Syntagma Digital
Editor, John Evans

Glam Media Swallows b5media Retail Push

It has been announced that b5media’s lifestyle channels are joining Glam Media’s retail-oriented blog network as affiliates. The press release begins :

“NEW YORK and TORONTO– January 9, 2006 – Glam Media and b5media Inc. announced a partnership today to bring content from b5media to Glam, the largest fashion and style network on the Web. Select b5media blogs will join the Glam Network of over 250 affiliates …”

Well, it has a familiar ring to it. The push into the retail sector is a sound one and follows Syntagma Media’s efforts in this direction during the second half of 2006.

Here’s the deal : Join The Glam Blog Network.

I recall we had a few similar offers at the time I was writing about it, but decided to remain independent while building our own infrastructure in-house. Affiliate advertising works for some, but is hardly the stuff of mainstream media. Of course, b5’s imperatives are now driven by the needs of venture capital, so will inevitably take a different route.

But joining someone else’s network was never part of our retail plan — joint ventures are a different matter, of course. I wonder that a long press release was deemed appropriate here.

However, we wish Jeremy and Co much success in this field. It’s a tough business, but well worth extending a tentacle or two out of the tech blogosphere.

16 Responses to “Glam Media Swallows b5media Retail Push”

  1. I’m doing an interview with 901am today, John, so you can get the skinny on this then :)

  2. (dupe)

  3. Thanks, Jeremy, I’ll take a look later. Not sure what “(dupe)” means, though. ;-)

  4. Means I forgot to subscribe to the thread ;)

  5. Here you go John, hope this helps clarify a bit: http://www.901am.com/2007/b5media-ceo-jeremy-wright-talks-about-the-glam-deal.html.

  6. Thanks, Jeremy. Interesting. The press release was a little overcooked, I thought, for an affiliate deal. But from what you say, it’s a little bit different. Ah well, good luck with it. :-)

  7. It wasn’t our press release, it was Glam’s. But either way, you know what they say about press releases: nobody pays attention to the short ones ;-)

  8. Yep. When one of the Glam Media ladies contacted us she sounded more than a little hysterical. I’d watch out out if I were you. ;-)

  9. Julieta can be a little excitable, but she’s a sweetheart :)

  10. Maybe I should have given her more attention. ;-)

  11. John…. You know calling a woman “hysterical” is considered offensive at best.

  12. I speak as I find, Hsien. ;-)

  13. Fortunately I’m more careful with my hurtful words (most of the time…).

  14. Well, Hsien, if someone comes across as hysterical, then I don’t see why I shouldn’t say so, if it’s relevant to the conversation. Note, I didn’t give a name, so I don’t see how it could be “hurtful”. We can’t just abandon the truth because of dim-witted political “correctness”.

  15. Well, now you’re just getting hysterical.

  16. There, you said it. :-)

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