Elle Magazine

University Degree Business and Administrative studies

Introduction

Elle Magazine was first introduced in France over 60 years ago as a general-interest

women’s magazine with a fresh, independent point of view. Today, its mission is to “Cherchez la

Femme,” to help readers find the woman inside themselves. It is an international fashion magazine

for the woman with a style all her own. Its playful yet thought-provoking, and always in the know.

Image is ideal for young independent women with a strong sense of personal style.

Globally, there

are 37 editions read in over 59 countries, giving Elle global brand awareness. Elle is a monthly

update on the best the world has to offer, from fashion to film, books to beauty, and love to sex.

This perfect balance of substance, style and shopping for an audience of over 4.2 million readers is

ideal for both local and global marketers. Today, nearly half the women in the industrialized world

are familiar with Elle magazine, and more than one in five have read an issue in the past six months.

The buying power of these women is emphasized in retail time and time again.

Cultural Background

(Please refer to Appendix 1, pages 7-8, for a Hofstede Analysis of each country)

American culture is one of the richest and widely varied in the world. American

culture has soaked up influences from different cultures around the world and has become its own

distinct culture. America is a very brand-driven culture from the very basics of what you wear,

drink, eat, and watch in entertainment. There exists a very stereotypical American lifestyle. Brands

such as McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Marlboro, Levi’s Jeans, and icons like Mickey Mouse are known

throughout the world as the American lifestyle. “I Love Lucy” has been recognized as an American

icon and a key part of the American pop-culture.

Italy is a country of cultural achievement and historical pride. There are a number of

key concepts and values which embody the Italian culture. Italian culture has been described as

highly individualistic, signifying a society that emphasizes individual responsibility and close

family ties. The term “bella figura” is a key element in Italian business culture, and is often used to

describe the ability to present oneself well and behave with an air of formality. Appearance and

others’ opinions are extremely important in Italian culture. Also, thoughts and feelings are openly

expressed. Large hand-gestures and close personal contract are frequent during a conversation.

Italy is considered one of the fashion capitals of the world, especially with trademarks from Milan

which include Prada, Gucci, and Versace.

Brazilian culture has been shaped not only by the Portuguese, who gave the country

its most common religion and language, but also by the country's native Indians, the African

population, and other settlers from Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Brazil’s cuisine, music,

dance, flora, fauna, sports, literature and architecture have all been shaped by various cultures.

Nearly 50% of the population is under twenty years old, and they are both trendy and worldly. Like

Italy, family is an important part of culture. Carnival is a yearly phenomenon in Brazil which is

a massive street party filled with music and dances.

Compare & Contrast Analysis

Overall Statistical Analysis

(Please refer to the graphs in Appendix 2, page ...

This is a preview of the whole essay

population, and other settlers from Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Brazil’s cuisine, music,

dance, flora, fauna, sports, literature and architecture have all been shaped by various cultures.

Nearly 50% of the population is under twenty years old, and they are both trendy and worldly. Like

Italy, family is an important part of culture. Carnival is a yearly phenomenon in Brazil which is

a massive street party filled with music and dances.

Compare & Contrast Analysis

Overall Statistical Analysis

(Please refer to the graphs in Appendix 2, page 9)

As seen from Figures 1-3, there are several notable differences between the U.S.,

Italy, and Brazil publications of Elle magazine. First, it is quite evident from Figures 1 and 2 that

Elle Italy has the most number of ads, as well as editorials, compared to the other countries.

Approximately 36% of the 667 page magazine is comprised of advertisements. About 46% of the

total pages are dedicated to advertisements, while 54% are for editorials. Considering Italy is the

fashion capital of the world, this is most likely a rationale for Elle Italy to be the largest magazine of

the three discussed.

