Hearst Magazines Digital Media’s Cosmopolitan has officially launched its mobile site.
The site, M.cosmopolitan.com, joins a stable of other Hearst mobile sites, including ones for Esquire and Seventeen. Until now, the latest Hearst mobile sites were for Harper’s Bazaar and Marie Claire magazines (launched simultaneously in August).
Hearst has agreements with most US mobile carriers, including AT&T/Cingular, Sprint and Verizon, allowing readers to access the site from almost any mobile phone.
All nine of Hearst’s mobile sites offer interactive features such as search, “talk-to-us” links and downloads.
The Cosmopolitan site also offers pages catering more directly to the fashion-conscious, trendy young women who make up the majority of the magazine’s print readership. Cosmopolitan offerings include “Cosmo Cocktails,” which pulls up drink recipes on demand, and “Fake Calls,” a service that, as the name suggests, calls users’ cell phones as a way to get them out of awkward dates.
While the mobile site may be a new way to engage consumers, it does not signal a move away from print. Cosmopolitan magazine saw ad pages rise 9.7% for the first half of this year.
Thus far, the Hearst mobile sites are free to users. They are promoted in Hearst’s print magazines and on the magazines’ Web sites.
The Cosmopolitan site launch corresponds with Hearst’s push towards the digital world. Along with mobile sites, Hearst has also been investing in an Internet presence. The publishing company purchased a number of sites this summer, including UGO.com and shopping site Kaboodle.com.
Hearst Magazines Digital Media and Syndication is a unit of New York-based Hearst Corp. Some of its holdings include stakes in ESPN, A&E Television Networks and Lifetime. Hearst Corporation publishes close to 200 magazines worldwide, including Cosmopolitan, GoodHousekeeping and O.
