead of a channel,

and readers have become more impatient; showing a big opportunity for brands to fill the

gap. However, the disclosure of the authorship within the content raises questions regarding

the transparency and credibility of the source. That is why the understanding of those

implications is essential for PRs to make the most of the opportunity that the media

landscape is presenting.

As seen in the literature review, different authors have different views regarding the

credibility of the source. For example, Morries and Goldsworthy explain that “when it creates

its own media, digital PR loses PR’s unique selling preposition: third-party endorsement,

usually and hopefully from an authoritative source”98. On the contrary, Young says that the

use of the media is not a way a legitimating the message but the cheapest way of

transmitting the message to a massive audience. Nowadays, with the use of the Internet

everyone can be their own publisher and a brand can actually be perceived as an

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authoritative source, however the challenge relies on appealing to the same audience directly

and the quality of the content is key.

Given the relevance of this, the hypothesis presented for this study was: “Brand journalism

is an opportunity for fashion brands to build a relationship with its publics. However, as it

changes the traditional PR model of third-party endorsement, it poses risks in terms of

transparency and credibility.”

In order to develop this hypothesis, three research questions were taken into consideration:

What are the main approaches to Brand Journalism that brands are using at the moment and

why? How transparent is the brand authorship within the content? And do PR practitioners

think that the transparency of the brand authorship within the content has an impact on its

credibility? Through a content analysis of three brand publications, MANGO Magazine, The

Edit and NOWNESS, and interviews with PR’s, digital specialists, Brand Journalists and

Journalists, this dissertation provides an insight into these questions while providing an

understanding of the topic and analysing the implications for Public Relations.

After having analysed the fashion brand journalism sphere, research shows three different

approaches to Brand Journalism: ‘One-brand’, ‘Multi-brand’ and ‘Off-brand’. All three

approaches feature different stories based on the lifestyle of their target audience but only

two have a product focus and include the media model of content-to-commerce, adding links

to e-commerce. The Edit and MANGO Magazine enhance all the stages of the decision

making process, from inspiration to purchase, while NOWNESS is building a media channel to

generate awareness instead of pushing sales.

The value of third-party endorsement is based on the independency of the source, so being

independent means providing a non-biased opinion about the issue and this gives more

credibility to the message. Brands that are acting as publishers, and therefore challenging

the traditional PR model of third-party endorsement, might not be linking the authorship of

the content in order to present themselves as independent publishers. They could potentially

be risking their transparency in order to be viewed as more credible. Research shows that

two of the three publications analysed, The Edit and MANGO Magazine, have clear links

54

between the content and the brand, however, the third approach, NOWNESS, disassociates

itself from the brand. As the content analysis shows that the platform is in fact promoting

their own brands without disclosure, their approach lacks transparency and it is close to the

concept of astroturfing - the practice of falsely creating the impression of independency -.

PR’s and journalists interviewed for this study, agree that independency is not key in building

a credible source, but transparency is. In fact, transparency appears to be a trust builder. In

the literature review, Julia Jahansoozi explains that transparency is key to establish a

dialogue with publics and interviewees coincide that brands using a transparent approach are

more likely to engage with their readers.

In fact, findings show that without the filter of journalists, consumers become the

gatekeepers of information. Maloney explains that nowadays consumers are more educated

and have the tools to spot covered information and PR’s and journalists agree that readers

are savvy enough to question the content that it is presented to them. For example, the

content analysis shows that two of the three approaches analysed imitate the look and feel

of traditional fashion magazines but PRs think that instead of giving an idea of independency

to the content, the design helps to deliver the message. In fact, readers are able to

differentiate between the two and their only concern is the content, the publisher is

irrelevant. Also, PRs point out that consumers are willing to engage with brands in an

editorial way, however, if brands aim to provide biased content, they would rapidly dismiss

them.

On the other hand, Maloney explains that the commercial interests and the dependency on

PR have an impact on the transparency of traditional media, and this is affecting their

credibility too. In fact, PR’s and journalists interviewed for this study agree, to a greater or

less degree, that traditional media is not that independent and that this is also afecting their

own credibility. Maloney says that in order to avoid this lack of transparency, PR should be a

media system in its own right and it looks like brand journalism can be the medium. If the

authorship of the content is clear, brands have the opportunity to deliver honest

transparency and therefore build trust among their readers.

55

However, The New PR point out that a media is transparent when showing other points of

view, often including competitors. The content analysis shows that The Edit and Net-a-Porter

only feature their products within the content and NOWNESS, mention competitors within the

text but not so frequently. PR’s interviewed coincide that adding competitors within the

content gives more credibility; instead of creating a conflict of interests, it enriches the text.

In fact, Young says that PR as endorsement fails, and that what really matters is the content

that brands are able to provide. PRs interviewed explain that content is more powerful than

the authorship of the content in building credibility, which challenges the endorsement power

that traditional media has always had.

Regarding the power of the content, PR’s and journalists think that as long as brands are

transparent about their intentions, having commercial motivations behind the message

doesn’t affect the integrity of the content, it just makes the decision-making process easier

for readers. This shows that convenience prevails to independency of the source and

demonstrates that the new media model of content-to-commerce can actually benefit brands

willing to develop a publishing venture. In fact, The Edit and MANGO Magazine are proving

to be a powerful way to engage with the audience while driving sales.

Also, the inclusion of other endorsers such as experts, celebrity and consumers, helps to

provide relevant content as well as validating the message and therefore increasing the

credibility of the message. Perfoll, cited in the literature review, explains that the elements of

what these endorsements are based on - expertise, similarity and physical attractiveness -

help the audience to assign credibility to the message. The publications analysed in this

study use different third-party endorsements according to their positioning: MANGO

magazine features mainly fashion bloggers and consumers, while The Edit use Hollywood

stars and celebrity models and NOWNESS includes different types of celebrities, artists and

readers. PR’s agree that the endorsement power of these parties is helping brands to be

perceived as authoritative sources. However, findings link back to the attribution theory

explained in the literature review, saying that readers want to know why people are giving

their view. PR’s agree that those celebrities featured in lots of publications, will be perceived

as a sell out while more niche celebrities will have more credibility when endorsing a product.

56

Analysing what confers credibility, PR’s agree that brand personality gives credibility to the

source, however, it also acts as a filter and brands that only cover their own products might

be missing out on the opportunity to engage with new audiences and only engage with those

who have a previous engagement with the brand, such as fans. That is why adding other

points of view not only gives more transparency to the approach but it also helps the brand

to appeal new consumers. By providing relevant content, brands create a key word cloud

that helps the publication to be found by search engines online.

Background research has already showed that brands and traditional media were competing

for readers. If it is true that the media sphere presents a more targeted readership, the

content analysis conducted in this study shows that they complement each other - brand

publications are a source of information and traditional media a traffic driver. The content

first published on a brand’s publication, specially the one containing celebrity stories, attracts

the attention of the traditional media, which then shares the message with their own

audience linking back to the brand’s publication. Journalists explain that traditional media

still has a quality audience and PR’s agree that brands still need the media because of that.

However, this demonstrates Malone’s theory about the PR-isation of the media when saying

that traditional media relies on brands to provide content. The author thinks that this is

affecting their own credibility and PR’s agree that this fact is drafting a worrying media

panorama because the pillars of journalism are still important, so journalists provide context

to the media approach.

