Website Look.co.uk
What has happened? Look magazine has launched an internet fashion and shopping extension
Owner IPC Media
This allows them to form closer relationships with their target audience by giving them more engaging content, which, in turn, helps recruit and retain consumers.
In Look's case, this is ultra-important as the audience it is after (young females into celeb gossip and fashion) is extremely difficult to keep and is more likely to flit from one brand to another after becoming bored with the original content/layout.
From a brand point of view, Look is a fledgling magazine in the celeb/fashion genre and its online site offers it a real chance to expand the brand quickly and potentially help reduce the decline in circulation.
So where does the site stand at the moment? Well, it is reasonably basic, with some of the main articles feeling a little light on content. This isn't to say the site doesn't have its positives. Some nice functions exist, such as the "scrolling high street" and "new this week", which offer insights into the latest fashions.
It also includes a detailed fashion search function and the ability to buy straight from the site. All these help enhance the experience and keep the site sticky.
As for the general look of the site, ad formats are extremely visible without scrolling, but they look gigantic next to the text. Also, the lay-out isn't busy, which I see as a positive. But it will be interesting to see how this changes with time as Look will need to make sure it doesn't try and cram too much content into a page.
What can be said is that, with the backing of IPC and its experience of launching sites for its offline brands, I see no reason why Look cannot be a success. The challenge comes where it sets itself. Does it go down the fashion route and compete with OSoYou.com or stick to its current place in the offline market and compete with rivals such as HeatWorld?
It will be interesting to see where its unique selling proposition lies.
What's good? Interesting functions.
What could be better? Content is a little basic.
Would I book my clients into this? Not at the moment, but given time to evolve, I see no reason why this won't be a good site.
Dan Michelson, account manager, Carat