Hearst Magazines

The Business Problem

This was the first time we tackled a challenge this systematic and extensive, and it set the bar for what was to come with future engagements like Bloomberg and The Huffington Post.

The system gave Hearst the ability to optimize sites, spin off new sites, create immersive storytelling experiences, utilize data, unify workflows, and extend ad opportunities.

We like to think that this has fueled the publisher’s ambitions for a more integrated, efficient future of digital publishing.

The Insight

At a time of extreme change within the category, Hearst brought on Troy Young to lead the reimagination of what their digital magazine business would become. At the center of this vision is an efficient network of sites under a single digital architecture, powered by a single CMS.

At Code and Theory, we shared Young’s enthusiasm for this model. Hearst boasts some of America’s finest magazines, an exceptional and diverse range of content, vast reach, and a massive global distribution mechanism. We were energized by the opportunity to match the company’s digital experience to its physical publications.

The Solution

In order to understand what this new digital system would have to accomplish, our analysts and strategists set about exploring Hearst’s roster of publications. We grouped each title into one of three categories, or tiers. At the top tier were marquee publications like Cosmopolitan, Esquire, and Elle, with high content velocity and active, expansive readerships. In the middle were utility-based publications like Car and Driver and Good Housekeeping, which attracted readers with the intent to do research. And at the lower tier were the slower, more specialized lifestyle publications such as Elle Decor, Veranda, and Southern Living.

After determining a general hierarchy of needs for all of these magazines in digital, the system would have to scale up for the marquee publications that churn out a high volume of content while still offering a rich and flexible digital language for more focused publications with lower content volume.

The Results

From Months to Moments

It used to take months for Hearst to get new sites up and running. Our new digital system, however, is designed for speed and efficiency. Now, new magazine sites can be pushed online in a matter of days.

Finite but Connected

Because the system was built as a unified, single system, Hearst can optimize modules across properties instantly. For example, if a gallery module worked well for Elle Decor, Cosmopolitan can adapt it easily for their identity.

True to Identity

We were extremely careful to honor the brand identity of each publication. The system is standardized in terms of structures and strategies, but from a brand perspective, each site feels differentiated and unique.

Unified Ad Offering

Since our digital system was standardized around these three tiers, an ad innovation that occurs on one property can be easily and seamlessly extended across the others. From a business strategy perspective, this brought significant efficiencies to Hearst. By centralizing all ad offerings on the same ad map, the company could sell ad inventory across publications. While many publishers sell ads across properties, it is much easier to have everyone on the same system. The benefit for advertisers is also significant: because the system is entirely unified, they can create one custom ad architecture and know that it will work across the entire network.

A Unified Editorial Network

Bringing Efficiencies to Content

With this efficient, high-velocity content system, Hearst doesn’t have to sacrifice quality of content for speed, flexibility, and personalization. Not to mention there are huge benefits to quality in relying on a single editorial library. Hearst can now be far more programmatic with its content presentation, combining and connecting interrelated content from across properties for a more immersive, multidimensional experience.

Data Is Power

The network’s unity makes it easier than ever for Hearst’s magazines to collect data on its readers across properties—meaning more personalization and more sophisticated content strategies. Additionally, if analytics indicate the need for an optimization on one property, all magazines now have the opportunity to benefit.