±±¾©Èü³µpk10

Women buy magazines for many reasons, but online satisfies a deeper hunger and is growing fast. The launch of Conde Nast Online's new site, easylivingmagazine.com, to back the multimillion-pound launch of the title for women aged 30-59, is just the latest venture to get women to interact with their favourite magazines. Sites like Vogue.co.uk can command a unique monthly audience of 711,000, according to the fashion brand.

Katy Knight, sales manager at ValueClick-owned saleshouse vcmedia, which represents Delia Online and ediets.com, sees an expanding market: "The female sector is definitely a growth area online, especially with many brands wanting more specific targeting. I also think there is more room for female-led magazines to have a more sophisticated offer online, but I don't think there's a lot of room for many new players."

Easylivingmagazine.com focuses on personalised targeting and two-way conversations, and joins the rest of the Conde Nast online portfolio: Vogue.com, at number 14 in the UK market in terms of traffic; Glamour.com, ranked 13; and the newly relaunched web site for New Woman, at position 18 (according to Hitwise, March 2005).

These magazine sites gain revenue mainly via contextual sponsorships, but, increasingly, they are luring lucrative luxury brands to advertise online through rich media-based creative. "A quality brand has everything to gain by being on the internet," says Abigail Chisman, editor-in-chief of Conde Nast Online. "It's a brand extension rather than a marketing tool."

Dotcom strengths

But, according to the Hitwise rankings, the top 10 players on the web are online-only offerings. The UK leader, which had almost 14.5 per cent of the market in March, is iVillage.co.uk. Next are: iCircle.com (12.8 per cent); iVillage.com (9.9) and then Handbag.com (8.8). Other popular destinations include Femalefirst.co.uk and MSN.co.uk/women.

As pureplays have no alliance to an offline product, they take a different approach to content, basing it on community and interaction, which exploits the web's strengths. "It's a two-way medium, which I don't think magazine (sites) are able to offer in the same way as yet," says Katie Brodie, marketing manager at iVillage. The internet also offers money-making opportunities through brand association on messageboards and forums.

Despite the sector's growing maturity and competition, some magazines only exist online as a slot on a corporate web site, inviting users to subscribe though they have yet to develop a dedicated online presence.

National Magazine title Harpers & Queen only posts a summary of the current issue online. "We run a number of microsites but no web site at the moment," explains a spokesperson, who declined to discuss if a launch was imminent.

It's the same for IPC's Marie Claire, for which no-one was available for comment, and H Bauer's Bella. Louise Newton, publishing director of Bella, said: "We investigated it a couple of years ago, but decided, as a company, not to do it. We are sticking to our core business, which is (print) publishing."

However, those magazines that do have an online offer are seeing rewards, such as greater reader loyalty, additional ad revenue and a way of enhancing a static product by offering deeper material, as well as it being a powerful branding tool.

Conde Nast's Chisman says easylivingmagazine.com has a dedicated team to create specific and exclusive online content that complements the print title. "The idea is that the magazine and web site will work closely together, so we will be seen as the point of interaction for everyone who reads the mag." And Chisman has a point, as she says Vogue.co.uk gets 24 million page impressions per month. "People come online, rather than go to magazines, for two reasons," she says. "To get their latest fix - whether it's celebrity gossip from Glamour.com or fashion updates from Vogue.com - and for the encyclopaedic content the internet can offer; streams of information that would be pointless for a magazine to churn out." And, she adds: "There is the daily aspect. We send out our newsletter first thing, so it is waiting for them when they have their morning coffee."

Two-way conversations

This all builds brand loyalty, and personalisation is king. "Easy Living's messaging is about building content that speaks directly to me, rather than what every woman wants to talk about, which can be patronising and bland," continues Chisman. "The aim is that we won't be all things to all women, so we didn't want sweeping editorial on the site that ended up not being personal." In future there will be a 'my account' section, messageboards and forums. "It is about speaking to women who know what they want, and want to share this information with other women every now and again," she adds.

Feedback and two-way conversations can influence online content. Rimmel ran an advertorial in the first issue of Easy Living magazine. Prior to launch, women aged 30-plus were recruited to appear in the advertorial through an email sent to Conde Nast Online's database of female users. To enter, they had to load their photo online and five would be chosen. "It demonstrated how a magazine site can work to assist the magazine prior to launch," says Serena Privett, the company's ad director. There were more than 500 entries in three days.

A sexy offline image is a seductive lure for big advertisers. Vogue.com is creating an email push for Burberry - the first time the fashion brand has put money online. Vogue.com also developed an advertorial on its site for Armani to promote an exclusive event at Selfridges (12 April), supported by VIP email invites to a select database, sent three days in advance.

