Ninemsn Overhauls Lifestyle Offering With Launch Of Three New Sites

With the lifestyle market being as saturated as it is, brands really have to find a niche to slide into. It’s all well and good for a brand to say it’s getting into the ‘diet and fitness’ area, but if you don’t have a specific voice or angle for your offering, you’re kaput.
News publisher ninemsn believes it has found an avenue to branch into, showcased by the launch of three new websites, refurbishing two of its current ones and giving its lifestyle offering a complete makeover.
Of the new websites, ninemsn Honey is for the fashionistas, Coach is for those health and fitness people and Pickle is where viral and quirky articles come to reside.
The launch of the new sites has also opened up a number of jobs, both in-house and out, in an increasingly hard to crack market, with Naomi Smith recently announced as editor of ninemsn Honey.
Ninemsn Honey
Fashion isn’t a new market. However, managing editor, Emma Chamberlin says creating and commissioning lifestyle content for magazine giant Bauer Media’s digital titles for years has given her the insight to know what the readers want.
Chamberlain says: “If you look at what we know about digital, it has to be readable and engaging. It has to give people a reason to come back and read something.”
No one in the local market was really doing that, she explains, so Honey sees itself sitting between the high-end fashion magazines and the fashion bloggers. “That’s the vision I started with, and we’ve worked towards that,” she says. “Now is where we start testing the waters and seeing how it goes.”
Ninemsn Coach
For the vision behind Coach, Chamberlain says the team looked at what others were doing, but also used their intuition about what was needed.
“I didn’t want to go down the market that’s all about ‘lose 10 kilos in 1 day,” says Chamberlain. “I wanted it to be more readable, amusing, positive and useful. Tell me something about gym smog or why souping is the new juicing.
“The whole ethos of Coach is ‘here’s how to have some fun while you do it’. And when push comes to shove, we don’t actually care if you do it, we’re here to educate you and be your buddy but not have that judgey vibe.”
Ninemsn Pickle
“Pickle came about to fill that need of where to put content that is doing really well on social media and didn’t have a clear home on ninemsn,” explains Crawford.
“It’s a new news mix that doesn’t exist in the old world – where you can have quite frivolous stories alongside meaningful ones.
“I wouldn’t by any means say that Pickle was just cat pictures or stupid things. It is cat pictures, it is animal stories, but then it’s also awe inspiring and intellectual stories.”
For Crawford, working on the creation of these new brands and sites has been an editor’s dream. “To be able to take all of the learnings we’ve had over the years about what the audience actually wants from Lifestyle content and start from scratch to build something we know will work has been amazing. This week is just the beginning,” said Crawford.
Latest News

Entries now open for Snapchat Young Lions Australia
The annual search for the very best of Australia’s young media, creative, and marketing professionals has begun, with Cannes Lions Festival representative The Misfits announcing entries are now officially open for the 2021 Snapchat Young Lions Competition. The Young Lions Competition, which is proudly supported by Snapchat and The Trade Disk, gives blossoming media talent […]

Pureprofile Snares Former Kantar Director Of Data Solutions & Sourcing Young Ham
Global data and insights business Pureprofile Limited has today announced three new appointments to the Australian team to support its renewed growth strategy. Young Ham [pictured] joins the team in a global role as head of data, innovation and product, Kate Richards will hold the role of interim head of sales, data & insights ANZ […]

PHD Snares Former Hello Social Strategy Director Joshua Tan As Part Of Content Team Expansion
PHD unveils new-look content team which includes (judging by accompanying press photo) an astonishing beard & man bun.

Coca-Cola Loses Logo In ‘Open To Better’ Campaign
Here's some fun new work from Coke. Sure, it still rots your teeth and makes you fat, but fun nonetheless.

“You Can’t Nazi It!”: Amazon Called Out For Fatal Design Flaw In New Logo
New Amazon logo apparently resembles Hilter's moustache. Particularly after Adolf ate one too many blueberry muffins.

Mitsubishi Motors Australia Produces New Creative For International Markets Via Richards Rose
Mitsubishi Australia unveils latest work and wisely decided not to reinstate the truly awful "It's a Mitsi" tagline.

Taboola Lays Out Plans To Go Public
Taboola lays out plans to go public. And by that it apparently means the stock market, not the local park's lavatories.

Selena Gomez Fronts Latest PUMA Campaign
B&T has no idea what Selena Gomez actually does, however, it appears to have made her incredibly rich doing it.