In conclusion, findings show that in a digital world, where consumers are more educated and

have tools to find out if a brand is trying to provide biased content, transparency appears to

be key to engage with readers. Also, as consumers look for content and not a channel,

brands that are able to develop relevant content can build a credible media. However, PR’s

agree that there is a time factor, explaining that traditional media didn’t build its reputation

rapidly. Therefore, the constant delivery of transparency and relevant content can help

brands to become an authoritative source. As Tom Martin says, “brands need to focus on

how they can leverage traditional media to not only drive sales today but audiences

tomorrow”.

57

5.2 Recommendations for Future Research

The content analysis conducted for this dissertation gives an insight on the three approaches

to Brand Journalism that rule the media: ‘One Brand’, ‘Multi Brand’ and ‘Off Brand’, analysing

one example for each approach. As there are more brand publications within the same

categories, such as Ralph Lauren Magazine, Acne Paper or Barneys New York, it would be

interesting to extend the analysis further to see how those brands are implementing Brand

Journalism and find out the implications on transparency and credibility of those models.

Also, as the brands analysed in this paper haven’t been able to share their strategy, it would

be interesting to compare findings with their views, while analysing their data in terms of

traffic and time spent on site, which will give a more accurate idea of the audience

engagement with those publications. On the other hand, this study only covers a content

analysis and interviews with relevant professionals and it would be interesting to analyse

reader’s point of view regarding the three approaches. Especially in regards to NOWNESS,

whose findings show that transparency is key in developing a relationship with the readers

and the content analysis shows that the platform pretends to be independent featuring their

own brands without disclosure.

58

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61

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62

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Appendixes

1. Examples of The Three Approaches

1.1 One Brand: MANGO Magazine

As seen below, MANGO Magazine includes interviews with bloggers, photo shoots, videos and

product reviews with links to e-commerce to MANGO’s website. The following examples are

extracted from this issues: “Sincerely Jules” 99, “Louise Roe” 100 and “Nicole Warne” 101.

63

99 Sincerely Jules, MANGO Magazine, MANGO online, retrieved 19th August 2013, <www.mango.com>

100 Louise Roe, MANGO Magazine, MANGO online, retrieved 19th August 2013, <www.mango.com>

101 Nicole Warne, MANGO Magazine, MANGO online, retrieved 19th August 2013, <www.mango.com>







1.2 Multi Brand: The Edit

Issues of The Edit include interviews with celebrities and artists, features about travel

destination, lifestyle photo shots, videos and product reviews, everything with links to Net-a-

Porter products. The following examples are extracted from this issues: Live Tyler102, The

Vacation Issue103, The Lo-Fi Issue104, The Pre-Fall Issue105.

64

102 Live Tyler, The Edit, Net-a-Porter online, retrieved 18th August 2013, <www.net-a-porter.com>

103The Vacation Issue, The Edit, Net-a-Porter online, retrieved 18th August 2013, <www.net-a-porter.com>

104 The Lo-Fi Issue, The Edit, Net-a-Porter online, retrieved 18th August 2013, <www.net-a-porter.com>

105 The Pre-Fall Issue, The Edit, Net-a-Porter online, retrieved 18th August 2013, <www.net-a-porter.com>









1.3 Off Brand: NOWNESS

NOWNESS106 doesn’t include product presence nor links to e-commerce and the content is

mainly story led. The following stories are extracted from the publication’s archive.

65

106 NOWNESS, NOWNESS online, retrieved 18th August 2013, <www.nowness.com>

http://www.nowness.com


2. Examples of the Authorship Linked to the Brand

2.1 MANGO Magazine

As seen below, the magazine is located on the brand’s website and the corporate logo has a

main presence. Also, there are appreciations of authorship within the text, such as the use of

the first person as it is the brand talking to the reader: “We present...”. Example extracted

from Laura Hayden issue107

66

107 Laura Hayden, MANGO Magazine, MANGO online, retrieved 19th August 2013, <www.mango.com>



2.2 The Edit

As seen below, despite having a different branding, the magazine is located on the brand’s

website and the corporate logo has also a main presence. Features are signed by

journalists108.

67

108 The Edit Archive, Net-a-Porter online, retrieved 18th August 2013, <www.net-a-porter.com>



2.3 NOWNESS

As seen below, NOWNESS109 is located in a different platform, it has a different branding and

in the “About us” page there isn’t any link to LVMH. However on the LVMH corporate

website110, NOWNESS appears as a brand of their portfolio. Also, there is an example of the

brand talking to directly tot the audience: “ NOWNESS asked photographer Elizabeth Toll to

venture into the forest.”

68

109 NOWNESS, NOWNESS online, retrieved 18th August 2013, <www.nowness.com>

110 Louis Vuitton Möet Hennessy, LVMH online, retrieved 16th August <www.lvmh.com>



http://www.lvmh.com

http://www.lvmh.com

The content analysis shows that NOWNESS promotes brands in three different ways: product

placement, advertorial and key words in text. See examples below.

2.3.1 Product Placement

Yayoi Kusama: Self Obliteration111

This story explores the internal world of Yayoi Kusama, a contemporary Japanese artist who

turned a physiological issue into an acclaimed style of art based on polka dots, while

promoting her new exhibition in Buenos Aires. The story is composed by a short film, where

we can see the artist talking about the mental journey that led her art, supported by an

article, where the reader can find information about the artist and the exhibition.

69

111 “Yayoi Kusama: Self Obliteration” published on Nowness, 28th June 2013, retrieved 19 June 2012, <www.nowness.com>

As we can appreciate on the text extract below, the content does not link back to any brands

from the LVMH group directly. However, Marc Jacobs, creative director of Louise Vuitton,

released a collection of accessories in 2012 based on Yayoi Kusama art: pashmina, diaries,

handbags and shoes with polka dots as the main character. In order to promote the

collection, the brand dressed all store windows worldwide with the products and a display

also inspired by her art. In addition to this link, it is interesting to point out that the

pashmina that the artist is wearing on the short film is from the same collection112.

70

112 Fashionology, Louis Vuitton’s collab with Yayoi Kusama hits Tuesday, 9th July 2012, retrieved 18th August 2013, <http://www.fashionologie.com>

http://www.fashionologie.com

http://www.fashionologie.com

2.3.2 Advertorial

Moynat: Parisian Promenade

The key driver of this story is a film directed by Mary Clerté, featuring the legacy of the

French brand Moyant, with fashion blogger Jeanne Dames as the main character, interpreting

the Moyant woman of today as she explores Paris. The body text accompanying the film,

explains the story of the brand, showcasing the history of the owner while making a

parallelism with the woman shown on the film.

Even though Moyant does not appear on the portfolio of brands owned by LVMH shown on

their corporate website, the group acquired the French brand in March 2011113. Therefore

there is a clear link between the authorship of the content and the content itself.

On the film, we can appreciate products from the brand as well as seeing Moyant´s branding

in a form of drawings and logo toward the end of the piece. The format of the content

reminds to an advertorial but it does not specify if the content is sponsored. As there are

clear branding clues, the average reader might understand that it is a branded story, what it

is not so clear is the link between NOWNESS and Moyant, which could be interpret as a lack

of transparency.

