Grow
Facebook’s latest publishing move: a print magazine
With its entrenched digital roots and massive online advertising operation, Facebook has made the decision to create its own print magazine.
The social media giant has quietly launched Grow, a British-based quarterly publication distributed for free in first and business-class airport lounges. The magazine is presented as a “thought leadership platform” featuring people who “challenge the status quo”.
In its first edition, Grow featured stories about Paris’s transformation into “Silicon-sur-Seine”—a hub for startups, Diageo’s expansion into the craft market, a report exploring the rise of niche brands, and an interview with Oscar Olsson, described as a “millennial whisperer” running a new H&M brand called /Nyden. The publication will also host events, with small, invite-only “Grow” gatherings expected to take place in Europe in 2019.
More than a nod to the power of the printed word, Facebook’s entry into print publishing represents a cross-over occurring between digital and physical customer journeys. Much like digital-first brands that embrace the power of physical stores, Facebook is using the print publication to build engagement. Addressing it as “a business marketing programme” rather than a magazine, Facebook says there is no revenue model for the magazine yet and that it will not run ads or charge for any of the events.
Source: Vice News (June 25, 2018) | The Times (June 22, 2018) | Image: Laura Pittaccio