As content marketing in the fashion and beauty sector continues to boom, the editorial quality and aesthetics of glossy legacy magazines are becoming more common online. Earlier this month, our publisher pointed to some “must-see examples” from the past year, and the Marketeer will certainly keep an eye on this sector into 2012.
Until then, here’s a closer look at three brands that produced exceptional content for the benefit of fashion and beauty in 2011.
Birchbox
Editorial has played a key role in this smart startup’s service since its 2010 debut, “blending content and commerce,” as the New York Times‘ Bits blog noted earlier this year. Birchbox’s “magazine,” The Haute Box, is chock-full of content that stretches beyond the product samples Birchbox members receive each month. Articles on wellness offer healthy living tips that suggest but don’t require product purchases, while a roundup of seasonal holiday nail polishes features product variety. Keen metadata strategy emulates the organization of magazines’ front-of-the-book departments into categories like Cheat Sheet, Expert Tips, Insider Guide, Beauty in Action, and others.
Favorite: The Birchbox Crush department, where “amazing trendsetters” like Erica Domesek dish on beauty secrets.
More stellar content: Birchbox’s YouTube channel, Birchbox TV.
Park & Bond
The latest member site of the Gilt Groupe breaks from the luxury empire’s flash-sale foundation to sell selective menswear at full price. But Park & Bond’s editorial approach is just as strong as Gilt’s Taste, Home, and Men/MANual verticals, if not more so. P&B appeals to men of a certain sophistication at The Intersection, the website’s editorial landing page. “Stories” are on par with style content found on men’s mag sites likes Esquire and GQ, to which various Park & Bond team members have contributed. Most stories are followed by a Shop the Story section without distracting from the content itself. Post formats support features, guides, how-tos, advice columns, and other familiar content types.
Favorite: The Men of Style department, which showcases Q&As with creative-class heavyweights, such as novelist (and Interview editor) Christopher Bollen, and captures highlights from the quotidian routines of rising designers like Sam Shipley and Jeff Halmos.
More stellar content: P&B’s Tumblr blog.
Tory Burch
The namesake and CEO of this “classic American sportswear” brand has worked in magazines, and that experience shines through in The Tory Blog’s features, which are designed with print in mind. Spotlight On takes a profile-like approach to renowned aesthetes like Iké Udé, while The Wish List solicits the stylish set (including novelists like Plum Sykes) to share a few favorite things. Other departments focus on trends, inspiration, and notably well-dressed, high-profile women. Tory On offers a glimpse into the world of the designer via her own creations, as well as childhood memories, what she loves about summer, and other personalized posts.
Favorite: Tory’s City Guides, Burch’s picks on where to go, dine, shop, and stay in the various international cities that house Tory Burch boutiques, from Houston, Texas to Manila, Philippines.
More stellar content: Torypedia, a Tumblr blog.
