• by Tameka Kee , April 23, 2008

AtomicOnline has snapped up theFashionSpot.com, a 70,000 member-strong online community for fashionistas. The deal adds a unique demographic to the Los Angeles-based digital media company's stable of over 50 sites--high-fashion connoisseurs, designers and enthusiasts.

According to AtomicOnline General Manager and Senior Vice President Mike Dodge, it's a market that is underserved by networks like Glam Media and even publishers like CondéNast and Hachette.

"SheKnows.com--our community for women--continues to grow, but we found that there was a huge demand for targeted fashion info," Dodge said. "And theFashionSpot.com caters to that by providing content around trends and all things related to fashion. Networks like Glam claim to be all about fashion, but when you dig deeper you find that they spread out into semi-related categories."

Dodge said that theFashionSpot.com was even better suited to fashion enthusiasts' tastes, and the advertisers seeking to reach them, than larger properties like Elle.com or Vogue.com. "Online versions of magazines face the huge challenge of trying to meet the mainstream demands of publishing," Dodge said. "They have to deliver niche content, but be broadly appealing at the same time." AtomicOnline plans to supplement theFashionSpot.com with niche sites devoted to modeling and the couture lifestyle that larger publishers don't have the time or sales force to invest in, he said.

As for advertisers, Dodge said that while high-end clothing and cosmetic lines would be the obvious fit, theFashionSpot.com also presents an opportunity for well-known brands--particularly CPG companies. "We're finding that a lot of branded advertisers are interested," Dodge said. "The packaged goods companies want to be affiliated with a site that is highly valued by users, and theFashionSpot.com delivers them an engaged user base."

AtomicOnline's ad sales and creative teams also assist with campaign design, so Dodge said that theFashionSpot.com would offer custom microsites, Flash-based wallpapers and other rich media options. The new site joins SheKnows.com (with content on health, wellness, celebrities and gossip for women 25 and older), CraveOnline.com (comics, sports and entertainment for men ages 18-34) and teen hub TeenCrunch.com.