The 318 page U.S. Elle consists of 38% advertisements, with about 56% of its pages

dedicated to ads and 44% to editorials. Note that the U.S. version has more ads than editorials,

unlike Italy and Brazil, which is the smallest publication of the three. Elle Brazil is only 192 pages,

31% of it being advertisements. Like Elle Italy, Brazil has more pages devoted to editorials than

ads, 63% and 37%, respectively.

Furthermore, according to Figure 3, the most popular formats used are 1 and 2 page

advertisements, with Italy having the highest number of each. Elle Brazil has the most ½ page ads

and no gatefolds, considering it has the least amount of pages. About 75% of the advertisements in

the U.S. publication are in a 1 page format, possibly because the U.S. market is exceptionally

saturated.

Product Categories

As for the categories, the most popular type for the United States is jewelry at 30%,

clothing at 18% and cosmetics at 16%. In Italy, the top product categories are clothing and jewelry,

both at 23%; perfume and cosmetics are at 12% and 11%, respectively. In Brazil, clothing is the top

category at 20%, perfume and cosmetics at 15% and 12%, respectively. Other common product

categories shown in the three publications include footwear, handbags, hair care, lingerie, eyewear,

personal hygiene, household products, and technology. Unique categories for both Italy and United

States are men’s clothing, cigarettes, and liquor. As for Italy and Brazil, services and automobiles

are the unique categories. A unique category for both the United States and Brazil is entertainment.

For instance, Elle U.S. had an advertisement for a reality television show on cable television.

Visual

There are several interesting findings when analyzing Elle U S, Italy, and Brazil in

terms of the visual aspect of the advertisements. In terms of the actual ad for both similar and

different brand, it can be noted that for all countries try to create a mood or atmosphere through the

soft approach. All three magazines included ads that have a larger than life quality. One of the

ways that this is portrayed is by the size of the product in the ad. In all three magazines, we notice

the product taking up most of the space on the page. This “in your face” image attempts to portray

a loud but at the same time attractive product.

Although all three magazines employ people, mostly young, attractive women, and

different usage of color, they do so in very different ways. For instance, most of the advertisements

employing people in Elle Brazil have the person either modeling or using the product. It tries to

demonstrate and illustrate the attractive qualities in using the product. Advertisements from Elle

U.S. and Italy also employ people, usually 1- 3, in their ads. On the same note, most of the colors

used in Elle Brazil are bright and colorful. The accents of sexy, attractive and “on the beach” are

very evident. While Elle Brazil doesn’t use too many black and white photos, Elle U S and Italy

have 16 and 12 respectively. In both of these magazines the black and white ads try to portray a

classic or elegant feel with models like Audrey Hepburn. Also in both of these magazines the black

and white advertisements are used predominantly for jewelry.

Advertising Techniques

Magazines develop many different advertising techniques in order to reach their

target audience and communicate a message. Cross-cultural differences in advertising is an

important area of research, primarily because an understanding of these differences is needed in

order to take on the creative challenge of communicating to people of diverse cultural backgrounds.

For example, in our analysis, we found that Italian Elle heavily utilizes modeling products as an

advertising technique versus American and Brazil Elle. Since Italy is one of the fashion capitals of

the world, they primarily focuses their ads on modeling clothes, accessories, etc. In one particular

advertisement, there is an entire spread of a designer’s new fall line. The model is seen in each of

the pages modeling the designer’s clothes. In our study, we observed that each of the techniques

used in the magazines had a purpose: to capture the readers’ attention and retain the brand image

and recognition.

Advertising Approaches

Elle is a high-end fashion magazine that emphasizes perception. This fact has

crucial implications for the adverting approach to be utilized in order to advertise products. The

majority of approaches to advertising in all the countries we’ve analyzed focus on creating a mood

to be associated with the product, also known as a soft sell. This approach does not pressure the

customer but lets him decide whether the atmosphere portrayed is one that is appealing to him

therefore leading him to purchase the product. The large use of this approach is of no surprise

because the target market of Elle is both sophisticated and affluent. There is no need to pressure the

consumer because she is not concerned with price and characteristics of a product. The main

concern is good quality and perception.

