Weekly NDM Story ..

The Debrief website aims to be more than 'BuzzFeed for girls' ..

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/feb/03/the-debrief-buzzfeed-bauer-media

Bauer Media has launched digital brand The Debrief, targeting twenty something women, with a promise that it is more than "BuzzFeed for girls". The Debrief officially launched online on Monday, with the brand available on platforms including Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, Facebook and Twitter. Lauren Holleyoake, publisher of The Debrief, says that there is a gap in the market for pushing a highly-targeted product at "constantly connected, influential, 20-something women."

• "Our target market does go to Mail Online, Stylist, Metro – those broad, mass-market brands – but they don't feel it is really them, they are not as targeted," she said.

She admitted that The Debrief will bear some hallmarks of Jonah Peretti's hugely successful BuzzFeed, which has been built on the back of catchy lists of humorous and "must-read" lists, but denied that Bauer is looking to create a "BuzzFeed for 20-something women". "I don't think we compare to anything else, really. BuzzFeed has been hugely successfully and we will have elements like lists, but we also have our own unique approach," she said. "There will be a depth of content, longer reads, videos, shorter pieces, as well as formats like lists." Bauer Media is the latest magazine publisher to eschew using an established brand – such as Heat or Grazia magazines or Kiss FM – in a bid to target a new generation of digital media-savvy consumers.

"I think traditional publishers have started to realise they don't need a fully-fledged glossy magazine launch to reach these consumers," said Holleyoake. "There is a greater willingness for publishers to try new things in the market." Last summer, Stylist publisher Shortlist Media launched smartphone and tablet product Never Underdressed, which competes with glossies including Elle and Vogue; and last month Future Publishing stated its intention to target the same market, taking a stake in female-focused blog network Handpicked Media. The Debrief's editorial strategy will focus on five "content pillars" – People, Life, Getting Ready, Sex and In/Out.

• An 11-strong team will deliver content "24/7" – 10 staff are based in the UK, with Fiona Byrne based in New York to publish overnight elements, including While You Were Sleeping.

The editorial team is headed by Hattie Brett, another former senior Grazia executive, with Holleyoake claiming there have been no internal issues with The Debrief being set up as a separate venture. "Bauer has a lot of magazines and radio brands a lot do touch this audience but don't cater to them fully," she said. "It is a valuable and relatively untapped market. There is a bit of overlap on a number of brands – like Heat and Kiss . But Heat is about celebrity, The Debrief is not trying to be Heat for 20-somethings. And Grazia is fashion, which will only be a part of our content." Advertisers have embraced the potential of the digital venture, with Bacardi and H&M on board for launch.

• "H&M always aims to interact with our consumers in innovative and unique ways and this partnership perfectly enables us to continue to do that," said Ulrika Miller, marketing manager at H&M.
• Bauer Media is backing the launch with a digital marketing campaign by Gravity Road.