3 Challenges for Elle Magazine’s New Chief Brand Officer

Elle just named Robin Domeniconi as its new chief brand officer. What does this mean for the former Microsoft VP of U.S. advertising sales, marketing and publishing? Here are three challenges she will be facing:

1. Branding is not the same as Sales – Domeniconi’s background seems to be in advertising sales, which is not the same thing as branding. Elle is somewhat in need of an identity makeover, and it is not immediately obvious that Domeniconi has skills in this area. She certainly seems capable of unique and creative advertising sources, but what Elle, and really any print publication in this day and age, needs is someone who understands how to bridge the gap between print and online. That may be within Domeniconi’s bag of tricks, since she has certainly learned how to bridge that gap with her own brand, moving from Real Simple magazine and Time, Inc. to Microsoft and then back to print in her new gig. But the question remains whether she can give Elle a new brand identity while maintaining its existing clout in the fashion industry – no mean feat for a branding veteran let alone someone who’s experience is in selling ads.

2. Fashion is not the same as Software – This is one area where Domeniconi’s background may serve her better than her last job, but it is clear that the audiences for fashion and for software are vastly different. With any communication challenge, understanding who is receiving the communication is key to sending messages that that audience will relate to. Domeniconi’s take on selling Microsoft was unique to the point that her tenure there was short-lived, so it may be that she has a better understanding of the fashion audience than that of software. But she will need to shift gears in her product-pushing perspective if she wants to succeed at Elle.

3. Cool is not the same as Functional – The key difference I see in this job shift is that Elle seems to be trying to sell Cool, while Microsoft is trying to sell Function. During Domeniconi’s watch, Microsoft was forced to face this particular challenge itself, with the rise of coolness in the software industry mainly in the form of free apps, Google, and Apple’s growing popularity. And Microsoft vis-à-vis Domeniconi failed miserably – arguably because Microsoft tried to compete on a field on which it was ill-equipped to do battle instead of focusing on its own core strengths. So again, Domeniconi might be well-adapted to Cool marketing and was saddled with a bad fit at Microsoft.

Time will tell how Domeniconi fairs in her new home, but I would be on the lookout for some gutsy moves from Elle in the latter part of the Summer.