Eample of the video shown on the next page.

71

113 “Bernard Arnault´s Buying Streak – Bulgari, Heritage Brand Moyant Acquired; Jimmy Choo May Be Next”, March 14 2011, retrieved 19 June 2012 < www.fashionologie.com>

2.3.3 Key Words in Text

A Magazine Curated by Stephen Jones

This story reports the launching of a new magazine curated by the millenary designer

Stephen Jones, who has designed hats for the haute-couture shows of the most luxury

fashion brands. The story is composed by images of the magazine, supported by a short

introduction and an interview with the designer. In the text, there are two names of the

brands from LVMH that he has worked for, Marc Jacobs and Christian Dior (partially owned by

the group), and one name of a brand from the competitor Gucci Group, Balenciaga.

2.3.4 Use of Complementary Brands

Carl Burgess for Nike114

This story presents a creative video that Carl Burgess made for the firm Nike about the

essence of running in London. It is interesting to point out that Nike does not have a link to

LVMH, however, as the group doesn´t own a brand exclusively dedicated to sportswear, Nike

can be seen as a complementary brand to use with the products they make.

73

114 Carl Burgess for Nike, NOWNESS online, 1st March 2011, retrieved 18th August 2013 <www.nowness.com>



3. Editorial Format Helps to Deliver a Branded Message

3.1 Format examples

74

Net-a-Porter website uses the same typeface from the Didone family on their website115

75

115 Net-a-Porter, Net-a-Porter online, retrieved 18th August 2013, <http://www.net-a-porter.com>



4. Examples of The Use of Influencers

4.1 MANGO Magazine: Use of Fashion Bloggers

Most of the issues receive the name of a fashion blogger, see examples below116.

76

116 MANGO Magazine, MANGO online, retrieved 18th August 2013 <www.mango.com>



4.2 MANGO Magazine: Use of Consumers

MANGO Magazine includes consumers within the content. As seen below, in the “MANGO

Street” section, there are interviews with consumers as well as links to enter a competition

to be featured on the magazine. The following examples are extracted from this issues:

“Sincerely Jules” 117, “Eleonora” 118 and “Nicole Warne” 119.

77

117 Sincerely Jules, MANGO Magazine, MANGO online, retrieved 19th August 2013, <www.mango.com>

118 Eleonora, MANGO Magazine, MANGO online, retrieved 19th August 2013, <www.mango.com>

119 Nicole Warne, MANGO Magazine, MANGO online, retrieved 19th August 2013, <www.mango.com>







4.3 The Edit: Use of Celebrities

Use of celebrities in the front cover as well as inside pages. See examples of Olivia

Palermo120

78

120 The Edit Archive, Net-a-Porter online, retrieved 18th August 2013, <www.net-a-porter.com>



4.4 The Edit: Use of Celebrity Fashion Photographers121

4.5 NOWNESS: Use of Readers, Editors and Contributors 122

79

121 The Traveler Issue, The Edit, Net-a-Porter online, retrieved 18th August 2013, <www.net-a-porter.com>

122





4.6 NOWNESS: Use of Celebrities

Iris Apfel123

80

123 Advanced Style: Age and Beauty, NOWNESS online, retrieved 18th August 2013, <www.nowness>

http://www.nowness

http://www.nowness

5. Brands and Traditional Media Complement Each Other: Examples

5.1 MANGO Magazine in VOGUE Portugal

Nicole Warne: o novo vintage124

5.2 The Edit in Pop Sugar and GRAZIA

Miranda Kerr Slips Into Swimwear and Spills Her Secrets to The Edit125

81

124 Nicole Warne: o novo vintage, VOGUE Portugal, retrieved 18th August , <www.vogue.xl.pt>

125 Miranda Kerr Slips Into Swimwear and Spills Her Secrets to The Edit, Popsugar online, retrieved 18th August <www.popsugar.com>

http://www.vogue.xl.pt

http://www.vogue.xl.pt

http://www.popsugar.com

http://www.popsugar.com

Georgia May Jagger Still Gets Insecure About Her Tooth Gap126

Revered Photographer Mario Testino Tuns Fashion Designer For Net-a-Porter127

82

126 Georgia May Jagger Still Gets Insecure About Her Tooth Gap, GRAZIA online, retrieved 18th August 2013, <www.graziadaily.co.uk>

127 Revered Photographer Mario Testino Tuns Fashion Designer For Net-a-Porter, retrieved 18th August 2013, <www.graziadaily.co.uk>

http://www.graziadaily.co.uk




5.3 NOWNESS on The Guardian

NOWNESS articles on The Guardian128

83

128 NOWNESS on The Guardian, The Guardian online, retrieved 18th August <www.theguardian.com>



5.3 MANGO Magazine: Coverage on Fashion Blogs

MANGO Magazine on Gary Pepper129

MANGO Magazine on The Blod Salad130

84

129 Nicole Warne Magazine, Gary Pepper Blog, 23rd April 2013, retrieved 18th August 2013, <garypeppergirl.com>

130 Chiara Ferragni For MANGO Magazine, The Blond Salad Blog, 30th September 2012, retrieved 18th August 2013, <www.theblondesalad.com>

http://garypeppergirl.com

http://garypeppergirl.com

http://www.theblondesalad.com

http://www.theblondesalad.com

MANGO Magazine on Stlye Scrapbook131

85

131 Andy For MANGO Magazine, Style Scrabook Blog, 22nd August 2012, retrieved 18th August 2013, <stylescrapbook.com>

http://stylescrapbook.com

http://stylescrapbook.com

6. Interviews

6.1 Interview with Eric Wilson

1. Do you think that traditional fashion magazines are losing their influence over

brands that are using brand journalism such as Net-a-Porter?

I think these are separate issues. Magazines are losing their influence, but not because of

the appearance of retailers that present their products with an editorial slant. Rather, they

are losing readers and advertisers to the internet in general. Their products have not

changed very much in terms of content and style, but they have not found a viable way to

adapt a monthly print product into an instant news environment.

2. Does the authorship of the content matter in creating a bond with the readers /

customers? Why?

Absolutely readers need to have a sense of trust in the authorship of news. This is true of all

media, but as it applies to fashion magazines, there may be a fine line between pure editorial

and choices that are obviously influenced by advertising and other considerations, but

readers are very sophisticated today and they are very likely to notice if things are not

authentic. Look at the Oscars red carpet as an example. It’s only been in the last decade that

actresses are more often than not paid to wear designer dresses, and it’s in the exact same

period that the public in general became less influenced by the red carpet. People know it’s

fixed, so why should they buy into those trends? The second a magazine loses the trust of its

reader, the whole thing’s over.

3. In your opinion, what is the influence of traditional fashion magazines based on?

Is it third-party endorsement that inspires trust for readers?

It is based on creating the impression of authority and the imprimatur of coolness. Fashion

magazine readers want to be cool. They want to see a fantasy, and they also want to feel

they belong.

4. Do you think that traditional fashion magazines, which are ad supported, are in

reality editorial independent?

Yes. Of course there are pressures. And of course those magazines cover the companies that

advertise with more prominence than those that do not – they rely on advertising to survive.

But for the most part, the choices they make reflect a large degree of independency.

