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Gehring/Tovar Case Study: GQ
- 1. GQ and the Integration of a Social Media Strategy Case Study by George Gehring and Gina Tovar Advanced Social Media Marketing | 12/20/11 MISSION STATEMENT GQ is the authority on men. For more than 50 years GQ has been the premier men's magazine, providing definitive coverage of men's style and culture. With its unique and powerful design, the best photographers, and a well of award-winning writers, GQ reaches millions of leading men each month and is the only publication that speaks to all sides of the male equation. Today, GQ is a true 360-degree brand with platforms across all media channels: print (magazine, special interest publications); online (GQ.com); tablet (iPad, Kindle, Fire); and social (there’s an editorial presence on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Foursquare, Google+). There is no mobile app. GQ considers the following brands amongst its competition: Esquire, Details, Men’s Health, Men’s Journal, Wired, and Vanity Fair. EDITORIAL vs. ADVERTISING In magazine publishing, there’s a separation of church (editorial) and state (advertising), and at GQ, that divide can often be quite pronounced when it comes to each side’s different objectives and initiatives. The advertising side of the magazine is made up of sales, marketing, and promotions, and collectively sells space to advertisers in the magazine and online, and develops added-value programs for advertisers. Added-value programs run the gamut—from events and bonus listings in book to inclusion in e-newsletters and sweepstakes/contests, etc. To remain successful and relevant, GQ/Advertising must continually conceive truly integrated ideas and incorporate all media: print, web, mobile, social, and events. As of now, GQ/Advertising’s presence in social media is essentially nonexistent. While GQ has proven to be a successful magazine, in today’s media landscape there are opportunities to leverage new media that aren’t being addressed. Social media, in particular, is not being maximized to its full potential by the advertising team. Increasing ad revenue is always challenging but is possible with the strategic use of networking sites; we know that consumers often engage with brands via social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare. This fact justifies the need for a formal social media strategy that’s managed by a team of digital media specialists, including a community manager, a designer, and a writer. Social Media Engagement of Editorial and Advertising At the moment, most of the social media outreach from GQ comes from the editorial side of the business. In the social sphere, GQ’s editors are on
- 2. Facebook (196K+ fans); Twitter (“GQ Magazine,” 118K+ followers and “GQ Fashion,” 135K+ followers); Tumblr; Google+; and Foursquare. They post updates to release new content and to drive traffic to GQ.com. They also post pictures from events or parties highlighting celebrities or VIPs. But there is no mention of brands that advertise in GQ. On the advertising side, GQ has a Facebook fan page (“GQ Events” with 10K+ fans). They post once or twice a day but the tone is more “promotional” than “conversational” and rarely does a post elicit a comment or a “like.” The content on the page is not current, nor is there a community manager cultivating, tending to, or engaging the audience. The Integration of a Social Media Strategy Director With the integration of a social media director, the focus on an important aspect of media today will be managed effectively, adding value not only to the consumer who reads GQ but also to the brands that advertise in it. The integration of a formal social media strategy would unequivocally provide benefits to the magazine’s advertisers. Here are some strategy objectives: • Develop guidelines for content creation so that the GQ/Advertising’s social media channels have clear objectives (e.g., increase numbers of followers) • Build anticipation for events with conversations promoting events early on • Feature post-event pictures, video, comments, etc. in an effort to keep consumers engaged with GQ and its brand partners • Generate revenue by creating campaigns that include social media outreach as part of the integrated program (e.g., GQ will tweet or post FB updates 100 times on behalf of Gillette over a three-month period) • Measure effectiveness of the social media strategy and the opportunity to react and make changes as needed • Engage GQ’s consumers; cultivate relationships with influencers • Follow GQ advertisers; RT/comment on their posts • Connect multiple advertising brands, helping to leverage one another (e.g., a retail store, like Bloomingdale’s, that carries a particular brand, like Diesel, that might be having a party) • Work with PR to highlight large-scale events, parties, and launches Some factors and questions to consider: • How would the advertising team build a social media following that’s separate from editorial’s followers? • Is it worth it to have two separate followings—one for editorial and another for advertising? • What social media platforms would be most valuable to GQ/Advertising? Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, others?
- 3. • If there are two distinct social media identities for GQ, is it a benefit or disservice to readers? • Value proposition: Given the investment of time and resources, does it make sense to create and manage a different channel for advertising? How time consuming would it be to create different content for each channel? How much can a small social media team handle? • With a much stronger social presence, a crisis management plan would have to be developed and integrated. Would those responsibilities fall under PR or the social media team? APPENDIX A GQ TOTAL AUDIENCE: 6,612,000 Median Age: 34.3 Age 18-49: 82% Median HHI: $72,738 HHI $100,000+: 31% Male 73%/Female 27% Attended/Graduated College: +70% Employ. Status: Professional 50% Marital Status: Single 63%/Married 37% GQ.COM Median Age: 34.9 Age 18-49: 84% Median HHI: $82,912 College Grad+: 97% Avg Unique Visitors/ Month: 2,043,481 Total Pages Viewed: 64,738,700