Them’s the title
Condé to unveil 1st LBGTQ product
Condé Nast will become the first media giant to launch a brand specifically directed to the LBGTQ community.
Lights will go up on the new digital platform, called Them, on Oct. 26, the publisher said, with a prime focus on Gen Z’s — or those born in 1995 or later.
“We’ve been re-imagining our titles and creating new ones to more broadly reflect our culture today, and Them is a perfect example of how we’re thinking differently about our audiences,” said Anna Wintour, editor-in- chief of Vogue and artistic director of Condé Nast.
The brainchild of Phillip Picardi, the digital editorial director of Teen Vogue and Allure, marks the first new independent title at Condé since the short-lived Portfolio debuted in 2007.
Launch advertisers include Burberry, Google, Lyft and GLAAD (the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation).
“There is a cultural revolution happening that is — as always — spearheaded by young people who believe in fighting for equality, and we want to create a space that’s reflective of this moment,” Picardi said.
In the past, the gay readership audience was served largely by smaller or midsized publishers, whose ownership frequently changed hands.
For example, Overa Capital, the LA investment firm, earlier this year bought the gay-focused titles Out, The Advocate and Planet Out from Here Media — joining a portfolio that included High Times. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
In February, Davler Media, which at the time owned NY Spaces, launched a spinoff, Exuberance, a home-design mag aimed at the lesbian/bi- sexual/gay/transgender/questioning audience.
A month later, Davler, which also owns City Guide and Big Apple Parent, bought Metrosource Publishing, a gay-and-lesbian title with an urban-based circulation of 135,000.
Later, Davler sold Exuberance and NY Spaces to Mod Media.
“It’s a challenge, I’ll admit,” said Davler Chief Executive David Miller, of efforts to reach the gay-and-lesbian market. Of the Condé Nast digital-only plan, he said, “How do you get the traffic to make it worthwhile to advertisers?”