Alloy, Inc. and Hachette Filipacchi Media, U.S., owner of ELLEgirl magazine, combined forces to reach out to young fashion mavens across the globe. The deal will bring in new ELLEgirl subscribers by targeting Alloy customers while capitalizing on promotional opportunities attractive to both advertisers and consumers.
“For the last couple of years, there’s not been a media company that we have exclusively focused on — we’ve done business with quite a number of them,” says Derek White, executive VP-general manager media marketing for Alloy. “This is a new direction for us.”
As part of the five-year deal, inserts will promote ELLEgirl in both Delia’s and Alloy catalogs (these tout a combined monthly circulation of 5.5 million). E-mail promotions will reach some of the 25 million names in the Alloy database and promotional pop ups will appear on www.delias.com and www.alloy.com, which reach more than 2 million visitors monthly. Alloy bought Delia’s last fall for $50 million (Sept. 2003 PROMO).
In addition, advertisements will appear on gym boards and wall media seen by more than 17.5 million students across the country at 11,000 middle schools and high schools.
“There’s not a whole lot competing against that in schools besides learning and grey lockers,” White says.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
With the February 2004 issue, ELLEgirl increased its frequency from six to eight times a year and expanded its rate base from 400,000 to 500,000.
“This is a strategic alliance where we are going to leverage the core strengths of each of our companies to make a greater whole,” says Deborah Burns, VP-publisher, ELLEgirl. “We are integrating our assets, our sales and our marketing forces to create programs that will really intrigue our advertisers and create more revenue.”
360 Youth Media, Alloy’s media-marketing unit and AMP Designs, its Web-design unit, will provide specific services for Hachette including Web site development and management, subscription services, print interactive, sampling, direct marketing and broader types of branding and packaging, White says.
New York City-based Alloy had previously partnered on developing editorial content and technology for ELLEgirl.com in 2001. This new alliance far surpasses the previous agreement, he says.
T-Mobile took Wi-Fi to the masses last month by way of a marketing alliance with Comcast. T-Mobile offers Wi-Fi HotSpots to Philadelphia-based Comcast’s nearly 5 million high-speed Internet customers. The partnership is the latest venture between cable and wireless companies as they fight to sell more services and build customer loyalty.
Through the pact, Bellevue, WA-based T-Mobile markets its Wi-Fi broadband to Comcast customers by way of special offers. Consumers can receive one month of free Wi-Fi trial; a free HotSpot day pass each month through December if they buy a day pass for $9.99; and free Wi-Fi with a $29.99-a-month annual subscription. Consumers can sign up for the T-Mobile HotSpot service through their Comcast home page.
The HotSpot Wi-Fi service allows consumers to surf the Web, check e-mail, or view streaming media with a Wi-Fi enabled laptop or PDA at HotSpot locations at airports, universities, Borders Books and Music, Kinko’s and Starbucks nationwide. T-Mobile HotSpots are available at more than 4,000 U.S. locations.
Hershey Foods Corp. plans to introduce a line of nutrition bars in a deal with Dr. Barry Sears.
The products will be introduced during the third quarter of 2004.
The bars will have the science-based nutritional benefits of the Zone Diet and will carry the Dr. Sears Zone Approval seal, the Hershey, PA-based company said. The Zone Diet is a hormone-control strategy achieved by diet, according to Dr. Sears’ Web site.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
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