Are Media is relaunching its youth-focused title Girlfriend and bringing back the recently shut Elle as a digital-only platform.
The publishing house, formerly Bauer Media, made the announcements at its virtual showcase today where it unveiled its wider company strategy since coming under the new ownership of Mercury Capital.
As part of the changes, the 30 year-old Gen Z publication Girlfriend, which moved to a quarterly magazine in 2017, will be refreshed with a “bright, optimistic” new look next year.
Additionally, fashion brand Elle, which was shut in July by Are Media, will be revived as a digital platform after the publishing house reached an agreement with owner Lagardère Group. ELLE.com.au, which reaches 370,000 Gen Y women each month, will become a highly curated retail and shopping destination.
“This is a generation that wants to cut through the noise and hear about the topics that matter to them delivered on platforms they engage with most,” says Sarah-Belle Murphy, executive general manager of publishing and digital at Are Media.
“As such, we continue to invest in growing our audience of young women, enhancing their experiences and offering our partners new ways to connect with them.”
The closure of Elle at the time, along with seven other titles, shocked the publishing industry. Are Media said the closures were due to declining advertising revenue, sped up by the coronavirus pandemic, however experts criticised the publishing house for not moving earlier to strengthen the magazines’ digital presence.
The revamped Girlfriend and Elle join Are Media’s growing portfolio of brands aimed at young women, along with the newly-launched Syrup platform which targets 16-22 year-olds.
“A relaunched Girlfriend, with a curated and retail focused ELLE.com.au, means that in conjunction with SYRUP, we have this cohort covered from all angles and can offer advertisers tailored and authentic solutions to reach them,” Murphy says.
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