Hachette Filipacchi and Alloy Form Marketing Pact

Publishing company Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. and youth marketing firm Alloy Inc. have formed a five-year alliance to increase ELLEgirl’s subscribers and expand the advertising base for both entities.

With the pact, ELLEgirl, a global fashion magazine and Web site, will increase its frequency from six to eight times a year with the February issues, and will expand its rate base to 500,000 from 400,000.

Alloy, which has a database of more than 21 million young people, will be able to get the beauty and fashion brands that grace the pages of ELLEgirl to advertise across the 360 Youth channels.

“It’s a very good marriage,” said Derek White, executive vice president of Alloy and general manager of Alloy’s media marketing units, including 360 Youth Media.

Financial details of the deal were not released.

Both companies appeal to young women. ELLEgirl’s core audience is 16 to 17 years old. Alloy’s target is girls 13 to 18 years old, but “the 16 and 17 year old girls are the sweet spot for us,” White said.

One-half of the pact involves Alloy adding to ELLEgirl’s subscribers. Alloy will feature promotions throughout its sites through pop ups on the Delia’s and Alloys Web sites, through e-mail marketing campaigns and through media like blow ins and package inserts in the Delia’s and Alloy catalogs.

The two catalogs have a combined monthly circulation of 5.4 million and a total readership of 16 million.

ELLEgirl gets exclusivity on many aspects of the subscription promotions, according to White. Alloy has, in the past, run promotions “for any company that wants to reach Generation Y,” he said. But now, “the majority of our media marketing assets will only be used for ELLEgirl.”

The other half of the deal is offering a comprehensive package for advertisers for both entities, White said. “Now we have a comprehensive array of locations for them to advertise in,” he added.

These locations are in schools and on college campuses. Alloy’s marketing unit, 360 Youth operates gymboards and wall media that reach 45% of the high school and middle schools.

Alloy also owns backlit boards, which appear in schools’ front halls and which reaches about 4,000 schools. The backlit board college program reaches 85% of the college students in the country, he said.