Going Where Teens Are Or Going It Alone
Posted by anastasia on 10-16-2006
Even though I made this post title an "either or" dichotomy, I know it really isn't. I feel like I've been telling a lot of people, mostly in the youth media space, to partner with bigger sites in order to get their message and media out to a broader community of teens (and adults). In some ways, the same advice would apply to teen magazines. It's very, very hard to launch a teen media property from scratch and build a strong community. There are only so many sites teens will spend their time on, and most of them will be where their friends are or where there is the most content, i.e. MySpace and YouTube and the other sites right behind them (Bebo, MyYearbook, Facebook, etc.). This doesn't mean don't build your own features, content or community, but it does require that you think of your brand as decentralized, portable or able to live independently of the mother ship on these other sites.
The UK Independent just ran a piece about how CosmoGIRL! has followed Seventeen's lead in launching on MySpace. While the MySpace promotes the magazine, you have to have enough goodies and interactivity (blog posts, music, video, etc.) to reach teens who may primarily hang out there. It's worth investing in staff to keep these MySpace pages fresh and to respond to the messages you'll get there.
The UK version of CosmoGIRL! actually took this a step further and integrated their MySpace experience with their magazine experience. From the article:
"When logged on to the appropriate web page, as indicated by the relevant magazine page, the reader will find an image of an iPod containing songs that correlate to 25 of the 130 pages in the publication. Here, she can listen as she reads to a carefully selected theme-tune, creating a multi-media experience. For example, on the fashion page Wear It Your Way, she will be directed to listen to the Arctic Monkeys' 'I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor.'"
The article frames this choice as "leading valuable readers into the hands of the enemy," i.e. viewing MySpace as direct competition. I think this argument fails because most teens are already there (as light or heavy users). Or as CosmoGIRL! UK's editor Celia Duncan responds:
"It's not an either/or situation. Cosmogirl.co.uk serves an entirely different purpose, acting as a far broader platform. It's much deeper, with layers of pages, offering competit-ions, celebrity gossip, horoscopes and style advice. Our MySpace is only one page deep, and acts as a community for very loyal readers. We've creating a forum where they can see what other girls are doing. We receive comments from readers about the publication, and we feature eight different 'top friends' every month. It's a very positive thing."
If you're in NYC or nearby and want to join in on this discussion (i.e. The Future of Teen Magazines), RSVP now (we are almost full!) with your name and company/organization for the Ypulse NYC Teen Media Mashup on November 8th. Details are all here.