Magazine Lifestyle Paths

Japan Access has conducted highly sophisticated studies on magazine readership among female consumers. Based on the results of over 1,500 surveyed individuals and over 300 personal interviews with women on their shopping behavior and media usage, we were able to recreate what we call "media lifestyle paths". In figure 1_01 we have summarized most of the women magazines in the Japanese market into a diagram. The diagram looks complicated, but is in truth only complex, which is not the same thing. Treat the diagram like a map, only focus on the part of the terrain that you are interested in, and look what can be seen there. The X-Axis shows the style orientation of the magazine (and its readers) while the Y-axis shows the age category.
 

Figure 1_01_WOMEN MAGAZINES The "magazine map" will be updated regularly. Magazines can move by changing their contents, which will change their readership mid-term (and long-term). This can go faster than many magazines anticipate. The easiest way to change your style orientation is by changing featured brands and especially models. The departure of Hasegawa Jun from ViVi last year has caused great confusion among ViVi fans who followed her style.

[magazines are not only read by a very defined age category. Mainstream titles such as Sweet are read by women ranging from the 18 year old college girl to the 36year old mother with child. For reference, indulge in looking up the forum discussion groups in the Sweet Mixi Group.]
A typical Japanese fashion obsessed girl does not read only one magazine. She reads between three and ten. Each magazine has a very different and distinctive image of its typical readership, set of models, set of brands it displays, and values it propagates. Brands must understand that which magazines a brand uses or does not use creates highly complex messages to different consumer groups, forming the image of the brand. Ignoring this is to leave a huge chunk of the development of the brand image up to chance.
Furthermore, women who read a specific magazine tend towards reading a specific set of other magazines that conform to the same style group, or complement it. We have statistical information on this that shows the following points:

• Readers of one magazine tend to cross-read other magazines, often from the same style group. To show an example, over 60% of readers of Non-no also read Mina, 63% of readers of Glamorous read ViVi, and 50% read Sweet. (see figure 1_03 and figure 1_04)
  
• There are connections between style groups that form very distinctive patterns, and allow conclusions on how Japanese females combine styles and will absorb brand images and commercials presented in multiple magazine categories

Figure 1_03_READERSHIP VIVI The arrow shows the connection between Post-Gyaru style and High Fashion. Even though only a small percentage of ViVi readers read Vogue, about 20% of young Vogue readers read ViVi. Fashionistas in university tend towards either street style (spring, cutie, fudge, especially in art schools) or post-gyaru (ViVi, Sweet, Glamorous, Glitter) in combination with High Fashion titles (Vogue, Elle) and their younger sister magazines (Elle Girl, Vogue Girl). Even though only a small percentage of ViVi readesr are fashionistas (most are followers who imitate mainstream style choices to blend in), the ones who are are highly influential in networks, nearly all of them own iPhones and follow or write fashion blogs.

Figure 1_04_READERSHIP GLAMOROUS This map shows the fascinating fact that 63% of Glamorous readers are also reading ViVi. Such a high percentage among young female readers allows for some interesting marketing strategies to be executed. Imagine an advertorial in ViVi for two months, followed by a tie-up in Glamorous the following month with a slightly altered messaging, using a different art director and a creative approach for the visuals. 63% of the Glamorous readers will be aware of the messaging from the last two months in ViVi and will now experience, again, exposure from a brand that they will perceive as increasingly relevant to their style. The message will be much stronger and more sophisticated by using two magazines, than by only continuing the ViVi advertorial. Such highly targeted messages are only possible if the cross-readership among target consumers and their magazine lifestyle paths are know.

• Word of mouth spans different magazine groups. This means that readers of one style group will often be informed by others about the contents of the magazines that they do not read themselves.
• Awareness of the messaging of different style groups is very high, the more stylish and fashion-conscious the person is, the higher the understanding of the specific messaging and the presence of brands within the magazines.
• Magazines are associated not only with styles, they are associated with brands, shopping districts, and shopping complexes. As an example, the Mote-Kei Magazine CanCam is heavily associated with the department store Marui, as Marui features most of the brands that are presented within the magazine pages.
• Female consumers "graduate" from styles and magazines, only to pick other magazines that form a logical taste development, vis-a-vis life-stages in the Japanese society. When a life-stage ends (i.e. university time) and another starts (shakaijin, becoming a working member of society) then the magazine of choice that now tells you how to dress for that life stage changes too. As an example shown in figure ... a common path is Seventeen (high school) to CanCam/Ray (university) to AneCan (early office lady stage, just entered the job) in combination with Oggi/Classy (conservative office lady style) and in combination with Glamorous (for more eye-catching "off-time" outfits), to Domani (late 20s to early 30s) and finally Story (after marrying a rich husband) and 25ans. The path described is a process of more than 15 years.
• Magazines evolve. 5 years ago, Mote-Kei Magazines (the old sister style) with Ebihara Yuri (Ebi-Chan) were considered the mainstream taste. Within the last 5 years there was a heavy shift towards a little more assertive style group with Post-Gyaru style (Gyaru influenced fashion and hairstyles that focus more on the cute side of this style influence, making it socially acceptable to wear) that emphasizes bringing cute elements into adulthood, something that people call "otona-kawaii" (adult cuteness), represented by models such as Rinka and Hasegawa Jun. In the last two years celebrity styles from abroad, inspired by American series such as Gossip Girl, The OC and The Hills, have had a strong influence on the fashion scene, culminating in the development of a whole new category of magazines (Glitter, Gisele, Elle Girl, Vogue Girl). In order to get the messaging right and navigate proficiently through the codes and associations presented in the magazines, companies must keep themselves continuously updated on recent developments within the Magazine worlds. The key lies in understanding how the consumer is perceiving and using the magazines.

