It looks like Hearst Magazines, which owns the likes of ELLE, Cosmopolitan and Women's Health in the US, has come up with a new strategy in order to make a more stable connection with its audiences.
The launch of its newest physical product, a high-end yoga mat called the Backslash Fit, is further confirmation that the company has a longer term strategy in the making that encompasses product development.
The bright pink, self-rolling Backslash Fit yoga mat uses the same design concept as you would find in a snap bracelet. With Alexa (Amazon's virtual assistant) integration, an adhesive bottom and thicker foam, it is currently available in the States for a costly US$89.99.
While Hearst didn't create the concept of the Yoga mat from scratch – head of consumer products, Steel Shah, encountered a similar design at a fair in L.A – the team did decide to run with the idea following the analysis of top-performing articles and consulting with editors across the publisher's titles. Sound a bit confusing? Let us explain.
Over the past year or so, publishers including BuzzFeed, Allure Media and now Hearst have started behaving more like consumer brand companies, launching physical products on their own or in partnership with advertisers. One of the reasons being it will provide an opportunity to diversify revenue.
When coming up with ideas like the yoga mat, Hearst's product studio team (created at the end of last year), examine popular articles and also identify which stories have carved out strong positions in search results. It also leverages company talent in order to improve the products. For example, the Backslash Fit’s Amazon Alexa component, which guides customers through yoga routines, was developed with the help of editorial staff at Women’s Health.
Once the product is launched, Hearst then has free marketing at its finger tips across multiple magazines and websites with the likes of purchase links, display ad campaigns and targeted promotions in email newsletters – all free of affiliate fees from clicks. However, Shah is vehement that editors will not be required to write about the products.
Shah told Digiday that while he intends to make a profit on the yoga mat, it is also being used as a test case for Hearst's plan to roll out more products. And the aim of that is clear.
“People really do believe in buying products from our brands,” he told Digiday. “So how do we go a little deeper and have more skin in the game but have deeper connections with our audience? That’s important to us over the next couple of years.”
