Andrea Blackwell
Digital & Creative Director
INTO THE FUTURE
Over the last 20 years, the essential brand has enjoyed unparalleled support from a large number of clients and undoubtedly this proved instrumental in its success. Conversely, the magazine as a marketing tool played an essential role in the prosperity of many of these highly regarded companies, which forged us into one big, happy Marbella family. Marbella may seem small and transitional but its affluent cosmopolitan population provides affiliation to the wider world around it. So how does essential continue to reinvent itself, month by month, reaching, inspiring and compelling residents and jet-setters alike, while popularising the luxurious, Marbella way of life within its boundaries and beyond?
Once upon a time, we all sat in banks, doctors’ offices and beauty salons waiting for our turn, leafing through the magazines laying around on the coffee table. Now, being bombarded with endless information online, we fiddle with our mobile gadgets, texting friends or checking social media instead. Whether targeted by cleverly devised online marketing messages or being immersed in our friends’ networks, we are ultimately looking for that feel-good moment in finding quality content that interests us. But can we find it, or are we just wasting a lot of precious time?
No matter what your nationality is, if you are in Marbella, you are interested in Marbella. There is nothing like holding a glossy magazine in hand, checking out beautifully presented pages, indulging in arresting visual stimuli of million-euro villas or mouth-watering close-ups of our favourite food. Essential doesn’t only look good but also provides impulse for the mind. Its interesting and informative articles are not only examples of fine journalism but are also relevant, passionately written and authoritative in their field. This combination of qualities is hard to find online and it is why we believe Essential Magazine in its paper format will carry on thriving for many years to come. But what happens when you can no longer find a copy or you have returned home to the far East or the cold North? We have been working on that!
Last year in 2018, we embarked on a mission to expand and drive essential’s online presence.
NEW WEBSITE
In the year leading up to our 20th anniversary we have designed a new ‘no-distraction’ website, where we can present our quality content similarly to how it’s done in the magazine. Did you ever start reading something interesting online only to find yourself checking out the shoes you didn’t buy yesterday, or finding yourself on a different site you decided was a waste of time half an hour later? I can sympathise! We opted for no busy sidebars, no advertising banners, flashy images and overflowing carousels which can drive the viewer crazy getting lost in all the noise. We wanted to create a clean platform that can provide the visitor with a quiet, non-intrusive reading experience, with easy navigation and seamless mobile adaptability. More and more, multimedia will accompany our presentation of articles, which will add a new and fresh dimension to our paper content. This will be signposted in the magazine, as we produce new videos for increasing numbers of articles. On our homepage the latest additions are clearly visible, what’s more, we started an email service twice a month containing direct links to seven new article entries, so one can truly access only the topics they may be interested in. A new addition still in beta stage is our live site-chat, which makes it quick and easy to contact us in real time with any questions or enquiries.
SOCIAL MEDIA
To support our web content, last year we also created and executed a carefully designed strategy to elevate our social media profiles. At this time, we have over 20 thousand Facebook followers, nearly 10 thousand Instagram connections and a daily post schedule on both, plus on Twitter and on our LinkedIn company profile. We take pride in showcasing everything interesting and fun that this beautiful corner of Europe has to offer, its exciting multicultural vibe, luxurious lifestyle and experiences to be discovered. We post videos, photos and links to the stories that we publish on-line, so our webpages become accessible from each of the different social platforms as well. We aim to create conversations, interaction and, in time, become a reliable go-to source for those who want to make the best of their Marbella living.
GLOBAL REACH
So, all in all, we’d like to extend the Essential family we have formed in the last 20 years with our amazing clients, to our readers too. We aim to become the hub of an exclusive ‘Marbella-but-Global’ community where we involve all citizens of this world who nurture the love and passion for everything this part of Spain has to offer: those who enjoy scrumptious dining, sumptuous interiors, mighty motoring, leisurely beach life, cutting edge technology, innovative beauty and health care, luxurious lodging, sophisticated architecture and of course the multi-faceted nature, compelling culture and the amazing weather we have here. Through our recently evolved and ever-growing online presence, our new mission going forward is now to locate these global readers, connect them to this community, and for everyone’s benefit, to let our precious product, Essential Magazine, flourish for another 20 years to come.
