Brand Building Strategies of Digital Media Outlets Using the Examples of Lifestyle Editions

The present study focuses on examination of strategies that lifestyle digital media outlets use to build their brands, using examples of two Russian online media, namely The Blueprint and Wonderzine. To determine online media brand-building strategies that were used, in-depth interviews are conducted together with desk-research method. In the first phase, selected media brands will be analyzed within the marketing mix conceptual framework. The analysis will be conducted, based on the marketing mix model (4P), that has a four-level structure and includes the analysis of the product, placement, price, and promotion. As a result, was seen how successful the positioning strategies of each of the brands are, and to what extent products, the promotion, and placement strategies of these brands are consistent with their positioning. During the second phase, in-depth interviews with the stakeholders of the two media projects selected for analysis were conducted to examine how the media themselves see their brands, and what brand image they are trying to project on their audience. As for the outcomes of the study, it was concluded how different strategies of media brand-building are developed, what their strengths and weaknesses are, and how a more successful media brand could be constructed. Keywords: Media brand, media branding, brand image, positioning, marketing mix