It has also teamed up with Gucci.com. "This is the first time Gucci has advertised online in the UK and we are now finding many other luxury fashion brands are keen to advertise with us," says Privett. "This demonstrates how much the perception of online as an advertising platform for luxury brands has changed. Our e-commerce relationship with Net-a-porter.com also confirms this - the average order value is £500, proving female users are confident to shop for luxury goods online."

"The age of saying that this sort of luxury, exclusive product doesn't work online is behind us," Chisman adds. The idea, she says, is that the ads can be as beautiful as the editorial.

Bespoke advertising

NewWoman.co.uk offers value via updates in its newsletter and as a marketing tool for the print title, pushing more than 50 per cent of reader subscriptions online. It is also the interactive face of the magazine, where readers enter for all competitions and interact with forums. Exclusive online content also adds depth to the magazine and makes money; for example, the magazine features 'hot men' while readers can sign up to the web site's subscription-dating service.

NewWoman.co.uk's online editor, Laura Hayes, explains: "We can create editorial for the magazine, and it is a way to market the magazine and generate PR," she says. The relaunched site includes bespoke ad packages for advertisers, including a space for an MPU ad on every page and the chance to sponsor each channel through a Flash-based introduction. The main source of revenue is via sponsorship and integrated content.

Although sponsorship is the main earner for pureplays, they approach their editorial differently. Stephen Reay, managing E director of Femalefirst.co.uk, thinks content on its site is more on target because it is not restricted by a print schedule set in advance. "They have to sell the printed version, whereas the online version is our prime product. If it's a printed, static piece, it is planned weeks ahead, whereas online is planned straight away," he says. Based on its growth, from 61,000 visitors in December 2003 to 2.5 million in March, Femalefirst.co.uk plans to extend this model to male and teen destinations, as well as developing email newsletters and live chat.

Katie Brodie, marketing manager at iVillage, thinks online-only sites make better use of the web and that magazine sites are "still in their early days" and failing to exploit all the benefits. "What distinguishes iVillage from women's magazine sites is that it is perfectly tailored to the online environment and plays close attention to the way women use the internet. They want information, depth, relevance and practical advice."

Interactive content

"The unique selling point for a site like iVillage is the heavy emphasis on community," says Brodie. It has some 200 messageboards and forums.

"Women don't just read how they can get the most out of life; they help each other do it. Talking with women in their language fuels loyalty - women are three times more likely to recommend a brand to a friend, and 70 per cent learn most about a product from someone who has one," she says. She cites research showing a woman is likely to do up to 10 pregnancy tests to confirm results, so Clearblue might be interested in sponsoring a messageboard to discuss tests.

"For advertisers, context and setting are crucial," she adds. "Being integrated in a credible, trusted position has a direct impact on the response rate of ad campaigns. The immediate and active nature of the net makes it ideal for brands that want to grow brand awareness and loyalty to incite trial and purchase."

Vanessa Kent, UK country manager at vcmedia, points out ad trends in the sector: "We are seeing advertising getting smarter and sites often take an integrated approach." Delia Online, for example, developed an 'Eating for a healthy heart' sponsorship deal for the British Heart Foundation, which included the company logo, text and links to its web site, along with one week's coverage on the Delia Online homepage, relevant editorial written to include their brand and a mini-article in the newsletter.

Jim Brackin, director of insight at psychographic marketing firm ESP, believes this sort of advertising works because women respond best to content that uses strong metaphors, rather than bullet-points and factual content, which works for men. "Testimonials and real-life experiences speak better to women. (They) enjoy them more because they're personal."

David Bostick, group sales director UK at Adlink, says the company has set up a dedicated team to look at brand integration. "A lot of big brands are starting to put budget online when they weren't before. But, rather than coming with banners, buttons and Skyscrapers, they are taking a more integrated approach and aligning themselves in a softer way." And he thinks this gives users a stronger affinity with the content.

To show the power of an online name, look to Handbag.com, which launched a series of small magazines on the basis of its brand, as well as hosting its offline event, The Handbag.com Business Plan Award, with Barclays.

It is an interesting time for the brand since its co-owner, Press Holdings (the owner of Telegraph Newspapers), bought out Boots' 50 per cent stake. Press Holdings has a wide range of businesses, with interests in mobile, financial services and catalogue firms.

"We are now a mainstream media company, so this is a very relevant home for us," says Nancy Cruickshank, managing director of Handbag.com. There are possibilities "to tap into the enterprise and develop the brand into new media. Because the brand is so strong, it gives us permission to go offline (its awards), which reinforces the brand more strongly." Taking an online brand offline, she adds, creates "a virtual circle".