Whenever a designer tries to assert too much control, you still see resistance, like Vogue

does not cover Giorgio Armani very much, even though he pulled his advertising, and many

magazines have pushed back against Dolce & Gabbana.

86

5. Do you think that transparency and credibility go together when it comes to

promoting editorial content?

Absolutely.

6. Examples of brand journalism in fashion such as MANGO magazine or Net-a-

Porter, use a similar look & feel than traditional fashion magazines. Do you think

this fact is giving them editorial credibility?

Credibility, no, but it makes them more accessible by speaking in the language of magazines.

7. In the same examples described above, we can appreciate the use of celebrity

within the content. Do you think that the use of these referees transfer a referent

value to the publication giving them editorial credibility? If so, do you think that

the use of these referees is strong enough to bypass the power of influence of

traditional magazines?

I don’t think I can answer this, namely because I don’t really know.

8. As brand journalism and traditional magazines co-exist in the same chaotic

media world, where brands are publishing and magazines are starting to sell, do

you think that readers can differentiate between them both? Do you think that

benefits brands somehow?

I do think readers can spot these “synergies” from a mile away, and while they may not

object to them, that doesn’t mean they will be successful. I think it’s very interesting that of

all the examples I cited in the 2011 article, most of them actually failed.

9. Do you think that having commercial motivations behind the message affects the

trustworthiness of a source?

Absolutely.

10. Most fashion magazines are product-led, which makes them dependable of

brands to provide content. Do you think that traditional magazines and brands still

need each other to survive?

Absolutely, though the dynamics have changed. Brands have more options today to get their

products noticed immediately on blogs, but the quality of the audience (meaning people who

can actually afford their products) may not be the same as that of a traditional magazine.

11. Also, brilliant fashion editors are joining brands to develop brand journalism

projects. Are we looking at a media model where brands will be able to own the

journalistic words? If so, what would be the main implications in terms of

transparency? And credibility?

87

I think it’s a mistake to consider Net a Porter’s magazines to be journalism, just because

they may be written by former journalists. Ultimately, those writers answer to the brands

that their company is also selling. So basically their job is to make pretty press releases. The

big difference today is that they are able to send them directly to the consumer, as opposed

to the press. Still, what they are doing is pretty transparent, and readers know better. What’s

more concerning is when Vogue is selling product, because it does damage the magazine’s

credibility when they are seen as being in business with their subjects. How much so is the

question, and I don’t think we know the answer yet.

6.2 Interview with Andy Bull, author of the book “Brand Journalism”

1. Independence has traditionally been essential in establishing a relationship

between journalists and their readers. However, after the success of fashion

magazines owned by brands such as Net-a-Porter, do you think that the authorship

of the content matters to create this bond with the publics? Why?

It’s naïve to think that traditional publishers are independent. The Daily Mail is a brand, as is

the Times, as are all other publications I have worked for. Each of those publishing brands

has an agenda, and the journalists on a title know what that agenda is and stick to it when

making their news judgements: pro-Tory, pro-China, anti-teacher, anti-immigrant, as the

case may be.

What is important is that the consumers of news and information are aware of the agenda

behind the brand they are consuming that news and information from. With a traditional

news brand, it is often hard for the average person to know what that agenda is. With a

brand that is not primarily a publisher, it is often easer for the average consumer to assess

what the agenda might be.

What is essential for an effective bond between brand and public is trust and transparency.

One great strength of modern social media is that anyone can share their view of a brand

and its products. That collective assessment of a brand – that ‘wisdom of the crowd’ - is

highly effective in exposing a brand that is not being truthful and transparent.

One general point: brand journalism doesn’t work for bad brands. And it is challenging for

brands who the majority love (eg McDonalds – see chapter 1 of Brand Journalism) but which

a vociferous minority hate.

2. Do you think that the fact that brands have commercial motivations behind the

message affects the trustworthiness of the source?

It is likely to bring a scepticism to assessments of whether it can be trusted. What brands

will tend to do is encourage users to rate products. They would like to build a weight of

88

individual, independent rating on the products they sell. Take TripAdvisor for example.

Through its affiliate HolidayLettings it sells advertising space to owners of holiday

accommodation. Through TripAdvisor it encourages those who use that accommodation to

rate it. Some accommodation will be rated highly, some will be panned. Accommodation

owners who get bad reviews might cease to advertise, but HolidayLettings accepts that as

inevitable fallout from the new media world. Many other online brands – eg Tesco – ask

purchasers to rate their purchase.

3. In your opinion, is third party endorsement what inspires trust for readers?

What do you think it is the USP of the traditional media?

The greatest endorsement is word of mouth. Book publishers have long known that, and the

results have been seen in slow-fuse best sellers such as Sebastian Faulks’s Birdsong. When

brands engage on Facebook and other platforms they are seeking to mobilise word of mouth

recommendations in their favour – eg Like my brand.

The USP of traditional media is independence: producing content in which any opinion,

assessment or analysis is untainted by commercial interest. As I say above, I think that is

illusory in many cases. Wise publishers, and wise brands, seek to produce journalism/brand

journalism that is untainted by commercial interests, political affiliations and so on, or which

is transparent about what those interests etc are.

4. Do you think that brands still need the support of the traditional media?

Yes. Traditional media is still very powerful. Wise brands know this. For example, Oxfam has

twinned with the Guardian to produce content on causes close to the hearts of both

organisations (see Brand Journalism Chapter 13). The most advanced brand journalism

producers, such as Red Bull, have turned the tables in two ways. One, they sell the brand

journalism they create to traditional publishers and broadcasters (see brand Journalism

Chapter 7). They also create such compelling content, and sponsor such newsworthy events,

that traditional media has to cover them.

5. The examples of brand journalism shown above use a similar look & feel than

traditional fashion magazines. Do you think this fact is giving them editorial

credibility?

Yes, see answer immediately above. In my view, there is more a brand can do. I think the

very best brand journalism is not focused on the products or services of the brand creating

it. Red Bull’s content does not mention the drink it makes, Benetton’s Colors mag is not

about Benetton clothes. Rather, such brands create content that is designed to appeal to the

sort of people that buy its products. This is an extension of the sort of traditional customer

magazine which focused on the wider lifestyle of the customer of the brand, rather than

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focusing on that customer’s point of financial content with the brand. So, as a personal

example, I once edited HSBC Premier magazine. Premier is an HSBC account. The magazine

was about wider lifestyle, not the account.

6. In your website, you say that brand journalism is a way of presenting

information that a particular audience needs, wants, values or is entertained by. Do

you think that brand journalism specially works with brand fans?

Good brand journalism should work on non-fans, those who are indifferent to a brand, even

those who hate it. Some brands really seek to create and nurture brand advocates. Ford

does it with new car launches (See Brand Journalism Chapter 14) and Coca Cola gave its

entire Facebook presence over to a couple of fans who had built a big following on the

platform. But I think the average person is suspicious of such advocates. Even if they are

motivated solely by a genuine love of a product I think the average person will feel they

should get a life. I may be demonstrating Anglo-Saxon scepticism here, maybe Americans

will be more embracing.

7. Does the use of luxurious brands and celebrities, within the content, transfer a

referent value to the publication? Does the use of such referees cultivate the

ground to establish a credible source for messages?