Andrea Blackwell
Digital & Creative Director
INTO THE FUTURE
Over the last 20 years, the essential brand has enjoyed unparalleled support from a large number of clients and undoubtedly this proved instrumental in its success. Conversely, the magazine as a marketing tool played an essential role in the prosperity of many of these highly regarded companies, which forged us into one big, happy Marbella family. Marbella may seem small and transitional but its affluent cosmopolitan population provides affiliation to the wider world around it. So how does essential continue to reinvent itself, month by month, reaching, inspiring and compelling residents and jet-setters alike, while popularising the luxurious, Marbella way of life within its boundaries and beyond?
Once upon a time, we all sat in banks, doctors’ offices and beauty salons waiting for our turn, leafing through the magazines laying around on the coffee table. Now, being bombarded with endless information online, we fiddle with our mobile gadgets, texting friends or checking social media instead. Whether targeted by cleverly devised online marketing messages or being immersed in our friends’ networks, we are ultimately looking for that feel-good moment in finding quality content that interests us. But can we find it, or are we just wasting a lot of precious time?
No matter what your nationality is, if you are in Marbella, you are interested in Marbella. There is nothing like holding a glossy magazine in hand, checking out beautifully presented pages, indulging in arresting visual stimuli of million-euro villas or mouth-watering close-ups of our favourite food. Essential doesn’t only look good but also provides impulse for the mind. Its interesting and informative articles are not only examples of fine journalism but are also relevant, passionately written and authoritative in their field. This combination of qualities is hard to find online and it is why we believe Essential Magazine in its paper format will carry on thriving for many years to come. But what happens when you can no longer find a copy or you have returned home to the far East or the cold North? We have been working on that!
Last year in 2018, we embarked on a mission to expand and drive essential’s online presence.
NEW WEBSITE
In the year leading up to our 20th anniversary we have designed a new ‘no-distraction’ website, where we can present our quality content similarly to how it’s done in the magazine. Did you ever start reading something interesting online only to find yourself checking out the shoes you didn’t buy yesterday, or finding yourself on a different site you decided was a waste of time half an hour later? I can sympathise! We opted for no busy sidebars, no advertising banners, flashy images and overflowing carousels which can drive the viewer crazy getting lost in all the noise. We wanted to create a clean platform that can provide the visitor with a quiet, non-intrusive reading experience, with easy navigation and seamless mobile adaptability. More and more, multimedia will accompany our presentation of articles, which will add a new and fresh dimension to our paper content. This will be signposted in the magazine, as we produce new videos for increasing numbers of articles. On our homepage the latest additions are clearly visible, what’s more, we started an email service twice a month containing direct links to seven new article entries, so one can truly access only the topics they may be interested in. A new addition still in beta stage is our live site-chat, which makes it quick and easy to contact us in real time with any questions or enquiries.
SOCIAL MEDIA
To support our web content, last year we also created and executed a carefully designed strategy to elevate our social media profiles. At this time, we have over 20 thousand Facebook followers, nearly 10 thousand Instagram connections and a daily post schedule on both, plus on Twitter and on our LinkedIn company profile. We take pride in showcasing everything interesting and fun that this beautiful corner of Europe has to offer, its exciting multicultural vibe, luxurious lifestyle and experiences to be discovered. We post videos, photos and links to the stories that we publish on-line, so our webpages become accessible from each of the different social platforms as well. We aim to create conversations, interaction and, in time, become a reliable go-to source for those who want to make the best of their Marbella living.
GLOBAL REACH
So, all in all, we’d like to extend the Essential family we have formed in the last 20 years with our amazing clients, to our readers too. We aim to become the hub of an exclusive ‘Marbella-but-Global’ community where we involve all citizens of this world who nurture the love and passion for everything this part of Spain has to offer: those who enjoy scrumptious dining, sumptuous interiors, mighty motoring, leisurely beach life, cutting edge technology, innovative beauty and health care, luxurious lodging, sophisticated architecture and of course the multi-faceted nature, compelling culture and the amazing weather we have here. Through our recently evolved and ever-growing online presence, our new mission going forward is now to locate these global readers, connect them to this community, and for everyone’s benefit, to let our precious product, Essential Magazine, flourish for another 20 years to come.