Early comparisons between Twitter in the US and the UK
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GD Cafe, Oxford, UK
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Comparing social media in healthcare marketing
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The National Health Service logo.
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Social media marketing in healthcare
by Jude Anderson
Well, I took some time and figured a few things out. Social media is a big, big place that most everyone knows about. That idea got me thinking, "where is social media strategy under-developed and what industries are just learning about the powerful impact social media can have on a brand?" Then it came to me... Healthcare.
I interviewed three social media experts (thank you Katelyn Luysterborg, Charles Audino, and Thomas Hynes!) and read close to two dozen secondary sources. They all said the same thing:
Best practices in social media are really best practices in business. (continue reading...)
I interviewed three social media experts (thank you Katelyn Luysterborg, Charles Audino, and Thomas Hynes!) and read close to two dozen secondary sources. They all said the same thing:
Best practices in social media are really best practices in business. (continue reading...)
Area of expertise process
by Kelly Lipovich
Well, the presentation’s finally over. One less thing standing between that big, black stage and me. Not everything turned out as planned, but I still learned a lot along the way.
The Interviewees
I spoke with Jenny Barnett, the former executive editor of Marie Claire and the former deputy editor of Marie Claire UK. I was really lucky to speak with her because she gave me insight into both the U.S. and UK side of the magazine business, specifically cover production. It was like a little sneak peek into the London trip, and who doesn’t love a sneak peek? I also interviewed Mike Reddy, the design director at Seventeen. He gave me a lot of interesting behind-the-scenes details about the design process.
The Discoveries
I expected to discover more differences between U.S. and UK covers, but, overall, consumer magazine covers targeted to women are pretty similar. Jenny Barnett put it well by saying "a Glamour reader in the U.S. is still a Glamour reader in the UK." She did point out a few differences, though. Across a large sample, the cover women on U.S. magazines look more polished than those on UK magazines. This reflects the societal difference that American women are more interested in their appearances. In direct correlation, there are also more hair and beauty coverlines found on U.S. magazines, while there are more sex-based ones on UK magazines.
Through secondary research, I discovered that people’s eyes go to the top left corner of the page first, so that’s taken into consideration when placing the most important coverline. People are also drawn to smiling models over serious ones, another thing to think about during the design process, which is a long and involved one. I often think about how the editors find the energy to start over month after month.
The Crumpets and Tea
In London, I hope to continue to learn about the cover creation process and investigate more similarities and differences. I’m excited to get the British perspective on the American publishing market and to see how consumers interact with magazines across the pond.
The Interviewees
I spoke with Jenny Barnett, the former executive editor of Marie Claire and the former deputy editor of Marie Claire UK. I was really lucky to speak with her because she gave me insight into both the U.S. and UK side of the magazine business, specifically cover production. It was like a little sneak peek into the London trip, and who doesn’t love a sneak peek? I also interviewed Mike Reddy, the design director at Seventeen. He gave me a lot of interesting behind-the-scenes details about the design process.
The Discoveries
I expected to discover more differences between U.S. and UK covers, but, overall, consumer magazine covers targeted to women are pretty similar. Jenny Barnett put it well by saying "a Glamour reader in the U.S. is still a Glamour reader in the UK." She did point out a few differences, though. Across a large sample, the cover women on U.S. magazines look more polished than those on UK magazines. This reflects the societal difference that American women are more interested in their appearances. In direct correlation, there are also more hair and beauty coverlines found on U.S. magazines, while there are more sex-based ones on UK magazines.
Through secondary research, I discovered that people’s eyes go to the top left corner of the page first, so that’s taken into consideration when placing the most important coverline. People are also drawn to smiling models over serious ones, another thing to think about during the design process, which is a long and involved one. I often think about how the editors find the energy to start over month after month.
The Crumpets and Tea
In London, I hope to continue to learn about the cover creation process and investigate more similarities and differences. I’m excited to get the British perspective on the American publishing market and to see how consumers interact with magazines across the pond.
Comparative magazine design
by Kelly Lipovich
Visit Kelly's e-Portfolio
A few semesters ago, a website that compared Time magazine covers was brought to my attention. I found the differences between American covers and European covers intriguing but didn’t put much more thought into it. However, while researching my area of expertise, I came across the website again. This time I stopped to think. Why did covers of the same publication and time period differ in design and content?
I’ve always been interested in the design of magazines. With this project, I can explore why the design is the way it is. How do monthly issues differ according to which country they’re published in? What will be the differences between American and English cover design and content? It’s an important question to answer because media directly reflects society. What are people drawn to, what do they react to? It will be interesting to see how the criteria changes depending on the location. I plan to speak with academics who have studied this area to see what research backs up cover design decisions. I will also speak with industry professionals to get their take on cover design in different countries.
I think the reasons newsmagazine covers like Time differ more dramatically than service-driven magazines like GQ will be easier to spot, if service magazines differ at all. When I say service-driven magazine, I mean those that focus more on the individual and offer numerous how-to, advice column and style guide type articles. It’s what society as a whole views as newsworthy opposed to what the individual is drawn to for personal reasons. But however interesting newsmagazine differences are, I plan to study inward-looking publications more directly.
Take a look below to see some of the examples of contrasting Time covers. They’re drastic and thought provoking. The highly service-based magazines differ, as well, but only in subtle ways.
I’ve always been interested in the design of magazines. With this project, I can explore why the design is the way it is. How do monthly issues differ according to which country they’re published in? What will be the differences between American and English cover design and content? It’s an important question to answer because media directly reflects society. What are people drawn to, what do they react to? It will be interesting to see how the criteria changes depending on the location. I plan to speak with academics who have studied this area to see what research backs up cover design decisions. I will also speak with industry professionals to get their take on cover design in different countries.
I think the reasons newsmagazine covers like Time differ more dramatically than service-driven magazines like GQ will be easier to spot, if service magazines differ at all. When I say service-driven magazine, I mean those that focus more on the individual and offer numerous how-to, advice column and style guide type articles. It’s what society as a whole views as newsworthy opposed to what the individual is drawn to for personal reasons. But however interesting newsmagazine differences are, I plan to study inward-looking publications more directly.
Take a look below to see some of the examples of contrasting Time covers. They’re drastic and thought provoking. The highly service-based magazines differ, as well, but only in subtle ways.
