Flipboard, a social network-driven reading app for the iPad, has won a key battle in its efforts to bring publishers into the fold by signing a deal with magazine giant Conde Nast to offer several of the publisher’s titles with branded advertising from major marketers American Express and Lexus. The program will initially involve The New Yorker, Wired and Bon Appetit, with other titles to be added later this year.
Publishers and content creators alike will have a new way to provide magazine-eqsue experiences of Web-based content including full-page ads with Flipboard’s new program. There will be a limited number of ad pages available within select content, leading advertisers to have a powerful but not overly dominant voice amid the content. Readers will be able to click on the ads to be sent to a brand’s website or Facebook page for further information. Flipboard operates using a revenue share model, under which publishers have a direct relationship with advertisers as Flipboard manages inventory.
“Conde Nast is always looking for ways to take advantage of new channels that provide an environment in keeping with our editorial excellence, while offering unique opportunities for readers and advertisers,” Conde Nast Chief Marketing Officer Lou Cona said. “Flipboard’s social magazine is a great example of that winning combination, while also giving us another way to market our own portfolio of tablet apps.”
The deal with Conde Nast is just the latest in Flipboard’s efforts to build bridges with major publishers to help the app dominate distribution in the social reading sphere. Flipboard earlier this year entered into an agreement with Oprah Winfrey’s new cable network OWN to give Winfrey a spot on its home page. For the record, Appolicious is also a content partner of Flipboard. Although these recent deals give Flipboard a significant advantage in the fight against similar reading apps such as Pulse News, the war is far from won as many publishers and other content pushers have yet to officially enter the battlefield.
