BDG Poaches GQ Executive to Glitz Up Its C&I Portfolio

The digital media company BDG has hired Jon Wilde, formerly the global digital director at GQ, to usher its Culture and Innovation portfolio into a stylish new era, one defined by a closer hewing to the world of celebrity and a budding slate of signature events. Wilde will begin his role as senior vice president, editorial, Culture and Innovation, on May 23. The C&I portfolio, which houses the titles Mic, Gawker, Inverse and Input, aims to amp up the glitz in order to court blue-chip brands in the luxury fashion space, said Emma Rosenblum, the newly promoted chief content officer of BDG. Josh Topolsky, formerly the chief content officer of the C&I portfolio specifically, left BDG in April. To attract more share of voice, Wilde will draw on a mix of strategies gleaned from his decade of work at Condé Nast, as well as a number of initiatives already underway within the portfolio. The evolution in direction comes on the heels of an active year for parent company BDG, which acquired Some Spider Studios in June 2021 and whose first-quarter revenue is on pace to rise 29% year over year, according to president and chief revenue officer Jason Wagenheim. “We want to take the concrete editorial vision that already exists and resonates with the C&I audience and pair that with enough savvy to make moments that we can take out into the market,” Wilde said. “We want it to be a win-win for both our editorial brands and our partners who want to connect to our audiences.” Wilde, who joins BDG from GQ, will look to inject star power into the Culture and Innovation editorial calendar. As in other industries, publishers have sought to navigate an economy riddled with uncertainty, as rising inflation, changing consumer behaviors and geopolitical unrest have muddied commercial prospects. The marked uptick in online commerce spurred by the pandemic has receded, but only after a number of publishers invested in the space, leaving it highly competitive. For BDG, which has few sources of reader revenue outside of affiliate marketing, a portfolio that can more capably attract luxury budgets could help cushion the company if market conditions worsen. Identifying trademark moments and boosting celebrity coverage In much the same way Vogue dominates coverage of the Met Gala, Wilde will push the C&I titles to plant their flag in key cultural events that align with its brands. He offered Comic-Con as one potential example. Associating its publishers with these moments will allow BDG to better package content around them and heighten their visibility, which will enable C&I sales teams to more effectively sell inventory against them, according to Rosenblum. The four publishers will also work to incorporate more celebrity coverage into their editorial plans, a strategy that remains one of the last viable ways for brands to gain exposure to new audiences in the social media era, Rosenblum added. “When I joined Bustle, the second thing we did after enhancing the editorial quality was enter the celebrity world,” Rosenblum said. “That is the only way, in the social media landscape, to get a new brand into people’s feed.” Newsletters and product reviews have internal momentum In addition to borrowing techniques from the Condé Nast playbook, Wilde also plans to expand two internal initiatives that have gained traction among the C&I portfolio. In line with larger industry trends, BDG has invested more heavily in its newsletter portfolio, adding five newsletters this year to bring its total to 19. The number of cumulative subscribers has risen from 2.6 million in 2021 to 4.4 million in May, an increase aided by the January acquisition of The Zoe Report, which brought BDG its roughly 1 million newsletter subscribers. Revenue from newsletters has played an increasingly important role as well, Wagenheim said. Email sponsorship accounted for 3.5% of its total revenue in 2021, and that number is on pace to more than double to 7.5% by the end of the year. Additionally, the C&I portfolio plans to build out its Reviews and Guides sections, Wilde said. While the verticals serve as a source of affiliate revenue, they also offer valuable real estate for brands looking to align themselves with purchase-primed consumers. Drawing on his experience building out the commerce efforts at GQ, Wilde plans to draw more luxury clients into the space, especially in fashion and automotive. Gawker unveiled its first such campaign with Balenciaga earlier in May. "A strong commerce operation, like a newsletter, draws readers into a closer relationship with the brand,” Wilde said. “Whether or not it converts into commerce revenue, it strengthens the gravitational pull of a brand.”

Leadership & Talent

BDG Poaches GQ Executive to Glitz Up Its Culture and Innovation Portfolio

Revenue is on pace to rise 29% year over year for the digital media company

Mark Stenberg

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