So Vogue organised an talk/event back in 2010 about the digital age. The event was basically a way to promote the Vogue app that was launched that month. Vogue wanted to create a discussion about the fashion industry in our time, show how the industry has changed and talk about what actually changed and what stayed the same. Its an hour long talk between Robin Derreck, Vogues creative director and a popular fashion blogger with whom I personally wasn't familiar.
The talk is also available as an audio recording. You would require iTunes to listen to it/watch it. The topics that were discussed were:
- Role of creative director
- Photography - digital, moving image etc.
- Fashion brands and how they engage with their audience
- Vogue in the digital age
For this project the last topic was the most interesting one. Robin Derreck presented the Vogue app for iPad . Robin Derreck commented on the online presents of a magazine by saying that it still needs to have the quality of a glossy magazine but it needs to sparkle a discussion. He also said that by having an online presents brands (Vogue) create communities which make them obligated to update their websites 365 days per year. He tries to show that in a way Vogue is becoming part of the entertainment industry if they want to remain relevant they need to engage their readers every day, now days it cannot be just once a month.
He also discussed the app by saying that its an extension of the magazine. It still has the same content but with added videos in between pictures, or for example the model from the picture will walk up to the screen. So the app is the more entertaining version of the magazine.
Robin Derreck also mentioned that Vogue used to be "stiff", six girls (cover girls/super models) and six photographers but that now thanks to the digital age Vogue has become a lot more open to new talents and more daring with their content.
Personally I found the talk very interesting because it was discussed by a person who work in the industry for more then 25 years and has witnessed it evolve. He also wasn't shy to point out the mistakes that some brands have made or situations where maybe the brands should have taken different actions. It was nice to see a critical view of the industry in the digital age. I also liked that creative director of Vogue was giving the talk because it gave an opportunity to see the man behind the creative ideas of Vogue and hear from him how the magazine has adopted to the digital revolution. He also gave an short introduction to the app and discussed why some things were done and how he worked on the app.
All in all the talk was very informative. It has supported some of the points that were previously discussed in this blog like how the content of the website needs to be updated every day and how they need to work much faster but it has also brought up some new points which I personally have not though of - like Vogue becoming some sort of entertainer. Of course those were not word used in the talk but that is what I got from it. The talk also shows that Vogue is quick to adapted to changes and is not trying to resist them and that it is trying more ways to create a discussion with their audience. In other words Vogue is trying to have a bigger part in our lives and at the same time embracing the digital age.
Thanx for link ! very interesting :)
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