NBC Reboots iVillage Yet Again

NBC Universal made headlines in 2006 when it purchased pioneering women’s interest website iVillage for $600 million. After three years and two failed attempts to establish the brand on television, the jury is still out on whether the acquisition was a stroke of genius or folly.

This week, hoping to reclaim their niche as the premier site for women, iVillage announced a total relaunch, to be rolled out in phases, with a focus on catering to the needs of today’s busy woman through social media tools and mobile applications. Their new Entertainment section claims to be "the only online celebrity entertainment news site designed especially for women.”

Clearly, the woman they have in mind happens to be a mother, but doesn’t let that define her. Besides a focus on topical, newsy stories intended to drive conversation among readers, iVillage is encouraging greater community involvement and feedback, shaping the editorial direction through reader guidance, and lending an edge to advertisers. Boasting an average of 15,000 brand mentions on their message boards, iVillage seeks to lure advertisers interested in connecting brands to female influencers through trusted word-of-mouth product recommendations.

The new iVillage will draw on the resources and established brands available throughout parent company NBC Universal, as the digital anchor of Women At NBCU, the company's female-targeted ad sales and marketing initiative, with exclusive content from established media Oxygen, Bravo and NBC programming.

But does this relationship with NBCU help or harm iVillage? Can iVillage establish its own identity amidst the content provided by NBC partners? Or does iVillage risk appearing redundant, overshadowed by their corporate siblings? It remains to be seen whether standing on the shoulders of giants can lead to successful branding.