Not Confused: How Dazed Finds Revenue Through Digital Reach
Dazed has created a complete digital archive to deepen engagement, generate new revenue streams, and build brand longevity in the educational market. Exact Editions Jake Thompson explains more...
“This is not a magazine. This is not a conspiracy to force opinion into the subconscious of stylish young people. […] Are you ready to be Dazed & Confused? Get high on oxygen! This is urban ideas for creative people. People who want to read — something else.” Editorial — Dazed & Confused, Issue 1.
Digitising a cultural icon
The iconoclastic voice of Dazed has offered an invaluable contribution to fashion publishing for more than 30 years.
Since its founding in 1991 through a lively collaboration between Jefferson Hack and Rankin, Dazed has consistently been at the cutting edge of style, a platform for many iconic cultural movements. The magazine has always sought to push the boundaries — and been much more interested in transgressive voices rather than superficial stardom. Launching Dazed Digital in 2006, it was influential in bringing creative content to the internet — all without sacrificing the potency of its print edition.
Dazed has a popular online archive — view it here — where all issues are available to read through Exact Editions. Users can intuitively read the latest profile on Doechii, but also look back to its early black-and-white, poster-style issues. The archive is also accessible to subscribers of Dazed Club, the magazine’s growing membership scheme that helps young people discover their creative community.
As well as being available for individual subscribers, subscriptions to the archive are also sold to libraries and educational institutions. The magazine has been digitally distributed to libraries in six of the seven continents, with 650,000 staff and students across the globe currently able to access the complete archive.
This wide digital reach allows Dazed to understand their print product and IP in detail. Analytics reveal which back issues generate the most interest, how advertising performs within specific issues, which covers encourage the most click-throughs, and which articles command the longest dwell-time.
A model for sustainable publishing
For Dazed, library subscriptions for the magazine have grown 170% in the last decade, with a 10% growth YOY. This model is remarkably equitable for the publisher financially, as subscription pricing (which can be thousands of US dollars per year) is relative to the number of users at the institution. These subscriptions also boast near-perfect renewal rates; when a library acquires a subscription, it represents both a long-term investment and a reliable source of year-over-year revenue for Dazed.
However, one of the current challenges with institutional subscription sales are the widespread budget cuts faced by academic and public libraries alike, particularly in the United States. One solution to this is the option for Perpetual and Ongoing Access subscriptions, which allow libraries to purchase the complete archive and all new issues of Dazed for a one-off fee.
Perpetual and Ongoing Access subscriptions further enhance the value proposition for libraries that want to ensure their investment provides lasting benefits regardless of future budget constraints. This option has proven particularly attractive to institutions with significant fashion and design programmes.
This approach, using a “living archive” to offer new forms of reach and revenue, creates a dialogue between past and present. It maximises the Dazed brand, ensuring the magazine can captivate and challenge for decades to come.
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Key Takeaways
Dazed sells access to its complete digital archive to institutions — libraries, universities, colleges, corporations.
Library subscriptions to the Dazed archive are a revenue driver. Each subscription is worth thousands of dollars per annum.
Library subscriptions to Dazed have grown 170% in the last decade, with a 10% growth YOY.
The magazine has been accessible in institutions in all continents (excl. Antarctica).
Analytics offer data on editorial and advertising performance within a print issue.
Perpetual Access is an additional subscription option; a one-time fee for libraries that guarantees access to all past and ongoing issues for perpetuity
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Jake Thompson is a Publisher Account and Marketing Manager. He works closely with publishers to help maximise the value of their digital archives in the institutional market. Readers of What’s New in Publishing are entitled to a free discovery session about library subs – email jake.thompson@exacteditions.com for more information.