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Yes, Zines Still Exist – And They Can Supercharge Audience-Brand Connection
Image Credit: https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/show-and-tell-zine-collection-launch
Zines are small, self-published booklets or magazines. They are typically produced by a single person or a small group of people and are usually photocopied rather than professionally printed. Zines can be about any topic, but most zines focus on niche interests such as music, politics, fashion, or DIY culture.
The word “zine” is derived from the shortening of the words “fanzine” or “magazine”. It was first coined in the 1930s by science fiction fans who used it to refer to the self-published, amateur publications they were creating, the term. Over time, the term has come to be associated with any self-published or DIY publication, regardless of its subject matter.
Why Zines are Making a Comeback
While they may feel niche, in recent years, there has been a resurgence in the popularity of zines that has broad implications. This is likely due to the fact that zines offer a level of customization, authenticity, and craftsmanship that is often lacking in mainstream media.
Inherently, zines have the in-demand crafted, DIY, artistic, and authentic feel that so many brands are desperately trying to evoke. They’re immersive and foster a strong personal connection between the product and the user, often emphasizing quantity over quality.
They pair well with and give the feel of experiential marketing. Zines provide an immersive and experiential reading experience that is difficult to find elsewhere. When you read a zine, you are not just consuming content – you are interacting with it.
You might be flipping through pages filled with images, cut-outs, and illustrations, reading personal stories and testimonies, or learning about new ideas and perspectives. This level of engagement is hard to find in other forms of media. Zines are also successful because they require thoughtfulness and care to pull off.
In 2021, WGSN noted that community had emerged as a key trend in marketing. The use of zines is a tool to elevate a marketing strategy into something that makes the consumer feel they are fostering a real relationship with the brand, building trust and loyalty between the brand and consumer. Put simply, zines can build community.
Zine Examples
One of the most recent examples of a major brand using zines is Rare Beauty:
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Another is the 1 Year Anniversary SOUR zine by Olivia Rodrigo:
The 1 Year Anniversary SOUR zine offers a much more personal connection than a CD. It’s infused with the same teenage, nostalgic essence of the album, decorated with stickers, that helps make Rodrigo feel like a friend to the users.
Last year, CBD-infused sparkling water company Recess hosted a NYC pop-up that included giving away Recess products and a “The Recess Guide to Re-Entering Society” zine. The experiential, in-person event garnered 2,000 attendees over a three-day period, handed out over 3,000 Recess cans as well as thousands of zines.
Strategic Segmentation to Supercharge Audience-Brand Connections
Zines present an opportunity for marketers to build brand identity and aesthetics. To consumers, zines allow them to foster a personal connection with brands/products that may not otherwise be present or possible.
Before you make any steps toward connecting with your audience, it’s important to truly understand who they are and what they want. That’s where strategy and segmentation comes in.
Segmentation, the process of dividing a market into distinct groups of customers that share similar characteristics, makes it easier for brands to target specific groups of consumers with tailored marketing messages most likely to resonate with them. By segmenting your target market, you can more effectively allocate resources and create a more efficient and effective connection with your audience.
There are different ways to segment a market, but the most common methods include demographic, geographic, psychographic, and behavioral segmentation.
The more specific and strategic you can get with your segmentation, the better positioned you’ll be to understand your consumers and base zines and other forms of interactive and experiential marketing campaigns around their desires, interests, and values.
Interested in working with RedSky Strategy? We provide an actionable, insight-focused segmentation framework for uncovering your brand’s audience and how to appeal to them.