I don’t know, but I doubt it. Celebrity endorsement sounds very old media to me. I believe

most brands would rather have the mass endorsement of many ordinary people.



Yes.

9. Lucy Yeomans, Editor in Chief of Net-a-Porter, said that they are going to start

including brands that are not in their portfolio to sell, and actually H&M has added

Louise Vuitton pieces into their editorial platform. Do you think that brand

journalism needs to incorporate other points of view, rather than just the brand, to

be more efficient? If so, what are the main risks for the brand?

The best brand journalism will be identical to really good, balanced, traditional journalism.

The most confident brands are prepared to take the necessary steps to creating content

which fits that outline. Some brands, such as American express, have created brand

journalism platforms which aggregate content from several authoritative trad journalism

sources and wich, in terms of content, have many points of view, none of them necessarily

that of American Express

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10. Eric Schneider, a chartered accountant who founded Totem Agency and

specialised in brand journalism, said in an article about brand journalism,

published in October 2012, on Center for Journalism Ethics from University of

Wisconsin-Madison that “in our world, our position is transparency, it is clear to

the audience that they are promoting the business so there is no presumption of

editorial integrity”. Do you agree with this?

I think this comment chimes with my point above, that consumers will have a clear

expectation of the vested interest in a brand journalism site. However, some brands and

some brand journalists aim higher than this.

11. As brand journalism and independent magazines co-exist in the same chaotic




I’m sorry, I’d not sure what you mean by magazines ‘starting to sell’.

If you are asking whether readers can differentiate between traditional (I don’t agree with

the word independent, for the reasons stated at various points above) and brand journalism,

then that depends on two things – transparency and quality.

Brand journalism should be presented with transparency, just as trad publishers put

‘advertising feature’ on sponsored content.

On quality, if brand journalism is good enough, and adheres to the definition of good brand

journalism that you can see in my previous answers, particularly the one about ethics, then

it will be as good as trad journalism.

6.3 Interview with Tom Martin





I think the spirit of authorship is what matters. Consumers have a highly tuned bullshit

meter and brands that attempt to pass off advertorials as editorial will be discovered and

shunned. But brands that are committed to entertaining, educating and helping consumers

lead better, more interesting and informed lives via the creation and distribution of great

content, will see consumers see them (the brands) as equals to traditional journalists.

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If they allow it to, yes. This is probably the most difficult aspect of brand journalism for

brands to accept. It requires a true commitment and trust in the power of content to drive

long-term sales growth.



I actually don’t. Traditional media have largely abandoned their role as independent voices

that report news, entertainment, etc. There is well known biases and a disturbing trends

towards sensationalism that has undermined their position as news resource.


Yes, traditional media still is the easiest way to get a branded message in front of mass

audiences. Again, this is the biggest challenge for brands. The NY Times didn’t build its

audience over night, it has taken them over 100 years to gain the reputation and audience

they have. Given the expansiveness of digital tools and social media platforms, it may not

take a brand 100 years to develop that audience but it’s not going to happen in a few years

either. During the transition period, brands need to focus on how they can leverage

traditional media to not only drive sales today but audiences tomorrow.



credibility?

I think consumers tend to adopt the familiar over the unfamiliar. Hence, when newspapers

and magazines tried to launch digital versions on devices like Kindle that required the reader

to accept a visual format which didn’t resemble the offline format they were used to,

adoption was slow. Once tablets entered the picture and these same newspapers and

magazines could reproduce the familiar offline interface in a digital environment, adoption of

these digital versions grew.

6. Do you think that the Mango approach only works with brand fans, who are more

likely to believe just one side of the story?

Can’t answer as I’m not familiar with Mango’s approach

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I think it probably does. It creates a halo effect.



I think transparency is an overused word that has become a cliché. It’s really an illusion that

is only broken if a brand or media vehicle is “found out” --- so I think it’s an outcome of

broken credibility versus a status in an of itself.






Yes I do, but not for efficiency but effectiveness. It’s not like the consumer isn’t aware of

these alternatives so discussing them within your branded content doesn’t help sell those

brands. It simply makes your content more valuable to the reader. Thus they don’t need to

turn to alternative media options to get the information they desire. By removing that need

to expose themselves to other media to get the complete picture or total information, a

brand increases its opportunity to develop greater propinquity with the consumer. This

propinquity leads to the consumer from awareness to knowing to liking to buying from a

brand.







I’m not sure I really understand his quote. “our position” and “they are promoting” doesn’t

align…. However, if his point was that branded journalism is automatically judged as biased

by the consumer I would disagree. I think consumers are willing to give a brand the benefit

of the doubt but they will be quick to dismiss a brand that attempts to deliver biased

content.


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I don’t think consumers really care. They just want the information they want in a format

they like. Though I do think that traditional media publishers believe that their editorial

integrity is a differentiator and that consumers will automatically dismiss branded journalism

and assume that traditional media are unbiased reporters of information.

6.4 Interview with Maria Rodriguez

1. Does the authorship of the content matter in creating a bond with readers /

customers?Why?

Trust, is key, to create a bond with readers. The sources of information that audiences

trust, like recommendations from friends, social media and published content in

articles are places where trust cannot simply be bought, but instead has to be earned.

In fact, social media is the new home for trusted communication. The brand must

connect with its audience in a way that creates value, and especially that open

transparent conversations.

2. In your opinion, what is the influence of traditional magazines based on? Is it

third-party endorsement that inspires trust for readers?

Traditional magazines used to be the main source for information in certain industries,

specially in the fashion industry where blogs and celebrities were not borned yet. Definitely,

third-party endorsement increase trust for readers.

Journalists use objectivity in their reporting. The build trust through objectivity and

transparency. They also are supposed to have access to more information than other people.



Brands that really want to do brand journalism has to balance very well the key information

readers want to read of their business with strategic and not many brand messages that are

completely relevant for them, at the right moment at the right place. Brands should be

carefull with branding their content too much, for example addin a logo to an image of a

product, a reader could be less likely to read the whole message through. In Branding

relevancy is a pillar to engage with the audience, therefore in storytelling relevant content is

also key.


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Traditional media as ATL and BTL are still traffic drivers of the target audience to the brand.

Effective campaigns are those who are able to mix the right media, but definitely storytelling

allows a brand to have an identifiable human speak on its behalf.


traditional fashion magazines. Why do you think they use a similar design?

Using an editorial Look and Feel is the not new, it has been there for a while, as it is

aspirational and gives more rigor to the messages.

7. In the same examples shown above, we can appreciate the use of celebrity and

luxurious brands within the content. Do you think that the use of these referees

transfer a referent value to the publication? Does the use of such referees cultivate

the ground to establish a credible source for messages?

Prescriptors and referees are some times the hook or reclaim of the brands communication,

brands gain top-of-mind awareness.

To the second question, not always as if Brands abuse the use of bloggers or celebrities that

are the image of too many brands, the credibility or the value that they can create for the

brand decreases dramatically.

8. Do you think that brand journalism works better with brand fans?

Brand fans are key for the life of any brand. They are the loyal ones, the ones that spread

messages, the ones that keep up to date with brand updates, the ones that buys more and

more frecuent. Brand journalism definitely should have them into account. Nevertheless,

brand journalism should go further and be able to attract and get the attention of not so

fanaticals fans of the brand too.