Australian Open Tops YouGov Sport’s UK Australia 2021 Rankings
A list of Australia's most popluar sports are in and once again it's little joy for hotdog eating or the manure toss.

TV Interview Goes Awry After Viewers Spot Menacing Dildo
In this woman's defence, it may just be a scented candle. Admittedly one that bares remarkable similarities to a dildo.

The Three Must-Haves For Your Data Strategy
Here are the three must-haves for your data strategy. A fourth could possibly include the value of legumes in your diet.

Third-Party Data Sales Spike 109% For Lotame In APAC
Lotame has today announced 109 per cent growth in third-party data sales in the APAC region from Q2 2020 to Q3 2020. Across the APAC region, India saw 555 per cent growth, followed by Malaysia at 190 per cent and Taiwan at 178 per cent growth. Subsequently, Australia saw 43 per cent growth and New Zealand […]

28% Of Display Advertising Spend Goes To Ad Tech Services: ACCC Inquiry
Some 28% of display ad spend goes to the ad tech giants. Which explains the excellent sandwiches at their conferences.

Nielsen: Top 10 Media Owners Reach Over Half Of The Australian Population Each Month
Study finds top 10 media owners reach over 50% of the Aussie population. Other 50% looking for car spot at Westfields.

Dr Elaine Stead Wins $280k Damages In Defamation Suit Against The AFR’s Joe Aston
Long-running defamation case comes to an end. Barristers just happy to take those silly wigs off in this stifling heat.

Tim Robards Stars As Tim Tam Genie In New Arnott’s Campaign Via The Neighbourhood
The Tim Tam is undoubtedly Australia's culinary gift to the world alongside the pavlova & the throwdown beer receptacle.

McCann Sydney Snares Lucy Gavan For Senior Strategist Role
McCann Sydney inter-office UNO tournament takes sinister new twist with arrivel of new senior strategist.

VCCP Sydney Adds Tilly Treloar, Nathan Pashley & Heath Sims
B&T's editor does not like press photos of people not wearing socks. He's a stickler for neutralising foot odours.

Dentsu’s Ad Spend Report Forecasts 5.9% Growth In Australia In 2021
2021's starting to look good for ad spends. It's not looking good for overseas travel or people with a fear of needles.

David Pullinger, Former JC Decaux Sales Director, Appointed QMS Media GM
JC Decaux's David Pullinger jumps to rival QMS amid apparent awkward silences at the staff leaving party.

Stan Officially Announces Pricing For Stan Sport
Stan Sport will cost you $10 a month. Which is the same price as three avocados sans the monounsaturated fatty acids.

Facebook Introduces New Measures To Stop The Spread Of Holocaust Misinformation
Facebook looking to block Holocaust deniers. Still seems open to Flat Earthers and Elvis spotting, however.

Busting Six Of The Biggest Ad Tech Myths
Here, six of ad tech's biggest myths get expertly busted. There was a seventh, but it turned out to possibly be true.

Droga5 London Rolls Out New International Visual Identity For CUPRA
Droga5 London is arguably the hottest agency in the world right now. Not that anyone's booking Cannes tickets just yet.

Shutterstock Acquires 3D Marketplace TurboSquid
Shutterstock has acquired 3D marketplace TurboSquid. Read all the news here, admittedly in boring old 2D.

Are Media Appoints Melissa Mason As Digital Editor For ELLE & Marie Claire
Melissa Mason seriously considering putting an accent over the á following Elle & marie claire appointment.

M&C Saatchi’s Timothy Ng: “To Those Who’ve Thought About It”
M&C Saatchi's Timothy Ng muses on his career in advertising. It's a bit Nietschke, with a spot of Goethe thrown in.

WPP Named In Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index For Third Year In A Row
WPP named in gender-equality index for third year running as internal fight erupts over where to hang the certificate.

Australian Road Safety Foundation Utilises Geo-Targeting Technology To Protect Kids In School
The Australian Road Safety Foundation (ARSF) has teamed up with Spotify and some of Queensland’s leading musicians in a national first that will geotarget drivers within school zones. The Slow Down Songs campaign, which is being piloted in Queensland, will work to keep kids safe within school zones by dramatically slowing down songs and serving […]

Florida Financial Officer ‘Offers’ To Host Olympics With “Bonkers” Pitch
Florida says if Tokyo don't want the Games, they'll take it. Hopefully our own Dubbo might make similar overtures.