Zoella

• Zoella’s blog is centred around fashion, lifestyle and beauty
• In 2014, Zoella was named the first “Digital Ambassador” for Mind (mental health charity) and has spoken openly about her own anxieties
• Zoella lives in Brighton which is typically a middle class area
• Zoella earns over £50,000 a month
• In 2013, The Telegraph called Zoella “one of Britain’s most influential tweeters.”
• The first blog was in 1994
• In 2010, 11% of bloggers said that blogging was their main source of income
• It can be argued that Zoella offers very little in the way of what might be called 'true' diversity. However, there is some engagement with more progressive notions of gender identity in the form of Alfie - and others - being constructed as modern men through their use of cosmetic products.
• Zoella's target audience was originally 13-24 but has now developed to also reach a more mature 25-35 demographic who could have "grown up" with her. Her recent re-branding of her blog reflects this.
• Zoella's audience is BC1C2 in terms of demographic and mainstreamers and aspirers - interested in fashion and trends and attracted by consumer items that connote exclusivity and status - in terms of pyschographics.
• Multi-Channel Networks (MCNs) are organizations that work with video platforms to offer assistance to channel owners in exchange for a percentage of the ad revenue from the channel. Basically they act like an agent for the content creator, securing sponsorship or advertising deals for them and providing them with media technology back up for any more involved content they might wish to create (film studios, sound crews, etc.)
• Quite early on, Zoella would have become eligible to ‘monetise’ her Youtube channel through the Youtube Partnership Programme. To be eligible, channels have to have over 1000 subscribers and over 4000 hours of their content has to have been viewed. Her channel has always been very “advertiser friendly” (no controversial content) and began to carry targeted ads for which Zoella would share a 55/45% split of the revenue with Youtube.
• In 2010, Zoella joins her first MCN - Style Haul. But, Style Haul goes out of business in 2019
• In 2013 Zoella moves to Gleam Futures, an MCN that amongst other things secures her deals with a number of high street chains for her range of beauty and lifestyle products. Alfie Deyes also signs with Gleam, but in 2018 leaves to start A-Z Creatives with Zoella (she is still under contract with Gleam at this point, but simultaneously co-founds A-Z) - As a co-director of this agency she is now essentially managing her business interests herself

  (vertical integration).
• Today the Zoella brand is entirely independent - doesn't use any third-party enterprises at all.
• She launched "Zoella Beauty" in 2014 and both ZS Beauty Ltd and ZS Lifestyle LTD in 2016 (splitting off into separate companies minimises risk). ZS Beauty and Lifestyle have a range of distribution deals with major UK high street retailers e.g. Boots and Superdrug. These were discontinued in 2019.

  
  

  The revenue as around £3.8 million a year.
• In 2016, Zoe Sugg launched the online merchandise store "Sugg Life" (hosted by the Creator Store - owned by Alfie). No longer active in 2018 - reflects brief lifespan of many internet companies.
• In 2019, she produced a limited edition makeup range in collaboration with ColourPop - a US cosmetics company
• In 2020, she announced a homewares collaboration with Etsy, selling her items and products from other Etsy sellers she has 'curated'
• In 2020, she worked with lush to produce products that promote 'online' mental health. She created a bath bomb for the range and the profits go to several mental health charities.
• She wrote 3 novels (Girl Online), a nonfiction book about cooking and hosting and 2 novels for children (2020-21)
• Due to the increase of technology ("Web 2.0"), the internet has become interactive and social media began to develop as a widespread and legitimate media form.
• REGULATION

  Social media remains controversial in terms of how it can be regulated as all current social media platforms 'self-regulate' - consumers don't want to damage their own reputations or lose audiences through inappropriate content. Are these powerful companies doing enough regulation? (Livingstone and Lunt - Citizen vs Consumer)
• REGULATION

  • All the content on YouTube is subject to its Terms of Service same with other social media.
  • sponsored promotions and marketing of her own products are subject to regulation by the Advertising Standards Authority
  • Outside of this Zoella’s content is largely self-regulated, only maintaining certain standards to preserve her own reputation or image
• • As an influencer it is a lot harder to become 'secure' which may explain why she has begun to diversify into traditional forms of media e.g. print and advertising.
• CONTROVERSIES PT 1:

  • Girl Online was supposedly written by another author on Zoe's behalf but she does not publicly comment on the rumour
  • She is critizised for filming a vlog whilst driving and critics called her irresponsible and a bad example to her young audience.
  • Criticised for the poor quality of the advent calendar - issues an apology as she has no control over retail price.
• CONTROVERSIES PT 2:

  • posts that Sugg made between 2009-12 in which she makes homophobic comments and mocks others are reported to the press - issues a public apology
  • 2020 - used the government furlough scheme to pay the wages of her staff at A-Z Creatives during the first lockdown
  • Given a warning by ASA when she encourages her follows to buy the dress she was wearing but didn't make it clear that the clothing label ASOS had paid her to promote it.
• EARLIER BLOG:

  • house style evokes 'homemade feel'
  • feminine colour palette (e.g. baby pink)
  • "faux-amateur" look that fits the representation of a woman's 'authentic' personal journal - established confessional mode of address with reader
• EARLIER BLOG:

  • hair, makeup and beauty topics - occasional references to personal life and relationships
  • As it develops, it branches out to discuss typical lifestyle content e.g. food, travel and events
• NEW BLOG:

  • 2019 - blog undergoes major redesign and establishes a more professional and 'corporate' look
  • Mode of address moves from 'I' to 'We'
  • new section on 'Sex and Health' - dramatic shift away from original rep as a 'teen friendly' icon, moving to more adult areas of lifestyle and will appear to more maturing audience
  • Advertising space sold on website
  • Sugg is now editor in chief and has become less of a personal presence on the blog
• The main Zoella channel has not been updated for over five years. This may indicate a deliberate shift away from Zoella being associated solely with ‘teen’ makeup and style advice which would arguably conflict with the more mature branding the company is now trying to establish.
• ‘More Zoella’ the sister channel is still being regularly updated as the personal channel of Zoe Sugg. This continues to produce the kind of ‘intimate’, ‘confessional’ behind-the-scenes content that it always has, with it helping Sugg to maintain her prominence as an internet ‘personality’ and engage with audiences more interested in her day-to-day life and relationship with Alfie Deyes. Most of the content recently has focused on her ‘journey’ as a new mother.
• CURRAN AND SEATON - ZOELLA:

  • Zoella uses algorithmically appropriate and effective titles in her videos in order to ensure that she attracts a large audience and maximizes advertising revenue.
  • Until recently, both the blog and the vlog have continued to produce the same kind of content that has been successful with the audience before, following the logic of repeating or building on previous success. Arguably this illustrates a conscious limitation on creativity for the purposes of increasing profit and maintaining her ‘power’ as an influencer.
• HESMONDHALGH - ZOELLA:

  • A-Z Creatives arguably demonstrates some attempt at horizontal integration with both brands (Zoella and Pointless Blog) being managed centrally.
  • Zoella moves to become an established, fully independent media brand that is vertically integrated with all aspects of production and distribution entirely under its control.
  • Recognising the insecure nature of the industry, Zoella diversifies into more traditional media forms, further maximising audiences and minimising risk