They should be, otherwise the brand gets the risk of loosing the attention of readers and

what is worst the loyalty of clients.

10. Do you think that in most cases it is clear for the audience that brands are

promoting the business and that there isn’t presumption of editorial integrity?

Readers want to get the information related with the product or service they want to buy or

consume at a certain point of their lives. Brands have to be able to give them what they are

looking for in the shape, content and time at which they are lookin for it, Moment of Truth.

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Other points of views always enrich content, but brands have to be carefull and avoid

carnivalization of their own products by using to many recommendations of other brand

items for example. Luxury piezes always upgrade and brings higher the aspirations of the

brand, but always with out loosing the focus. An unfocus brand is very dangerous as it can

loose the track and consistency of its messages at any moment.

12. Harper’s Bazaar USA has incorporated an e-commerce site where readers can

buy the products they cover on their editorial lines. As brand journalism co-exist in

the same chaotic media world, where brands are publishing and magazines are

starting to sell, do you think that readers can differentiate between them both? Do

you think that benefits brands somehow?

I think readers can differentiate them both, but more and more there are very thing lines

between business. The paths that used to connect people with brands were well defined,

predictable, trustable and easy to understand. However nowadays. Those paths are multiple,

there is instantaneous-reaction, real-time conversations and more and more marketing

departments seems to be media departments and media are becoming retailers.

6.5 Interview with Sharon N. Hughes

1. How do you think that brand journalism differs from the traditional media

strategies, using fashion journalists to get their message across?

Brand journalism is about using multiple channels and journalistic-style writing to tell a

company’s story, unlike traditional media strategies using PR firms and techniques to focus

on non-sales techniques which focus on brand positioning. Although brand journalism today

encompasses many variations of journalists aiming to get their message across, brand

journalism gives a company the ability to communicate directly to its audience.

2. In your opinion, is third party endorsement what inspires trust for fashion

readers? What do you think it really is the unique selling point of the media?

Yes, we no longer trust companies and their advice on what we should buy, think or do. With

the use of social media we rely on our Peers to suggest products and services, especially in

the fashion industry. I didn’t think they had one.

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of the content matters to create this bond with the publics?

Yes

4. Lucy Yeomans, Editor in-Chief of Net-a-Porter, said in a recent interview for the

Business of Fashion that yes, they are working with a piece of the buy but she can

honestly say that she feels like she has ever had more freedom to shoot what ever

she wanted since she has been working there. Do you think that fashion

magazines, which are ad supported, are editorially independent?

Although, I believe an editor should have the full authority to determine editorial deemed fit

for their audience and within the mission of the publication; Editors still have a responsibility

to their readers, legally, ethically, morally and socially to establish content within the code of

practice for editors.

5. Do you think that brands still need the support of the media? And do you think

that the use of brand journalism can have a bad impact in the relationship with the

media?

Yes. No. Journalist are everywhere, newsroom reporter, a publica2ons’ writer, blogger, etc. Those who use

journalism skills to tell stories on brand’s behalf are journalists. Therefore the use of a mul2ple stream of channels

used to communicate with an audience is the media.



Yes and No. I believe consumers are savvy enough to know that brands are using journalism

to market products, hence the success of customer reviews, blogs and even Facebook. We

trust our peers more than the brand.

7. After my content analysis, I have identified three different approaches to brand

journalism:

A) Different stories, one brand (Mango)

B) Different stories, multi brand (Net-a-Porter)

C) Different stories, no brand (Nowness)

o Which approach do you think it is more transparent? C

o Which approach do you think transmits more credibility? A, B, C

o Which approach do you think that readers will pay more attention to? C

o What are in your opinion the motivations behind each strategy?

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A. brand differentiation; B. brand expansion; C. the ability for editorial independence

not tied to the brand.

Does the use of luxurious brands and celebrity, including famous fashion bloggers,

within the content transfer a referent value to the publication?

Yes. Celebrity endorsements have been a success in brand promotions since the 50’s.

Do you think that the Mango approach only works with brand fans, who are more


I do believe it is a tactic to draw out brand ambassadors and loyal consumers.

As brand journalism and independent magazines co-exist in the same chaotic

media world, do you think that readers can differentiate between them both? Do


The average reader will not. Yes.

Yeomans says she believes in editorial integrity and that is why she works closely

to the buyers team after the fashion shows so they choose the product together.

Do you think that retailer perspective gives more room for transparency than the

brand perspective?

I believe retailers have their hand on the pulse of what their customers really want and need.

They have the inside scoop, so yes.

Harper’s Bazaar USA has incorporated an e-commerce site where readers can buy

the products they cover on their editorial lines. If magazines start to sell, do you

think they are going to lose its trust because of that? If so, what would it be the

main implications for brands in terms of third party endorsement?

No. Magazines have always been inverted sales tools. Secretly we admire editorials and ads,

keep pages of the magazine and aspire to buy or seek out the products in store or online. We

are a mobile buyers, so this only makes it easier to buy not an issue of trust, in my opinion.

6.6 Interview with Juan Mora





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I believe the authorship does not matters so much nowadays, as long as you create

something that is appealing and brings something new to the readers or in this case the

customer or potential customer. The key to understand todays media and communication it

is based on understanding “content”. Why tv channels are partnering with phone companies?

To be the perfect combination un between content creator and content platform. The same

with Net-a-porter and the new magazine they have launched. they are featuring their

product within appealing stories to their customers, so NAP has become a destination place,

where you can shop and get the news and the content you get somewhere else. A really

clever move.

To summarize the authorship does not matter if it tells something interesting to the public

they are aiming to target and helps you sell your product.



Because we are insiders, I think so, yes, we are the professionals that are behind those

messages. I know brands do or create something, because it looks cool and it has a

commercial or brand building objective behind, and it i know it is used to attract the

customer, so I am biased. The same with PR and every single piece of news you see on the

papers. Or for example when a brand “goes green” I hardly believe it is because they want to

save the world from the bottom of their harts, it is just purely for brand image building.

In the other hand I don’t know how naïve is the receiver of the message, but if brands keep

doing the same exercise, it must be because it works for them, and customers have respond

positively to this efforts.

For fashion brands to create their own content, it is a way to encapsulate and communicate

their brand essence and engage an audience, and give that je ne sais quoi to their

collections. Also, think that in the digital world you need to tag your blog posts or content

with related words so when googling your content appears the first. So if you create a

magazine surrounding your product you are creating your own tag cloud that will help to

bring you product to the front line.

3. About MANGO magazine, could you tell the role of this project within the

communication strategy? And Who do you think it is aimed at?

I know what Mango allows me to know. Remember I do their PR so they edit the information

so I receive a clear and concise message, so then I can promote that. With my limited

knowledge on the Mango communication strategy and as far as I know about their key

messages to communicate to the English market.

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The role of the magazine it is to create and give Mango even more fashion credentials, make

the brand relevant and fashion orientated, without shouting. I think Mango core customer

must be slightly different that the competitors who are used to a more aggressive kind of

communication (personal believes)

We are not pushing the magazine so far in the UK, we don’t integrate it in our PR efforts,

yet. But it is aimed to that kind of customer who likes to discover thing for themselves. Lets

say, someone goes online looking for a pair of trousers, but on the landing page they find the

magazine featuring the super cool stylist who integrates Mango into their daily style. And

hey! listen she actually wear the trousers I was looking for, how cool is Mango that

associates itself with such a cool person. And wow! magic, I can order the trousers straight

from the website, I am onto something cool.

