Moleskine is Changing Content Marketing with Launch of Fold Magazine

Content is still very much a pillar of any digital marketing strategy worth its salt.

Offering free and informative articles, eBooks, webinars, and more is a great way to draw people to your website and establish you as an expert in your field. This, in turn, will instill confidence in the consumer that you know what you're talking about and are thus the best company to come to for the products or services you provide.

Most brands facilitate content via a blog section on their websites, but iconic notebook brand, Moleskine has decided on something a little more imaginative.

Fold Magazine

Moleskine's concept was to launch a magazine style content hub from which all its blog posts could be accessed. Launched a year ago, Fold Magazine has since evolved into a stylish and diverse content source with a wide range of articles and topics from which users can select.

"Following in the footsteps of companies such as Airbnb and Away, Moleskine is the latest brand to launch a digital magazine," writes Ann Gynn for Content Marketing Institute. "According to the papermakers at Moleskine, Fold aims to be "a source of inspiration as well as a deep dive into the very meaning and process of inspiration. Using stories, interviews, galleries, and guides, Fold explores the process of creativity and showcases work from across the world. The online magazine is accompanied by #unfoldthefold messages on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram."

The homepage is full of striking shapes and imagery, complete with moving elements and animated thumbnails which react when you move your mouse over them. Putting the content creators front and center, many of the article thumbnails are images of the authors who wrote them.

Delve into the menu and you find several distinct sections.

Featuring a portfolio of established and emerging talents, the Gallery posts dozens of images, including many submitted to Moleskine's Instagram account of the drawings customers have created in their Moleskine journals. Each artist gets their own folder, again putting creators at the fore.

"Often times, aspiring artists feel insecure in working on their creativity, but with Moleskine, there is already a built standard there that makes them feel safe in an environment often visited by more renowned artists," said Moleskine Global Chief Marketing Officer Roberto Lobetti Bodoni. "It all comes down to the sense of belonging. It's mostly emotional (laughs), but I suppose, creativity is all about the emotions, eh?"

Next is the Top Ten section which features author submissions for their top ten... anything. Subjects range from a ten-step guide to Costa Rica all the way down to an author's top ten internet distractions. List posts are still incredibly popular on the internet with many online content businesses such as Buzzfeed having almost entirely built their reputation on them.

My Journey gives established entrepreneurs and figures from various industries a place to write about the events and motivations which led them to where they are. Intimate and personal, these articles are sure to inspire and delight anyone looking for a guiding light in the world of business.

Then there's Agenda. Harder to put into words, this section offers a space for creative freedom with a focus on urban exploration. With articles on art, politics, urban transformation, and many more topics besides, Agenda allows for a look into the more unconventionally beautiful parts of our world.

Finally, the How-To section gives guides from industry experts on everything from writing, organizing, and planning, to traveling and even dreaming. If you are looking for some guidance in a hobby or for your work, the How-To section has something for everyone.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to content, few are doing it quite like Moleskine. With Fold Magazine, Moleskine provides a steady stream of content which stays true to the brand identity but branches out into a diverse range of topics.

"It comes from the history we have, and the consistency in delivering the idea of telling a story to the consumers," said Bodoni. "In the beginning, when we launched a notebook, we positioned it not in a stationery shop as one usually would, but in a bookstore instead; a positioning that was built upon the idea of "a book yet to be written". In that way, we were already speaking volumes to the author that resides in every one of us."

You can hear Moleskine's Chief Digital Officer, Peter Hobolt Jensen speak at eTail Europe 2019, being held in June, at the QEII Centre, Westminster, London.

Please download the agenda today for more information and insights.