Thrillist Media Launches ‘The Crosby Press’ to Finally Solve Content + Commerce Puzzle
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Ever since Thrillist – the young guy’s lifestyle email company – bought the men’s apparel site JackThreads almost three years ago, Thrillist Media Group CEO Ben Lerer has promoted the idea that the future of media is to integrate it with commerce. Nice in theory, but in practice the synergies have been elusive.
Yes, JackThreads is doing just fine, finishing 2012 with about $40 million in revenue, Mr. Lerer said. And the business models are complementary – pairing a steady, high-margin one (media) with a fast-growing, low-margin one (commerce). Yet the company hasn’t fulfilled the promise of meshing commerce into the content experience in a way that would make it easier for Thrillist readers to buy stuff that they’re reading about, or shoppers at Jack Threads to read related content.
Mr. Lerer is now betting that the launch of its second media property, The Crosby Press, will help accomplish that commerce-content integration without forcing it on Thrillist readers initially. While Thrillist caters to men in their mid to late 20s interested in travel, food and drink, The Crosby Press is targeting younger guys — 18- to 24-year-olds — who live a different lifestyle with music, extreme sports, and fashion at the core. Essentially, Crosby Press is tasked with producing content that the core Jackthreads customer wants to read.
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