We have been given the opportunity to suggest people to be the future protagonist of the

magazine so then we would be able to use it for our own strategy.

4. MANGO magazine uses celebrities and style icons within its content, do you

think that the use of such referees cultivates the ground to establish a credible

source for messages?

Yes, indeed, the magazine it is created by Mango, or curated as it is more commonly said

today. But as the celebrities are the ones communicating a message they work as brand

ambassadors. That is the reason why they are using such niche people, I mean really cool

stylist that noT everybody has heard of, or cool kids. Because mango is linking their message

to people that have a real and non biased opinion. So it look less forced than other bigger

celebrities that are clearly being payed to say so. Because people trust them and their

fashion opinion then They trust Mango.

5. MANGO magazine uses a similar look & feel than traditional fashion magazines.

Why do you think they use a similar design?

I can't not answer this as I don't have this info

6. Could you tell what drives more attention to their products, MANGO magazine or

the coverage that the brand gets on traditional fashion magazines?

Unfortunately I can't not answer this question objectively as I don't know how impactful is

the magazine on sales. The uk market, us as a PR agency, we are focused on coverage,

because where the brand it is positioned at the moment in here it is What it works best. As

I've said before we have been given the chance to suggest people for the magazine so we

will be able to play with that and integrate the magazine in our daily job.

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7. Is there a specific relation between the information that the brand releases to

the media and the information that the brand keeps for its own magazine?

Everything is connected as we wAnt to send a cohesive message. So same idea different

platforms. So readers get the same idea from anywhere, that's the connection

8. In your opinion, do you think that brands still need the media to promote their

products?

What media are you referring to? If you mean, newspapers , magazines etc... Yes I do. As

long as those communication channels are the right way to communicate between the brand

and he consumer.


media world, where brands are publishing and magazines are starting to sell (see

Harper’s Bazar USA), do you think that readers can differentiate between them

both?

Why would they need to differentiate? The aim of both, magazines and brands it is to

become the hub of everything a destination brand where you can find from product to

content. To spend time in the brAnd and experience the Mango lifestyle in this case. Readers

care about having everything more centralised, see the case of having social media platforms

where you can control everything: twitter, Facebook, Pinterest etc... From one place. We like

to have everything to the reach of our hands so the same with content and brands. And

brands have realised thAt. It is just a case of giving a solution to kneels acquired necessities.

PURE MARKETING.

6.7 Interview with Ruth Atherley





I think authorship of content does matter – but perhaps not in the expected way. If an

organization decides to use brand journalism to tell their story, they need to – in my opinion

– commit to being authentic about the approach. They can’t just hide marketing messages

behind an article written in editorial style, they must actually develop a balanced story that

tells all sides of the story.



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I think that no matter who develops a piece – it is important to keep in mind what the

agenda of the writer/producer of the piece is. That isn’t just for brands that use brand

journalism, but for any study or survey released and published in traditional media.

Traditional media can also have corporate agendas or other reasons that we may not be

aware of (not saying they do, but it needs to be considered.) Brand journalism – in the way

that I recommend our clients use it – should be pieces that inform, enlighten and engage

and tell the truth…. In a way that builds trust and credibility.



I think third party endorsement is a trust builder. Unfortunately there are fewer opportunities

for a brand to tell its story through traditional media and, in my opinion, there is an

opportunity for an organization to step forward and tell its own story using the same

approach as traditional media. I think the challenge comes when organizations call a

marketing campaign ‘brand journalism’ – brand journalism doesn’t shy away from sharing

what didn’t work as well as what worked … it tells a balanced story and doesn’t shy away

from the criticisms or issues – and explains what has been done to improve or change what

wasn’t working. We all provide information based on our own knowledge, biases and

experiences – and that means traditional journalists too …


I think traditional media is incredibly important and given the layoffs and closures happening

all around the world … it concerns me. Traditional media is our watch dog, journalists provide

context and perspective and this approach is crucial. The continuing challenge of a shrinking

traditional media industry means that there is an opportunity for brands to provide their own

– but only if they remove the marketing lens from this activity and allow themselves to more

fully and authentically engage with their stakeholder groups.

5. After my content analysis on fashion brands that use brand journalism, I have

identified three different approaches to brand journalism: A) Different stories, one

brand (Mango) B) Different stories, multi brand (Net-a-Porter) C) Different stories, no brand

(Nowness)

o Which approach do you think it is more transparent and why?

A: I think each one works in different cases. There is a no ‘one size fits all’ approach.

o Which approach do you think transmits more credibility and why?

A: I like different stories, multi-brand …. But the other two can be incredibly effective

as well, depending on the specific situation.

o Which approach do you think that readers will pay more attention to and

why?

I am not sure I can answer this.

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http://shop.mango.com/GB1/mango/magazine/magazine---laura-hayden

http://shop.mango.com/GB1/mango/magazine/magazine---laura-hayden

http://www.net-a-porter.com/magazine/199/contents

http://www.net-a-porter.com/magazine/199/contents

http://www.nowness.com/

http://www.nowness.com/


I learned a long time ago not to assume motivations behind any strategy that I

wasn’t in the room to develop.



credibility?

I think advertorials have done this for years. I think consumers are very smart and they

don’t get tricked by marketing messages hidden in editorial style design … they want

editorial style content that is credible and reliable…no matter who creates it.

7. Do you think that the Mango approach only works with brand fans, who are more


I think the world is full of brand fans, people that don’t really have an opinion, skeptics and

haters … brand fans have self-identified as interested … it would depend on what Mango’s

objective is for brand journalism … do they want to maintain loyal fans, attract new ones?




I think in the pop culture society that many of us live in – celebrities are an interesting

choice and there are many case studies that show success in connecting celebrities to a

product or service. There is also some great value in this kind of connection when it comes to

charities and celebrities.



I think that transparency is an important word – but one that needs to be defined. What are

the boundaries of transparency with brand journalism? Absolute transparency doesn’t

happen even with traditional media – there often isn’t enough space to describe everything

that happens. But I believe transparency is important and credibility is built through honest,

authentic, transparent communication.






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I think it is interesting that this shift is happening. I think that what the risks are depend on

how far the organization with stretch in this area. I do think that it is important for a brand

considering this approach to use critical thinking and outline potential risks before they

engage.







Yes. The same way that I would expect the average person to understand what the

underlying editorial mandate is for any media outlet, I would expect that if you go to an

organization’s website and read an article about brand journalism and they are transparent

that they developed the piece – that there is editorial integrity there.





I think people are much smarter than we give them credit for – I think they can tell…

I do think brands benefit, but not in the way you mean. I think for decades, traditional media

was the only opportunity to reach their stakeholder groups … now, they can connect directly

with their ‘tribes’ – the people that care about – or should be aware – of what they are

doing.

6.8 Interview Mireia Tomas

1. Does the authorship of the content matter in creating a bond with readers /

customers? Why?

I believe so, if we know who writes a piece, we see everything more real. Sometimes not

seeing the authorship of the content can create confusions.

