Although it’s the fourth magazine to come to the iPad from Condé Nast, Glamour magazine’s iPad application (app) is the first from the publisher in the women’s fashion category. The entry of Glamour, one of the world’s leading brands in fashion publications, into the “tablet” world (iPad being the first to reach this caliber) represents a giant leap in opportunities for brand marketing. As content developers/publishers realize where and when their subscribers want content, brands must be there as valued partners.

According to Glamour’s official press release about the recent iPad app launch, “The new Glamour magazine app was developed and built in-house by Condé Nast Digital. The Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) has approved this app as a digital replica of the magazine, and will count purchases toward the total circulation of Glamour.”

It is very telling that Condé Nast has taken the initiative to develop the iPad app (and all other digital/mobile platforms) in-house, as is ABC’s willingness to recognize the reach of a publication and how it should not be limited to one medium.

Meeting and anticipating the needs of its readers is one reason why the Glamour brand remains an industry leader. Glamour has set the pace and this recent digital move is no exception.

According to Jessica Loewe, gkv’s Associate Media Director, “Most other women’s publications are ‘on-hold’ with any iPad roll-outs until Q2 2011. Our perception is that many don’t want to be the guinea pigs.”

This makes sense for other publishers - early adoption of technology takes significant investment and a willingness to test the waters. Although Glamour is the category leader, the risk is not entirely a shot in the dark due to its corporate family tree. Loewe points out that Glamour, as part of Condé Nast, recognizes the need for an integrated platform across print and digital. Condé Nast is no slouch when it comes to “understanding” digital, as its acquisition of some key web properties such as Reddit.com clearly indicates.

Brands, as a whole need to follow the publishing world’s lead and realize the expanded opportunities as new platforms evolve. William Wackermann, Senior Vice President and Publishing Director of Glamour stated that, “Advertisers are learning that the combination of digital and print provide a 360 degrees approach to the consumer.” He added that the “…partnership between the two is not competitive but complementary.”

Daniel Robinson, gkv’s Media Director, sees this move by Glamour in a similar manner to Wackermann.

“Intended audiences aren’t just looking for the same content that they find in magazines, said Robinson. “Consumers are really looking for new ways to interact with content - new kinds of experiences that deepen and hopefully enrich their ties with their preferred magazines.”

The Glamour App:

The Glamour app is available from Apple’s iTunes app store. The download of the app is “free” and has some news/blog posts that are updated every hour while each monthly “issue” is $3.99.

Glamour’s motivation in launching its iPad app was to allow for greater functionality for both readers and brands - and it’s delivered. Like any piece of technology, it’s not perfect. With all of the great features the app has, it does take a little while to load. However, I’d wager the majority of people are downloading from a Wi-Fi connection. As the app matures, I’m sure file sizes will decrease, speeding up download time.

As far as looks and user experience, Glamour’s app makes excellent use of the different iPad display modes of landscape and portrait. Landscape mode allows for typically linear horizontal browsing of the instantly recognizable photography and typography that adorn Glamour’s pages. Glamour’s iPad app shines in this mode as it is a nearly identical user experience as reading the print version. Shifting an article to portrait mode expands content to reveal the previously mentioned “app-only” added content.

Ads in the Glamour app appear in many variations with video, slideshows, links to sites, etc., and behave as a companion to the experience rather that an interference. A great example is that of (gkv client) PANDORA’s^TM ad: Tapping the top of the ad (starting on page 273 in the September 2010 issue) takes the user to the portion of PANDORA’s website that maps out (via Google Maps) retailers of PANDORA jewelry. Due to the iPad’s mobile lineage, the user’s current location (provided by the iPad) is used to remove the step of entering in a location, providing a smoother user experience. A back button at the top of the app allows the issue to seamlessly go back to the Glamour app.

To get a little taste of how the app behaves, Glamour put together a cool video sharing the features and operation of the app, which shows a great understanding of the attention to user experience they put forth.

What’s Next?

In next few months we will see the launch of apps for the iPad platform by other large publishers. It’s a new medium and there will certainly be a learning curve. As consumer momentum picks up (via iPad sales as well as the release of tablets using the Google Android platform), so will the publishing industry.

To learn how gkv can help your brand navigate the ever-changing digital space, drop us a line.