Fashion Promotion & Communication Final Major Project ‘The Signature Newspaper’
The final and most important outcome of my final major project was a new media platform ‘The Signature Newspaper’ that aims to embrace and celebrate unique identities in the homogenized world we live in. The unique selling point of this fashion publication lies in its format, the aim of this FMP was to reinvent the concept of a contemporary newspaper amongst the Generation Z.
Throughout the final year of university, I had developed a research proposal and by identifying the current gaps in the market I was able to come up with the idea of a new media platform, that would aim to tackle and unite three main consumer behavior aspects – the need for uniqueness, social isolation and the growing wish to reevaluate tangible goods.
Currently there are more than an estimated 2.62 billion people connected via different social networks and by 2021 the number will rise to over 3 billion. Yet, the growing reliance on technology and the use of social media is thought to be making us feel more isolated.
The publication’s target audience, the Generation Z, are defined by technology, yet 72% agree that people their age are too distracted by social media and they are seeking for a relief from it. As a response to the movement happening within the generation, The Signature Newspaper aims to emphasize that our emotional needs cannot be fulfilled by a smartphone, by being resilient towards technology and returning to traditional methods.
Newspapers have been known to serve as one of the oldest forms of communication, nevertheless, since 2000 the circulation of most UK national newspapers has fallen between a third and half. Consumers, especially the younger generations, have stopped buying and reading newspapers as they used to. When looking in to the reason of why newspapers aren’t as popular as magazines amongst the youth, 45.83% of the respondents (primary research) agree that most newspapers seem monotonous and targeted towards elderly. Additionally, 54.17% correspond that they like the idea of a newspaper, but there is not any topics that interests them, therefore it becomes apparent that there is a current gap in the newspaper market.
Alongside the newspaper a set of postcards with the caption ‘take a break from social media and write a letter to an old friend ‘were developed to strengthen the brands message and highlight the fact that as a media platform the Signature Newspaper is staying resilient towards technology.