Commentary

Elle Magazine Taps Beacons for Levi's, Guess, Vince Camuto

by Chuck Martin , Staff Writer, August 24, 2015

Beacon-triggered messages are about to be initiated by magazine advertisers as subscribers meander in and about stores carrying their favorite brands.

Fashion magazine Elle has teamed with beacon platform Swirl so that in-market shoppers can receive highly targeted and relevant offers, in a deal just announced.

The idea of shoppers receiving beacon-triggered ads is hardly new, with many trials and implementations now in their second year.

In most of those cases, however, the retailer controls the messaging and, at least conceptually, is the co-publisher with the designated app that the beacon triggers.

In the case of Elle, the magazine is the aggregator of the brands that wish to reach mobile shoppers and is focused more on the product of the brand rather than the retailer.

Elle readers can use the ShopAdvisor app to personalize their product desires and shop Ellle’s September issue from their phone, check out curated mobile boutiques, win a fall shopping package or find retail locations near them.

The key here is that Elle has the ability to send mobile messages from brands to in-market shoppers when they’re within range of a store that carries that brand.

Elle’s Shop Now program also is tapping into the popular RetailMeNot app, which can receive Swirl beacon-triggered messages if the person has opted in. Elle says that extends the potential reach of beacon-triggered messaging to more than 25 million people.

Of course, the person has to have opted in, have their Bluetooth turned on and be in the vicinity of products that likely interest them.

Beacons and geofences also are being activated for more than 600 Barnes and Noble stores to support newsstand sales of Elle, which is published by Hearst, also an investor in Swirl Networks.

Participating brands in the Elle beaconing program include Levi’s, Vince Camuto and Guess.

Publishers long have been experimenting with digital technologies, such as QR codes and augmented reality.

Adding beacons to the mix is a logical next step into the world of the Internet of Things.

If nothing else, Elle and its participating advertising will see how much they can extend their reach into the aisles.

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2 comments about "Elle Magazine Taps Beacons for Levi's, Guess, Vince Camuto".

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Henry Blaufox from Dragon360, August 25, 2015 at 10:50 a.m.
Is this approach a modern day extension of the old subscriber list rental, with the key being the phone ID that Elle has collected from subscribers?
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Chuck Martin from Chuck Martin, August 25, 2015 at 10:52 a.m.

Interesting observation, Henry. Additionally, location plays a key role here so the 'list rental' aspect would be the highest value subscriber based on location, time and pre-stated interests.