Things haven’t been easy at New York-based Condé Nast lately, but a glimmer of good news arrived this week as the publisher announced it has developed a mobile app that offers users an exact replica of its print mags in online form, starting with GQ.
Not only does the new app give Condé Nast a new avenue in which to sell its magazines, the Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) has approved its status as a digital replica, and sales will count toward the magazine’s paid circulation.
First available mid-November for the release of GQ‘s ‘Men of the Year’ issue, the free app is made for the iPhone and iPod Touch, and issues of GQ will be available for $2.99 in the iTunes App Store on the same release date as the print issue. Ads will appear as they do in the print version, but will also offer more interactivity as video, e-commerce and linking capability are all enabled as part of the new app.
‘This medium enables new levels of advertiser integration,’ Peter King Hunsinger, VP and publisher of GQ, said in a release. ‘Not only will all print ads be replicated in the app, but we’ve sold special integrated sponsorship packages to Grey Goose and Gillette.’
Condé Nast, publisher of titles such as Vogue, Wired and Glamour, recently laid off almost 400 employees and in 2009 closed down consumer titles such as Gourmet and Modern Bride.
