The Peninsula Beverly Hills
Online retailer Net-A-Porter’s weekly online magazine The Edit is pairing with Peninsula Hotels to provide miniature travel guides to the cities of 10 properties around the world.
The guides will be published in several different languages on both Peninsula’s Web site and on The Edit. Editorial partnerships allow brands to create a curated experience and share them with a specific audience.
“These mini-guides are fitting as the Net-A-Porter woman is well traveled and always looking for inspiration on the chicest places to say, eat, drink and absorb culture, particularly in fashion cities,” said Jenny Dickinson, editor of The Edit.
Digital pocket-sized
Each designed guide provides shopping expeditions, cultural events, style, fashion tips and dining suggestions. The first guide is for Peninsula Paris, published at the conclusion of Paris Fashion Week.
Paris is already in the minds of many, and with the likelihood of guests and fashion industry officials staying in the city a bit longer, the timing makes sense.
The guide form Peninsula Paris starts with images of the hotel and then provides accessory and apparel suggestions. There are events listed, shops and markets to visit and café and bar options.
Net-A-Porter and Peninsula Hotels
On the Peninsula Web site, the guides will be published in English, French, simplified and traditional Chinese and Japanese. On Net-A-Porter, editions will be published in English, French, German and simplified Chinese.
The first issue was published March 12 and on March 26 the next guide will publish featuring Peninsula Hong Kong. Peninsula properties in Shanghai, Manila, Beverly Hills, CA, New York, Chicago, Bangkok, Tokyo and Beijing will also publish a mini-guide between now and the end of October.
Branded thoughts
Sponsored content allows brands to reach a specific audience.
For example in 2014, Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana partnered with New York magazine’s blog The Cut on sponsored content for Mother’s Day celebrated by United States consumers on May 11.
Dolce & Gabbana shared its favorite spots in Milan, New York and Los Angeles perfect for an outing with mom via dedicated paid Pinterest boards and Web site content. This sponsored content will help Dolce & Gabbana raise awareness among consumers in a number of markets (see story).
Also, department store chain Saks Fifth Avenue was further differentiating its point of view with the release of its largest spring catalog to-date that combines editorial content with its latest offerings.
The spring edition magalog was the first to include cover profiles of celebrities, with the co-stars from the upcoming Disney live-action “Cinderella,” Lily James and Richard Madden, featured on the respective women’s and men’s issues. Saks’ modernized catalog format is continuing to evolve, making the retailer’s marketing publication read more like a branded fashion magazine, enabling it to reach consumers more naturally (see story).
Keeping content close to the brand, but also suggesting other concepts and places allows consumers to feel as if the content is less branded and more of a helpful tool.
“This is a great benefit for international travelers looking for an inside view into various cities,” said Annie Covell, marketing consultant, San Francisco. “When visiting somewhere new, especially internationally, it can be hard to find the local hot spots for shopping, dinning, etc.
“This guide is a great way to get the inside scoop and I love that all the recommendations are close to the hotel for easy access.”
Final Take
Nancy Buckley, editorial assistant on Luxury Daily, New York