Taking all these observations together, they form something we call a lifestyle-path. This is like a chosen "menu" of Magazines that are consumed in complex combinations over a consumer's lifetime. The messages absorbed from these media lifestyle paths profoundly influence the perception a consumer has of the brands featured within them (or not featured within them).

We hope to show brands the complexity of the market and at the same time the simplicity with which you can accurately navigate through all these styles if you embrace the structures and styles in a holistic and not in a simplified way. 

To summarize, in Japan, the terrain is more complex and extensive, but there are also more detailed maps out there, and they tend to be amazingly accurate. We encourage brands to make full use of those maps to navigate through the possible style groups and select the ones that offer the best potential to translate and interpret a brands brand message and DNA in the Japanese market.

Social proof - what is behind the desire for feeling safe in brand choices?

ViVi 03/11 page 31

Magazines are not just pages for advertisements, they are different worlds, very distinguished environments, and readers expect their magazines to present them with inspirations that fit their styles and models they aspire to. Ignoring these expectations will create tie-ups that lack resonance, that do not generate interest in the brand, and will ultimately produce a negative brand image. It is like going to a party in the wrong dress.

The true power of social proof can pay big dividends in your attempts to persuade Japanese consumers to take a desired course of action. The key in Japan is to understand what is counted as social proof and to see that for a person following a certain magazine, that magazine is considered social proof and the message is relevant to her, while another magazine is not.


Unlike in other countries where advertisements are mostly intended to establish an abstract brand image, a successful communications strategy in Japan is focused on one thing: the legitimization of the brand.
Young Japanese fashion consumers—particularly females—only want to buy brands that are seen as "correct" or "socially acceptable." Girls want to wear legitimate brands because that gives them the assurance that no one can criticize them and they will not upset the social order. Although this consumer insight sounds somewhat extreme, it is only that Japanese consumers are just much more concerned with the social aspect of their fashion than their counterparts in other markets.

We want to focus the attention of brands to the highly important comments that we picked up in every discussion on brand images that we ever hosted. The following quotes are representative for what we heard in many different versions, yet with a clear underlying message:

1) They do not advertise in MY magazines, so I thought the brand is not for me. 
2) They use models that I don't like and can't relate to, so I don't check out their offerings. 
3) My friends don't like the brand, so I am not inclined to every check it out. 
4) They advertise in so many different magazines, I am confused who they are targeting, so I don't consider checking out their products."

Let us translate the above in more detail. What are the feelings behind these statements. But please remain aware of the fact that "we know that people's ability to understand the factors that affect their behavior is surprisingly poor. In asking themselves, 'What would motivate me?' they might well have discounted the very real influence that others would have on their behavior." [Goldstein, Martin Cialdini (2008): Yes!]. The following accounts are explanations of social dynamics, often complex, and many times not understood by the consumers themselves. Different consumer segments might also have different reasons. The ones below are examples.


1) I chose the magazine because I realized that if I follow this specific style in my network, people will react to me in a certain way. I have to follow the style propagated in my magazine, in order to be sure that others will see me following that specific style that has the desired effect (that I found out will happen). If I wear a brand that is outside this style world that I decided makes me feel comfortable, I run the risk of being criticized, or that my message gets diluted, that people think I am a different style or not oshare. That might ruin the effect, so I am afraid. I don't feel safe and comfortable choosing that brand. 

Elle Girl 2011/03, page 31

2) I know that certain people like the same models and how they dress, and more importantly, what roles they play in my networks. If I chose brands that those models endorse, I can be pretty sure that the majority of those friends/people in my network who like those models, will also like the brand, because they will feel like me about it. So I can feel safe choosing the brand. I can predict the development of the brand in my network if this model is wearing it. Certain people will like it. Then I can decide if I want to be like those people. If they chose too many different models, then I will get confused. Who will like the brand? Who will wear it? Other people will feel confused, too, so it becomes a social gamble. I feel insecure, so I don't choose the brand. There are other brands out there that are cute and my taste, that do not produce that insecurity. 

3) I talk with my friends everyday. My relations with them is good, but I had the experience before, when I did something that upset them, that they stopped calling me, or treated me with distance. Other people saw that and joined in. I am very afraid of being left out. If I show too much individuality, then people might stop liking me. That might or might not be true, but I don't know. It stresses me to just think about it. I want to talk with my friends about the brands I like. It's so much easier if I choose brands that are safe. You know, there are so many brands that are considered safe, they do it right in magazines and with the models, why should I care to choose from the ones that produce confusing messages and are criticized by my friends. 

4) If I am confused about who they target, then others will be confused, too. That makes me feel so insecure. If I would wear the brand, others might get the image that I am not oshare or I don't know what I am doing. I love the social position I am in right now, so I don't want to risk that. My friends criticize brands pretty fast when they (the brands) do a mistake. I want to purchase a brand that does the right messaging, makes no mistakes. I want to trust the brand, that it will not do something confusing or stupid in the future. You can feel that, you know. If you look at the magazines and how they do advertisements. You can see if they know what they are doing, if they understand the way we think. If they do, I feel safe. I can choose the brand anytime and it will be no mistake.