2015 will be the year of love for Bauer Media.
At the company’s upfront presentation in Sydney, the lifestyle publisher unveiled plans for a new digital ecosystem which will see content from all of its brands directed to a new offering based on four verticals: Food to Love, Homes to Love, Family to Love and Health to Love.
Driven by content from across Bauer’s local and international offerings, the mobile first network will be a 24/7 destination for women.
Head of product, mass women’s at Bauer, Sarah-Belle Murphy, explained to the audience of media buyers and advertisers: “We are tapping into the passion of Australian women. Homes, wellbeing, food and health are our most treasured assets.”
The first phase will see Food to Love and Homes to Love roll out at the start of 2015, with Family to Love and Health to Love following later in the year.
Food to Love will be a recipe destination powered by the numerous food brands in Bauer’s portfolio. While Homes to Love taps into decorating driven by four of Bauer’s home and lifestyle titles.
“We want women to be able to filter by life situation. Creating a journey that is not based on the old school way of moving through websites where it’s just based on content themes. Our research illustrated that women want to get content based on the stage they need at that time and not by their age,” said Murphy.
Bauer’s new head of digital and commercial strategy, Monique Harris added: “We could have just made a women’s hub with a front door or a home page, just like everyone else. But who wants to be the same as everybody else?
“Some may say Bauer has come to the digital party a little late, but our brands already receive 2.5 million unique women every month through our reach with Mi9. Perhaps coming to the party a little late has let us see what everyone else is wearing and we got to choose to wear something that’s really different.”
“We’re not building a portal, we aim to break the traditional silo model where websites don’t talk to each other,” explained Murphy. “The women’s network will provide users with a seamless, intuitive user journey throughout our suite of products, based on their behaviours, their needs and interests.”
While Harris explained the publishing house already has an online audience of 2.5 million, Bauer aims to increase that to four million women next year.
In terms of advertising options, Harris said: “We’re developing advertising and content propositions that you’ll be able to buy with 100% confidence. You’re making a real connection with women and with the things that they love.
“In 2015 we’ll have premium women’s traffic. We’ll have premium women’s content. We need to collaborate with you to create premium integrations, as we all know these take time. So we need to start talking now about your 2015 digital plans.
“If you still think we don’t know digital, I want to assure you our brands are part of a family that well and truly knows digital. Bauer knows digital. And Bauer knows women.”
