How to launch a 90-year-old brand online
It’s always impressive when a ninety-year-old can traverse the internet without issue, and even more so when that ninety-year-old launches a digital website and content commerce hub.
Of course, we’re talking about that grand old dame The Australian Women’s Weekly, who celebrates her 90th birthday this year, and is now taking a huge leap into the brave new digital world with womensweekly.com.au – a dedicated digital home for the legendary print magazine.
It’s part of Are Media’s ambitious plan to “step up its investment in content verticals and accelerate its transformation to an omnichannel content business,” which has seen the magazine publisher build verticals across three categories: entertainment, fashion and beauty, and lifestyle.
The Australian Women’s Weekly slides in under the lifestyle vertical, alongside Gourmet Traveller, Diabetic Living, New Idea Food and Books, and more.
Last month, Nicole Byers, the former editor-in-chief of The Australian Women’s Weekly, stepped into the newly-created role of general manager – lifestyle, where she will head up the launch of the AWW digital platform.
She speaks to Mumbrella about the challenges and joys of launching a legacy brand into a digital space.
The Australian Women’s Weekly has a 90-year legacy. How did this weigh into your choices regarding launching an online hub?
The Australian Women’s Weekly is a media super brand that has lived through world wars and witnessed man landing on the moon, been to countless royal weddings, fought tirelessly for women’s rights and been personally responsible for the creation of over 80 million children’s birthday cakes – all while providing comfort, purpose and guidance to millions of women.
Much has changed since The Australian Women’s Weekly was launched in 1933 and the brand now spans the magazine, much-loved cookbooks, social media, a TV special, events and more.
But there has been a constant theme that has run through the decades and it can be summed up in three words: reliability, integrity and authenticity. The Australian Women’s Weekly is a hugely trusted brand and in today’s world, trust is a truly priceless commodity.
Now we are harnessing the power of that trust as we continue the brand’s evolution, and that starts with the launch of our brand new website, womensweeky.com.au.
The website will grow and deepen the connection we have with our existing audience of over 2.2 million and it will also enable us to reach and inspire a new cohort of Australian women who value quality content.
It will provide trusted advice on everything from financial planning to travel, health and beauty, as well as The Australian Women’s Weekly’s trademark interviews and in-depth investigations.
The site will not only be a platform for information; it will provide a community for Australian women who want to find out more about the things that matter most to them, with content that aligns to the values and standards they have come to expect from The Australian Women’s Weekly.
And next year we will launch The Australian Women’s Weekly’s marketplace – specially curated by the brand’s team – for the growing number of women who tell us they are just not being catered for elsewhere.
The launch of womensweekly.com.au is a clear signal of Are Media’s ongoing commitment to supercharging The Australian Women’s Weekly, and ensuring it remains the trusted source of inspiration and information for Australian women for another 90 years to come.
Why has it taken this long, given the brand value/readership value? Or, rather, why now?
Now to Love is a very successful platform, but the time is right for The Australian Women’s Weekly to have its own website. We know readers, and advertisers, want it and they are already responding strongly to it. The Australian Women’s Weekly offers a trusted brand environment for advertisers, and the ability to supercharge this brand for content commerce for our readers.
Were there concerns about diluting your massive print readership with a free, more regularly updated offering?
Not at all. We meet the audiences where they are. There are different mindsets when reading a print magazine for over an hour a week, versus grabbing a recipe or health and lifestyle content and advice online.
Is the target audience for the site different to the magazine?
The website might skew slightly younger, but remember The Australian Women’s Weekly is a media super-brand, with an incredibly broad reach. Our aim is to create quality content that connects with women no matter their age or life stage.
It’s the issues that unite and resonate across generations that are the sweet spot for the Weekly, no matter the platform.
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Nathan Jolly is the Deputy Editor of Mumbrella. He joined the team in July, 2023.
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