Throughout the last couple of decades we have witnessed a great change in our society. Our everyday lives, our buying habits, our relationships, our culture and our communication has been under an influence so heavy that it has caused the inception of a new era: the digital age. The internet and its aftermath have impacted almost every aspect of our lives. We do everything online today – from business to pleasure. It has caused a great shift in our economy and some industries have been more affected by this than others.
The Danish fashion magazine industry, whose profit is based on traditional print media, is one of them. More people get their news and information online, and fashion fans have become fond of private blogs, free online magazines and social media sites. Numbers have shown a decrease in official circulation numbers for Danish fashion magazines. Therefore they are forced to find alternate ways to reach their audience. Corporations and products must follow the consumers and target them online. However, reaching the consumer has never been more challenging. The great amount of marketing today has a negative effect on consumers. They are tired of being subject to advertisements wherever they turn. That along with an increased production of goods has made it difficult for companies and products to stand out. Today one must resolve to more innovative ways to reach consumers.
One way to do this is by getting involved with consumers online through corporate websites and social media. Another way is by turning a product into a unique experience. By choosing to do both it is possible to establish a profound relationship with the consumers. The objective of this thesis is to examine how the Danish fashion magazine, Costume, uses its website to connect with consumers. I wish to find out, how Costume communicates visually and which tools they use to make the website feel relevant to the consumer. I will therefore analyze Costume’s website by applying the visual communications model for websites created by Danish professor Lisbeth Thorlacius.
The challenge of today’s digital and anti-commercial age is to make the brand feel relevant and meaningful for the consumer. Whether the Danish fashion magazine Costume has managed to do that, I will try to establish in this thesis.