Sales to date for the debut GQ July issue app stand at 6162 (based on Apple estimated weekly sales reports) purchases of the issue, and 41,842 downloads of the reader. Estimated issue downloads will be close to 9000 by the time the first of the monthly GQ issue apps is available.
Conceived and created in-house, all July issue print ads appeared on the iPad, while the extra augmented commercial opportunities, taken by Glenfiddich, Tag Heuer, Ralph Lauren and Armani Code Fragrance, were also included on the reader. The Glenfiddich iPad app ad was selected by iMonitor (McPheters & Company, June 20 2011; Vol. 25), the global industry tracking and evaluation service, as an example of an ‘Outstanding App’ advertisement.
Jamie Bill (pictured), Publishing Director of GQ, remarks: “At the forefront of digital development in the quality men’s sector, GQ has seen a strong response to our launch iPad app, proving it’s a valuable alternative route to read, building on our audience engagement, maintaining the editorial integrity of our brand, and offering an exciting standout environment for advertisers.”
John Mangan, General Manager of Prestige and Collections, L’Oréal UK (an advertiser on the debut app with Armani Code Fragrance) remarks “The first British GQ app was a real step forward in how TV, print and digital coexist. Interactive, innovative with unique content, it allowed us to engage at a deeper level with the reader giving the first 360 degree perspective of a fragrance outside of a website.”
Highlights of the GQ July issue app included comedian Jerry Seinfeld trapped in the app, literally; an extraordinary short film of the world’s sexiest woman, supermodel and star of Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley; Heston Blumenthal conjuring up the strangest dish ever made; and Alan Hollinghurst reading a passage from his astonishing new novel. All this plus columnists that wink at you when you least expect it, exercises you can watch before tying them out, and fashion stories that will surround you with sound and make you feel as though you really are wearing that suit.
GQ has also recently released the GQ Style iPhone app, in association with Mr Porter. This has had over 13,046 downloads (total as of 31st July from Apple), and has a 5 star rating in the iTunes store. The GQ Style app is the essential mobile men’s fashion manual: what to wear, how to wear it, and where to buy it. From key pieces selected by those in the know to a discerning GQ edit of the best suits, shirts, and shoes and the latest trends from next season’s catwalk shows. The rich digital content is updated daily by the editorial team of the most trusted media brand in the UK men’s fashion market, thus making it the men’s fashion application of choice.
The October issue of GQ, the Men of the Year Awards 2011 special, will be available from 8th September.
