MSN to Introduce New Online Lifestyle Experience

Microsoft is cooking what it is promising to be a new online lifestyle experience aimed at women between 25 and 49. In this regard, the Redmond company informs that MSN has partnered with BermanBraun Interactive, and Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., in order to build a new website focused largely on topics related to fashion, style, beauty, relationships, and home décor. According to Microsoft, the new online property is planned for availability by summer 2010, but neither the software giant nor its “partners in lifestyle” wished to offer users a more specific deadline.

“Lifestyle is one of our top priorities because of its growing popularity and strong appeal to the adult female audience and advertisers that wish to reach them. We see a great opportunity to expand on our current lifestyle offering by delivering a new experience that is unique to the broader lifestyle category,” said Scott Moore, U.S. executive producer, MSN. “We’re excited to build on our proven model with BermanBraun, adding the category branding expertise and panache of HFM U.S. to deliver a compelling new lifestyle experience on MSN.”

The new web-based online lifestyle experience promised by MSN is not exactly out of the blue, but is instead built on a previous collaboration between Microsoft and BermanBraun Interactive. In early February 2009, MSN together with BermanBraun launched Wonderwall, a new online destination for entertainment and celebrity information. Since introduction, Wonderwall evolved constantly, and is currently averaging 9.5 million unique users and some 225 million page views per month, in terms of U.S. audience.

“We are thrilled to be in business with a world-class partner such as Hachette,” commented principals Gail Berman and Lloyd Braun. “We look forward to building on our relationship with MSN and creating an innovative and unique lifestyle experience.”

Microsoft and BermanBraun are looking to expand their partnership, and to at least repeat the success of Wonderwall. In this sense, the two have partnered with Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. (HFM U.S.), which owns the following brands: ELLE, Woman’s Day and ELLE DÉCOR. The new website will be designed to reach a large part of the currently 100 million people in the U.S. accessing lifestyle online content.

“HFM U.S.’s vision is to build strong leading brands,” added Alain Lemarchand, president and CEO, Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. “We believe that the strengths within our relationship are complementary, and together we can create an online destination that will be a unique and compelling experience for women.”