Condé Naste made headlines last fall when it announced the closure of four magazines, including Gourmet. The oldest culinary magazine in America, which ceased print publication and moved entirely online, is now making another move in the digital publishing world with the launch of the Gourmet Live app.
Gourmet Live will bring together the usual print content—articles, menus, and photos—with interactivity such as videos, social networking, location-based technology, and monetization structures typical in gaming. While Gourmet Live won’t launch until later this year, Condé Naste has already released a preview of what’s to come.
President and CEO Charles H. Townsend had this to say about the new digital content:
By focusing on a new way to meet consumer needs, tap into our deep branding, and approach our content differently, we came up with a product that reimagines Gourmet and revalues engagement. We approached this like a tech company, utilizing the rich assets of a media company, keeping Condé Nast at the forefront of content innovation.
Part of that revaluation of engagement is the rewards concept of the new app. Tagged as “your reward for exploring great food and good living,” the app will be a free download with paid content options. Users will also be able to earn rewards by connecting and sharing the content with their friends via sites like Twitter and Facebook.
This app is pretty daring when you consider that just nine months ago, Gourmet was following a fairly traditional publishing model. At the time, Townsend said, “We know that we have to be more than simply a magazine publisher.” It looks like Condé Nast is doing just that, starting with Gourmet Live.
Tags: digital, magazines, publishing