Strategy Verdict - Conde Nast

by Phil Livingstone, Media Week 03-Jul-07

Strategy: Conde Nast's partnerships with social networking sites

Verdict: 4 out of 5

Conde Nast has launched two channels (Vogue and Glamour) on video
sharing giant YouTube. Brand suicide? I think not.

It's essentially a new channel for global distribution. The publishing

giant is also in talks with some equally well-known social networking

and community websites to expand its reach, attract new users and
increase awareness of its portfolio.

It's not the first time publishers have embraced user-generated content
(UGC), some are pretty good at it, lets be honest.

UGC is giving rise to a new, emerging breed of consumer: those who have
the power to create, communicate, control and challenge what has always
generally been accepted as one-way traffic - consumers can now take
control of media - or those who generate and share it on their own.

This potentially powerful marketing channel is exactly what Conde Nast
is tapping into.

Gone are the days when high-end fashion was only for the rich and
famous. It's still early days for the channels themselves from a content
perspective.

A few days after launch, the Vogue channel had more than 5,500
views.

But what is now known as the "Kate Moss effect" will soon be set in
motion and I'm sure the channels will be a huge success for Conde Nast
over time, as more content is added and generated.

The global success of YouTube et al has given rise to a new model for
advertisers to build relationships and empower the consumer through
content, most of it their own.

This level of engagement is rarely seen in other media. It's great to
see a slightly different approach from a forward-thinking publisher.

Who knows, we might one day have online-only distribution of fashion
shows and so on.

- Phil Livingstone, group account director, Media Contacts, MPG.