The Future of Fashion Blogging
In April Robin Givhan wrote an article titled “The Golden Era of ‘Fashion Blogging’ Is Over” marking the demise of fashion blogging. She stated that:
“…mostly, newcomers are drawn to fashion, not because they are determined to change it, but because they are mesmerized by it. They want to be the next Anna Wintour — not make her existence obsolete.”
Fashion blogging is still a practise that holds influence with consumers — an influence that brands have used to their advantage for some years. However the prominence of the sponsored content model and the rise of bloggers-as-celebrities has muddied the waters, forcing even greater separation between the industry Robin Givhan talks about and the one with most potential to disrupt traditional fashion media.
Robin’s article is interesting but focuses too much on front row politics, the power of fashion editorial and “The Establishment”, and not nearly enough on the potential future of an industry that has changed more in last 5 years than the 20 years before that.
There is no doubt that fashion blogging has a healthy future, but more importantly those defining the future will be those “determined to change it”.
The power of networks
The primary job of an influencer agency or network is to create the relationships between content creators and brands. Some agencies will simply manage ad platforms whilst others will also help develop the online and offline interests of their ‘talent’.
The defining principle of an agency is the collective influence of it’s bloggers but in reality, most agencies in the position to nurture that influence have little understanding of how to do so at a content level. A lack of understanding in data analysis, reader experience and other areas known to have made significant impact in numbers for other types of publishing, means that agency are falling short of developing their full potential.
However, companies such as Sydney Stockholm are an example of how fashion content networks can focus on platform development and data to create more value for their talent and the brands they work with. Their model is built on the collective power of individual influencers and carefully aligning content creators with brands and sponsors.
“The continuous development of the platform is as important as the progress of the influencer themselves”
The management and development of their in-house technology ensures that not only do bloggers have a robust platform to publish but they can rely on design expertise within the network to ensure their readers are given the best possible experience. This also opens doors to more intelligent data analysis with the potential to create much smarter campaigns for their clients.
This type of approach not only removes some of the technological barriers that allows an influencer to scale their output it also ensure bloggers provide a consistent experience for their readers.
Sydney Stockholm are proving that agencies can and should do more to provide a support and development network for their publishers. Taking direction from news organisations and tech startups to make sure that their content outlets are at the cutting edge of data analysis, content platform and reader experience. Better for bloggers, better for brands!
Engaging experience + quality content
For years online publishers have understood value of presentation, creating content that not only tells a story but is presented in a way that provides readers with an interesting and compelling experience. For the most part, independent fashion bloggers have failed to follow suite, throwing their future as relevant, engagement powered content outlets in to question. The online publishing industry is rapidly changing and bloggers are getting left behind.
‘Magazines’ such as Refinery29 and well+GOOD are amongst the gold standard for what is possible with online content — well produced and carefully crafted, the experience is as important as the content. It’s obvious that both publications have large teams of writers, creatives and developers that make it all possible, a model supported by advertising, sponsored content and most importantly a strong community of avid readers.
Such things would not seem possible with personal blogs if it wasn’t for sites like Vanilla Extract and Kayture. Both have shown that you don’t need huge teams and endless resources to produce high quality content. Nichole Ciotti of Vanilla Extract is a particularly interesting example of how with just two people (Nichole and her partner Brian Delaney) you can not only push the boundaries of content and presentation but define new ways of managing that content.
Kayture on the other had has founded strong partnerships with some of the worlds biggest luxury brands based on her editorial style and personal brand. Founded by Kristina Bazan (also working with her partner, James Chardon) Kayture exposes it’s readers to a lifestyle, using fashion and travel to engage and encapsulate them. It’s a unique take on blogging — taking queues from traditional glossy fashion magazines and introducing a narrative told across multiple channels.
It’s obvious in the current climate that content sponsors care about one thing and one thing only — reach. But as the model evolves, the blogs most valuable to brands will be those that can demonstrate the ability to provide a more engaged audience. Engagement powered by better quality content, an increased focus on experience and innovation in delivery.
From influence to innovation
Despite the seeming ease with which brands can access bloggers and their readers, a shift in audience mentality and increasing constraints from the trade authorities across the world, mean brands are struggling to keep influencer focused campaigns engaging and relevant. Recent changes to Office of Fair Trade rules here in the UK have meant that bloggers must declare when a post or video is sponsored by a brand — not only does this significantly dilute the impact of a campaign, but also exposes just how fragile the sponsored content model for bloggers really is.
Without brands providing the financial backing to keep bloggers and their sites running, it might seem that the future of fashion blogging is a uncertain one — however, there is a new breed of blogger leveraging their expertise to innovate in the industry that got them started.
Bloggers such as Amber Venz of Venzedits have the knowledge gained from dealing with brands on a daily basis can be used to develop new ways of profiting from content. Amber co-founded RewardStyle, an invite-only network that provides a suite of tools that allow publishers to monitize their content in a more intelligent way. Outside of the core B2B product, RewardStyle has established new opportunities for Amber and her team including a yearly blogging conference and a consulting agency aimed at helping brands develop relationships and work better with content publishers.
Another example is Poppy Dinsey. One of the UK’s longest running fashion bloggers, Poppy took her personal website wiwt.com and developed it into a social network aimed solely at fashion conscious men and women around the world. Poppy used her platform to introduce a new audience to the concept of outfit sharing, making it more accessible to those outside of the blogging world and widening it’s appeal — in turn this has created a unique proposition for brands enabling new kinds of commercial partnerships.
More and more bloggers are becoming aware that in order to stay ahead in blogging they must work out new ways to generate revenue and develop their business. Thinking outside the box will guarantee the future of fashion blogging.
What next?
Content is a powerful tool for brands and consumers but the union of fashion and publishing has a habit of standing still or worse, holding on to the past.
After working with bloggers for the past 4 years and startups for the past 10, I see an obvious connection between the enthusiasm that the two communities share for driving their industry forward. Young, passionate, digital savvy content creators have the power to disrupt and innovate in a space hungry for change…
…and they will!
Update — Monday, 18th August 2014
Style Blogging vs. Fashion Blogging
In a twitter exchange with Navaz Batliwalla of Disneyrollergirl she pointed out that maybe I was talking about ‘style’ bloggers here, rather than ‘fashion’ bloggers and to a certain extent she is right. However, in reality I see little separation of the two and in reference back to the original piece by Robin Givhan it would seem neither does she.
“If you don’t have great content, go home!”
I asked John O’Nolan of Ghost for some feedback on this article and he made some very interesting points about ‘quality content’ being the MVP for blogging and content publishing. I definitely agree but as Mark Jenkins pointed out fashion blogging has a long way to go on that subject — more to follow.
Thank you for reading —
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