The small number of hard-sell and product-merit advertising approaches used

indicate that the majority of brands advertised do not see a need to be distinguished from the

competition or emphasize product characteristics. The brands advertised in Elle are mainly

product-leaders in the high-end fashion market and they are already distinguished in their own way

from the competition.

Conclusion

There are enormous opportunities available for both local and global marketers in the

world of fashion. Indeed, women all over the world are different and unique but the one thing that

they all have in common is that they all want to be desired. This market is not only extremely

lucrative, but is also on the rise.

There were several brands that were seen in all three Elle magazines. For example

Giorgio Armani, Louis Vuitton, L’Oreal, Burberry, and Dolce & Gabbana were just some of the

brands that have international appeal. These brands are all very popular all over the world and

therefore breaking international barriers will not be as difficult for them. As long as they are aware

of the common obstacles and challenges that they will have to overcome, they can very easily

crossover internationally.

Although it may be assumed that advertising locally may be easier, there will still be

issues that marketers must face when advertising locally. On one hand, it may be easier because

they are aware of the culture, language and policy but we must also consider that it might be

difficult to stand up to various global brands with international appeal and an incomparable

advertising budget. For instance, when flipping through the pages of Elle Brazil, one can notice that

when comparing the domestic brands to those that are international, the local brands don’t seem as

creative or exciting. They seem a bit bland compared to the international giant that is advertised

across from it. This kind of reaction from the reader of the magazine can only hinder its brand

image.

Overall, there are many international opportunities for advertisers within Elle

magazine. Its reputation and readership loyalty alone is very attractive to marketers and advertisers.

As long as they realize the barriers that they have to overcome, the results can be over and above

what they expect.

Appendix 1: Hofstede Analysis

Figure 1: Hofstede Analysis of American Culture

The high individualism (IDV) ranking for the United States (91) as well as for Italy (76) indicates a

society with self-reliance and relatively loose bonds with others. Masculinity (MAS) ranking is 62,

compared with a world average of 50. This indicates the country experiences a higher degree of

gender differentiation of roles. The male dominates a significant portion of the society and power

structure. This situation generates a female population that becomes more assertive and competitive,

with women shifting toward the male role model and away from their female role. The same is true

for Italy with even higher MAS ranking of 65.

Figure 2: Hofstede Analysis of Italian Culture

The LTO is the lowest dimension for the US at 29, compared to the world average of 45 and is indicative of the societies’ belief in meeting its obligations and tends to reflect an appreciation for cultural traditions. The next lowest ranking dimension for the United States and Italy is power distance (PDI) at 40 and 45, respectively, compared to the world average of 55. This is indicative of a greater equality between societal levels, including government, organizations, and even within families. The last Hofstede Dimension for the US is uncertainty avoidance (UAI), with a ranking of 46, compared to the world average of 64. A low ranking in the uncertainty avoidance dimension is indicative of a society that has fewer rules and does not attempt to control all outcomes and results. It also has a greater level of tolerance for a variety of ideas, thoughts, and beliefs.

Figure 3: Hofstede Analysis of Brazilian Culture

Brazil's highest Hofstede Dimension is uncertainty avoidance (UAI) is 76, indicating the society’s low level of tolerance for uncertainty. As a result of this high uncertainty avoidance characteristic, the society does not readily accept change and is very risk adverse. The same can be said about Italy, with UAI of 70. Brazil has a slightly higher individualism (IDV) rank of 38 compared to the average Latin population score of 21. However, virtually all the Latin countries are considered to be collectivist societies as compared to Individualist cultures. Masculinity (MAS) ranking is lower than the world average (50) at 45. This indicates the country experiences a lesser degree of gender differentiation of roles. LTO at 62T indicates a society's time perspective and an attitude of persevering; that is, overcoming obstacles with time, if not with will and strength.