Through online communities, product exchanges, panels, and more, Fuel Cycle offers the only all-in-one market research platform for brands to connect to their customers. With Fuel Cycle, organizations can quickly act upon reliable data to help predict the future of their industry and stay one step ahead of the competition.
THE
PROBLEM
ELLE MAGAZINE NAVIGATES THE NEW WORLD OF FAST MEDIA
Founded: 2008
Category: Media
Product: ELLE Magazine, ELLE.com
Global Turnover: $352M
Fuel Cycle Client Since: 2008
Fashion magazines, once the sole arbiters of what was in vogue, have now had to make room for social channels that have given birth to fashion bloggers and Influencers who now hold a high degree of power over consumers. While this shift has unsettled some media enterprises, ELLE Magazine, who has a global presence with 46 editions worldwide, has morphed into a true omnichannel brand, seeing all their channels—both print and online—as natural extensions of their content.
The internet, more specifically social media, have entirely rewritten the customer story. With peer-to-peer sharing having higher engagement rates than traditional advertising and user-generated content accounting for nearly 5.4 hours of the viewers daily watch time worldwide. ELLE magazine, like all print media conglomerates, has faced a learning curve in navigating the new world of media. In order to leverage user generated content, maximize social media presence, and cultivate a place to speak to engaged readers, ELLE has enlisted the help of online community provider, Fuel Cycle, to help curate a circle of their most trusted readers called the ELLE Inner Circle. This private branded community is a place where members are invited to participate in exclusive research activities, such as live chats, discussion boards, surveys, and in-home product testing.
ELLE Inner Circle Highlights
20,294 CURRENT NUMBER OF INNER CIRCLE MEMBERS
19,676 MEMBERS AVAILABLE FOR EMAIL BLASTS
79% CONSIDER THEMSELVES BEAUTY EXPERTS
42% HAVE 1000 SOCIAL FOLLOWERS OR MORE
THE
SOLUTION
ELLE’S SOCIAL CLUB GENERATES BUZZ FOR PRODUCTS
“So luxurious and hydrating, I’m so impressed! I have rough, dry, flaky skin on the outer parts of my chin and POOF, totally healed. I received this complementary from ELLE for my honest review. “
Skin Concerns: Acne & Blemishes
Yes. I would recommend this product
From the ELLE Inner Circle, ELLE created a micro group called the ELLE Social Club, which was formed to augment the inherent social aspect of the Inner Circle. Members chosen for the ELLE Social Club were meant to inform ELLE’s advertising partners on a case-by-case basis to provide more granular insights into how to optimize advertisement partnerships. In one activity, a beauty brand wanted to test the marketability and likeability of their new face serum. In the study, ELLE sent out the serum to Social Club Members and invited them to take a survey of their experience. 74% of the members completed the survey and over 20 members (with followings of over 1000+) published public Instagram posts featuring the product along with proper hashtags, which generated over 3,000 likes and 167 comments; and ten reviews were generated on the beauty brands website as result.
The results of the study produced insights in three key areas for both the beauty brand and ELLE: 89% of the tester recommended the product to their friend/family member and used the product within 24 hours, which aided brand awareness. Respondents were impressed with the packaging and quality of the product, giving insight into marketability. And finally, 64% of the testers explored other products from the brand driving future purchase
ELLE Social Club Highlights
100% ACTIVE ON INSTAGRAM
96% ARE ACTIVE ON FACEBOOK
83% POST CONTENT EVERY DAY
54% 2000+ INSTAGRAM FOLLOWERS
LOOKING
FORWARD
ELLE PUSHES THE ENVELOPE THROUGH AGILE RESEARCH
Through online communities, product exchanges, panels, and more, Fuel Cycle offers the only all-in-one market research platform for brands to connect to their customers. With Fuel Cycle, organizations can quickly act upon reliable data to help predict the future of their industry and stay one step ahead of the competition.
Media brands will continue to face an audience and consumer landscape that is in flux as social channels and digital devices continue to sparse viewer attention. Consumers, once held captive by print and television ads, now have control over when, where, and which brands they interact with through media. ELLE, through Inner Circle insights, have informed their advertising partners into key areas of opportunities and boosted social and digital engagement, such as in the form of online reviews and user-generated social media posts. As a brand who has maintained a longstanding global presence, ELLE will continue to push the envelope in terms of content and influence through agile and continuous research.