2. In your opinion, what is the influence of traditional magazines based on? Is it

third-party endorsement that inspires trust for readers?

Traditional fashion magazines are pretty much influenced by brands, as they are product-led,

the influence of their content relies on the content that brands can supply.

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Of course, it does generates apprehension.

4. Do you think that brand journalism works better with brand fans?

I believe so, as they are the ones who initially will be more interested in listening what the

brand has to say.

5. Do you think that transparency and credibility go together when it comes to promoting editorial content?

Of course, if we don’t trust that there is transparency within the content we don’t give any

credibility to it.

6. Harper’s Bazaar USA has incorporated an e-commerce site where readers can

buy the products they cover on their editorial lines. As brand journalism co-exist in

the same chaotic media world, where brands are publishing and magazines are

starting to sell, do you think that readers can differentiate between them both? Do


I think that sometimes readers cannot tell the authorship of the content and that is

generating apprehension among the readership.

7. After my content analysis on fashion brands that use brand journalism, I have

identified three different approaches to brand journalism: A) Different stories, one

brand (Mango) B) Different stories, multi brand (Net-a-Porter) C) Different stories,

no brand (Nowness)

o Which approach do you think it is more transparent and why? The first one only

shows its brand, therefore the reader knows exactly what they are trying to sell.

The second one, if you work in the industry, you can tell that there are brands who have paid

more to appear in the best positions, therefore I think it is less transparent. The third one, if

there is a brand behind, is not transparent at all, however, if the average reader doesn’t

know about the link with the brand, it can transmit more credibility.

o Which approach do you think transmits more credibility and why?

As it is story-led, I would say the third one.

o Which approach do you think that readers will pay more attention to and why?

T h e t h i r d o n e , s o i t i s n e w s w o r t h y .


The first and second one, the strategy is to sell, while the third one is more about generating

brand awareness.

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6.9 Interview Sophie Maguire

1. Do you think that traditional fashion magazines are losing their influence over

brands that are using brand journalism such as Net-a-Porter?

Brand journalism allows the brand to speak directly to the consumer, cutting out the middle

man, surely this ends in traditional fashion magazines losing their influence.


customers? Why?

In terms of tone and language yes. Good journalism will always connect with the reader on

an emotional level and thus gain trust.

3. In your opinion, what is the influence of traditional fashion magazines based on?

Is it third-party endorsement that inspires trust for readers?

No I don't think third part endorsement inspires trust at all. Said third party are on pay role

are they not? So how free is their voice really.

4. Do you think that traditional fashion magazines, which are ad supported, are in

reality editorial independent?

I believe once a magazine, or any publication, set about making a profit from advertisements

they lose their voice, independence and in turn respect. By selling out and having words put

into their mouths, they lose credibility and any editorial independence that once was. Print

magazines will inevitably fold without some ad backing of course, but when a magazine can

survive from ad backing alone they are no longer impartial forward thinkers.



I think this depends on the publication itself and what they stand for. I would be more likely

to crave transparency from a popular magazine who I feel are fueled by money than I would

a niche publication. This is because i feel niche publications have more room for ‘real’

opinion, rather than heavily edited content that is sycophantic in its underlying propose.

6. Examples of brand journalism in fashion such as MANGO magazine or Net-a-

Porter, use a similar look & feel than traditional fashion magazines. Why do you

think they use a similar design?

It could be argued they do this to pull the wool over the readers eyes, but surely a reader

looking at such content already knows that they will be looking at a biased opinion to some

extent. Perhaps they use a similar look and feel as this is tried and tested formal, that works,

get reaction and is know world over. The layout of a fashion magazine is not what instills

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trust in the reader, its the ethics and ethos of a company.



value to the publication giving them editorial credibility? If so, do you think that

the use of these referees is strong enough to bypass the power of influence of

traditional magazines?

Deeming editorial credible due to celebrity involvement in narrow minded, ill informed and

ultimately naive.





I think a reader can always tell when there is an underlying message to sell, whether that is

brand journalism or advertorials in magazines. It’s advertising all the same. But the integrity

of the message is slightly different. It’s this upfront sale from a brand that I believe works in

their favour.

9. Do you think that having commercial motivations behind the message affects the

trustworthiness of a source?

Yes. Money talks.

10. Most fashion magazines are product-led, which makes them dependable of

brands to provide content. Do you think that traditional magazines and brands still

need each other to survive?

No. I think traditional magazines need brands, but brands have realised they can cut out the

middleman by creating their own journalism, their own voice and their own messages. The

only upper hand the magazine world has, that I can see, is its notoriety. Which itself could be

at risk with its tendency to lose credibility by continuously selling out. Once people realise

their £4.90 Vogue is in fact a walking advert of deceit, will they decide to spend their money

elsewhere? On brand journalism perhaps, where yes they are being sold a lifestyle and, or a

product, but it is done with an honest integrity that a customer will spot and appreciate.

11. Also, brilliant fashion editors are joining brands to develop brand journalism

projects. Are we looking at a media model where brands will be able to own the

journalistic words? If so, what would be the main implications in terms of

transparency? And credibility?

Perhaps these ‘journalist’s will then be free from the pretense of a ‘free press’ and feel less

guilt when writing someone else's opinion and having words thrown into their mouths for a

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monthly wage.

“hurt me with the truth, but never comfort me with a lie.”

6.10 Interview with Kate Reardon


customers? Why?

I think that most readers/ consumers of luxury brands are sophisticated enough to realize

where the pervaders of their media are coming from and can make their own decisions on

how they are going to be swayed. i think there is certainly room for wonderful creative

integrity even when it comes directly from a brands point of view. some of the most creative

i ages veer mad have come from pure ad so when u get to the top end of the market the

consumer is sophisticated enough to know exactly what message is being told.



you think that readers can differentiate between them both?

Yes I think readers are fantastically educated savvy and wise and they make fully in formed

decisions i don't think anyone feels fooled or misled at any point. I think it makes perfect

sense for all of these bounder to be blurred when it comes to retail commerce and fashion. I

think nowadays readers are not as naive as they might of been in maybe the 1950. there are

a generation of readers who have grown up with the digital era, they know exactly what is

going on.



I think everyone has commercial motivation. unless you are producing fashion as fine art and

that you are not even hoping sell it, and that it is to be just a beautiful exhibit in your

bedroom at some point, that this is commerce and yes there is a line between journalism

and selling handbags as your profit line, but you still have to sell journalism so everyone is

selling something.

4. In your opinion, is third party endorsement what inspires trust for fashion

readers? What do you think it really is the unique selling point of the media?

They are influence due to their skill of their editors and stylists. It is the first form of curated

content. Yes of course if there is a credibility. if you believe in curated content and that the

person who's curation you are buying into, of course you will appreciate their seal of

approval.

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value to the publication giving them editorial credibility?

I think celebrities has been remunerated in someway or another for decades to endorse

products either official or unofficially and i think the traditional media as well as the new

media, brand journalism, whatever. All the different forms of media are going to use

celebrities in which ever way they can

11. Do you think that brands still need the support of the media?

I work of Conde Nast I’m going to say yes.

12. Do you think that the media have become dependent of brands?

We don't depend on the brands to give us press releases or images but we do depend on the

bands to create products that our readers are going to want to buy and read about.

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