Discussions about the fashion industry thread

[gdl203]

Is there someone who, in 2019, is not attempting to block all ads and even stopping going to websites which autoplay videos? Hell I'm using a youtube clone app on my phone to remove ads and be able to close my screen and still listen to vids. And who the **** reads those chain emails before unsubscribing? I understand companies are gathering data on consumers (building profiles etc) but it's not like many people WANT to be reached afterwards...

Our newsletter unsubscribe rate is around 0.1% so every time we send an email, 99.9% of the recipient do not unsubscribe. Now for reading them, it’s another story. Open rate % is in the mid to high teens so 8/10 recipients do not open the emails. Yet they do not unsubscribe, even though it’s easier than ever before (one tap on iPhone mail for example).

 

[bamgrinus]

Most people. Also, the ad tech is getting more sophisticated and many platforms are specifically designed to not allow adblockers to work properly. It's a weird world in which we live.

I know I just stop using sites that block ad blockers. I imagine a lot of younger people do this. I understand there's a conflict in wanting content but not supporting ads. But *******, I don't care, I won't tolerate ads. As a cord cutter I avoid them in all mediums.

(I imagine I've supported SF a fair amount through affiliate links, though. Much prefer this model.)

 

[LA Guy]

Our newsletter unsubscribe rate is around 0.1% so every time we send an email, 99.9% of the recipient do not unsubscribe. Now for reading them, it’s another story. Open rate % is in the mid to high teens so 8/10 recipients do not open the emails. Yet they do not unsubscribe, even though it’s easier than ever before (one tap on iPhone mail for example).

We are in the same category. Old school tech works. People like email. My favorite tech newsletters are totally via email. Podcasts are super popular as well - popular ones get tons of downloads and listens. Those are basically talk radio, just online and on demand.

 

[bamgrinus]

Our newsletter unsubscribe rate is around 0.1% so every time we send an email, 99.9% of the recipient do not unsubscribe. Now for reading them, it’s another story. Open rate % is in the mid to high teens so 8/10 recipients do not open the emails. Yet they do not unsubscribe, even though it’s easier than ever before (one tap on iPhone mail for example).

I don't mind emails from stores I buy from who will probably have content I like to see. A lot of other types of businesses can be pretty spammy, though. I bought a car recently and have a dozen different places spamming me based off of that. Which seems like it makes no sense to me...who's buying a new car every few month? My last car purchase was over a decade ago.

 

[LA Guy]

I know I just stop using sites that block ad blockers. I imagine a lot of younger people do this. I understand there's a conflict in wanting content but not supporting ads. But *******, I don't care, I won't tolerate ads. As a cord cutter I avoid them in all mediums.

(I imagine I've supported SF a fair amount through affiliate links, though. Much prefer this model.)

That said, I can understand why news sites, for example, would block ad blockers. They gain nothing from those readers, and are actually just losing money because they are paying to serve up content for nothing.

While we'd prefer that people don't use adblockers, we are also pretty aware that a small fraction of people use them, and we have other marketing/advertising tools that I think are much more valuable and much less intrusive. It's not a model that is applicable to all websites though.

 

[bamgrinus]

That said, I can understand why news sites, for example, would block ad blockers. They gain nothing from those readers, and are actually just losing money because they are paying to serve up content for nothing.

While we'd prefer that people don't use adblockers, we are also pretty aware that a small fraction of people use them, and we have other marketing/advertising tools that I think are much more valuable and much less intrusive. It's not a model that is applicable to all websites though.

I also realize that the main way news sites can deal with making revenue without blocking adblockers is to feature sponsored content, which is problematic in itself. I dunno. I guess I'm part of the problem.

 

[London]

Paywalls/Subscription is the way forward for a lot of niche publishers.

 

[LA Guy]

Paywalls/Subscription is the way forward for a lot of niche publishers.

It's a super tough model, and has never really been used at scale. For most newspapers, for example, the majority of revenue has come from ads, with a much smaller fraction of revenues from newstand sales and subscriptions. I can see this working for trade magazines. So if that is what you are talking about re. "niche" publishers, yeah, maybe. Otherwise, I dunno...

 

[London]

It's a super tough model, and has never really been used at scale. For most newspapers, for example, the majority of revenue has come from ads, with a much smaller fraction of revenues from newstand sales and subscriptions. I can see this working for trade magazines. So if that is what you are talking about re. "niche" publishers, yeah, maybe. Otherwise, I dunno...

That's why I said Niche. You may not scale, but you can create a sustainable business.

 

[FlyingMonkey]

It's a super tough model, and has never really been used at scale. For most newspapers, for example, the majority of revenue has come from ads, with a much smaller fraction of revenues from newstand sales and subscriptions. I can see this working for trade magazines. So if that is what you are talking about re. "niche" publishers, yeah, maybe. Otherwise, I dunno...

The Guardian newspaper's model is really interesting - it's a supporter model rather than a paywalled subscriber model. Essentially, if you value the paper, you become a supporter / member and pay what you can / want. But they don't stop non-supporters from reading it (although they do remind people that support is nice, a lot). And it is now the world's 2nd or 3rd most read English-language newspaper online when it started off being like just the 6th most read newspaper in Britain. I think this works if you offer something distinctive - in The Guardian's case, it's their clearly left-wing (US trans. 'liberal') stance, and being run by an independent trust, that makes them stand out amongst mostly centre to very right newspapers owned by big business.

I'm not quite sure how this translates to other businesses, but I notice companies like 18 East are doing something that seems in the same ballpark - emphasizing ethics and quality and producing for a devoted contingent of folks who are almost like supporters, with other more casual occasional buyers adding to it. But they are small.

 

[cyc wid it]

I'm very curious to see how The Atlantic does over time.

 

[LA Guy]

The Guardian newspaper's model is really interesting - it's a supporter model rather than a paywalled subscriber model. Essentially, if you value the paper, you become a supporter / member and pay what you can / want. But they don't stop non-supporters from reading it (although they do remind people that support is nice, a lot). And it is now the world's 2nd or 3rd most read English-language newspaper online when it started off being like just the 6th most read newspaper in Britain. I think this works if you offer something distinctive - in The Guardian's case, it's their clearly left-wing (US trans. 'liberal') stance, and being run by an independent trust, that makes them stand out amongst mostly centre to very right newspapers owned by big business.

I'm not quite sure how this translates to other businesses, but I notice companies like 18 East are doing something that seems in the same ballpark - emphasizing ethics and quality and producing for a devoted contingent of folks who are almost like supporters, with other more casual occasional buyers adding to it. But they are small.

I have subscriptions to BoF and WWD for work, and my wife and I share a NYT and WaPo subscription, but that's it in terms of newspapers. Outside of the few big titles in key world cities, I have a hard time seeing how newspapers can begin to sustain themselves without a lot of advertising revenues. Has it ever been done, even in print?

 

[London]

I have subscriptions to BoF and WWD for work, and my wife and I share a NYT and WaPo subscription, but that's it in terms of newspapers. Outside of the few big titles in key world cities, I have a hard time seeing how newspapers can begin to sustain themselves without a lot of advertising revenues. Has it ever been done, even in print?

Monocle has a great model that blurs the line between their own cultural products, advertorial, advertising and subscription.

 

[smittycl]

I'm very curious to see how The Atlantic does over time.

I’ve subscribed to it since the 80’s and just renewed for the digital-only model. I was surprised they had stayed free online for so long.

 

[FlyingMonkey]

Monocle has a great model that blurs the line between their own cultural products, advertorial, advertising and subscription.

But again, very niche - and geared to a wealthy (or at least aspirational) clientele.