A Look Inside Fortune Magazine
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By: Hanna Schwartz
Fortune magazine (www.fortune.com) is a well-known publication that caters to the business
professional. What I had imagined to have a dry, information heavy, and un- user-friendly core
was actually a useful publication with a credible voice. Although this magazine definitely
accommodates a very specific demographic (middle-aged, career-oriented and wealthy
individual) I found it to be an enjoyable resource and after I was done reading it I felt
accomplished if not also a bit more knowledgeable, which may explain why Fortune magazine is
still ‘alive and kicking’ after 82 years (Wikipedia, 2012). The magazine cover (my very first
impression) displayed an eye-catching and colorful image: a briefcase covered in bumper
stickers of logos of Fortune 500 companies with a minimalist title reading: “The 100 Best
Companies to Work For”. Enough of ‘judging a book by its cover’, let’s delve inside.
Target Audience: Who Keeps Coming Back?
Fortune has a very particular and well-defined target audience; the age group of which is
approximately between the ages of 40 and 45. This individual is well educated, business-savvy
and driven by the goal of fiscal success. Based on this publication’s advertising, I would estimate
this businessperson to make an upwards of $80-100,000 dollars a year. Contrary to the
affordable price of this article-filled magazine, the advertisements represent interests and
desires resonating with a consumer of expensive taste. The ad on the first page was for Land
Rover vehicles and boasting a new car with “such style, luxury, and capability that it would
exclude an unprecedented presence”. When I first read the words ‘style’ and ‘luxury’, dollar
signs instantly appeared in my mind; not to mention I found the vocabulary to be unusually
advanced for a car ad. A Land Rover is a material symbol of wealth and success, a notion
definitely not overlooked by Fortune’s target audience. Another obliging example is an ad for
Rolex watches just a few pages later. The heading reads, “Live for Greatness”. The “Greatness”
this ad refers to is reaching your goal of being able to enjoy a very luxurious lifestyle, which of
course includes owning a $10,000+ dollar watch. This magazine also houses a plethora of ads
for investing and wealth management firms or banks, such as Raymond James, E*Trade,
Prudential, and State Street (among others). About ten pages of the publication constantly
devoted to an “Invest” section also substantiate this claim. Due to the more advanced
vocabulary and the lengthy, text-dominated articles, I would expect the target audience to be
college educated, with at least an Associate’s degree but most likely their Masters.
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Point of View: An Informed Perspective
The point of view most often showcased in Fortune magazine is from an experienced and
knowledgeable perspective. The articles are mostly factual, sometimes sporting a bit of
narrative, and commonly reference interviews, photographs, and graphic statistics for support.
I found this to be a relatively objective standpoint. An article I thought from the title to be
politically- motivated and biased was actually focused on a company called Wayin, an online
polling business. When the article is subjectively written, it is because the author is an
established and inspiring business success, such as Reid Hoffman, the founder of LinkedIn and
investor in powerhouses such as Zynga and Facebook whose book excerpt is published in
Fortune’s most recent issue.
Structure: A Formula for Success
Kudos to Fortune for having a very readable, organized, and easily navigate-able layout. I never
understood how something could be both minimalistic and intricate at the same time, but
Fortune’s structure does just this. The table of
contents is simple and displays bold-faced page
numbers of the main features included in this
issue in a vertical format. All of the supporting
statistics, throughout the magazine, are
boldfaced and in easily noticed, bright colors
(note Figure 1) and the main points are often
numbered to differentiate messages. All
similarly styled articles are grouped together,
such as Opinion, Invest, and Innovation topics.
The style varies depending on the subject but
can be anything from long opinion pieces to
polls, lists, and quizzes. Pie charts, statistics,
and bullets are utilized throughout main
articles. Interviews follow a question (bolded
font) and answer format and the last page of
this month’s issue offers an interactive quiz
Figure 1-http://mrmagazine.wordpress.com/2010/03/04/the-mrwith self-scoring. The cover story (“100 Best
magazine%E2%84%A2-interview-with-andy-serwer-managingeditor-fortune-magazine-a-fortune-rooted-in-the-past-spreads-itsCompanies to Work For”) lists the companies’
wings-to-the-future/
ranking, location, employee count and fun facts,
with a key that distinguishes symbols that stand for characteristics, such as if the company is
currently hiring, their perks, and so on.
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Credibility: Why I have no doubts
When you look up “credible publications” in the dictionary, Fortune would be the
definition… not really but you get the idea. Fortune is an extremely credible publication. Two of
the main stories (The Secrets Apple Keeps, and The Real Way to Build A Network) are beyond
reliable due to the fact that, concerning their credibility, they literally wrote the book on that
subject (with most of the article being their book excerpts). In addition, Fortune articles include
an overflow of statistics and quotes, both of which re-enforce credibility. Also, credibility in
some cases is due to a successful combination of education and experience, especially in Bob
Rodriguez’s case, who is the managing partner and CEO of First Pacific Advisors, a $17 billion
dollar investing firm). A neat tool that Fortune uses is that they basically list the subject’s
accomplishments, confirming that they are indeed an authentically knowledgeable resource.
For example, on the sideline of Rodriguez’s interview, credentials are listed: age, job
experience, and his “claim to fame”. This publication’s reputation (as an inspiring, informative
resource) also plays a huge role in its credible integrity.
A Powerful Voice
The vocabulary would seem complicated to an un-educated public but to my target audience,
described above, it is perfectly appropriate. Because this audience is information seeking and
well educated the sophistication instilled here is much needed and appreciated. The tone is
informative yet not condescending and although the subject matter is not simple, it is displayed
simply enough. The language used is lively yet professional with a touch of humor (commonly
displayed in play on words) and approaches the seemingly dull topic of investing with an
innovative, fresh, and interesting voice.
Fortune’s Style: Impressive, But Not My Cup of Tea
Fortune’s formal writing style differs profusely from my own modern and creative writing
approach. I respect and appreciate Fortune’s perspective and in the category of informative,
business-centered writing, Fortune magazine earns five stars. I am not in the career field of
investing and therefore would be highly under qualified to write for a publication when most of
their contributors carry such a high caliber of business expertise. I would prefer to write for a
less serious and more exploratory publication such as www.opensalon.com with more of a blog
feel.
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My former connotation of Fortune magazine as boring has been replaced with prestigious and a
secure feeling that these writers really know what they are talking about! I genuinely enjoyed
the financial advice and economic insight while browsing through the aweing photographs and
well-written articles; not to mention I walked away after reading it with a few fun facts to use
as intelligent conversation starters.
Word count: 1,222
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Works Cited
Wikipedia. (2012, January 28). Fortune (magazine). Retrieved Febuary 8, 2012, from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortune_%28magazine%29