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GQ mobile site goes beyond content to be genuinely useful

Platform: Mobile | Author: Theo Theodorou, Head of sales, Microsoft Screentonic | Source: NMA magazine | Published: 19.06.08

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Introduction

As a subscriber to GQ, I've recently noticed a number of house ads directing users to a new GQ mobile service. With established publishers including Bauer and Dennis launching mobile versions of their titles, I was keen to see how Condé Nast's latest venture would stack up.

Access

There are two ways of accessing the GQ mobile site. The first is to text 'GQ' to 80808 to receive an SMS push to...

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... the site. This method is clearly promoted both in print and on the magazine's website in a dedicated mobile section. Alternatively you can enter the URL directly into your phone, which is again promoted online.

I was really pleased to see clear data-charge warnings across the website, indicating that although GQ mobile is free to use your operator may charge for the data downloaded. This type of clear messaging to the consumer is a good example of best practice. For this review I'm using a Nokia 6500.

Presentation

The site is very clean looking with a straightforward layout. There's plenty of free content to download, including videos and wallpapers, which are essentially cover girls from the magazine. There's a section of reviews that are updated daily. At the time of writing this included the Indiana Jones film, grooming products and treatments.

The most useful element of the site is the Going Out guide. It comprises an aggregation of GQ rated and reviewed UK bars and restaurants, which should prove handy if you're out and looking for a late-night mojito. There are also plenty of articles, divided into channels like grooming, jokes and gadgets. Finally there's a competition to win £450 to spend at a Savile Row tailor.

Usability

The site has been well thought out. The article pages are short, snappy and to the point, and when you've finished reading you can either click on to the next article or choose from a list of additional reviews.

All downloads are completed within two clicks and are simple to acquire. To enter the competition just requires filling out a form and submitting your answer, name and mobile number. There's a send-to-friend function that uses a similar data-capture form.

The Going Out section is split into Bars and London restaurants. You choose the town you want to drink in and then select from the list of establishments presented. As you're restricted to London for restaurants, search is by occasion rather than location, such as 'after hours' or 'romantic'. The reviews are great and the list extensive, but I'd have liked an option to search by postcode or have the service automatically locate my position and recommend venues nearby. It would also benefit from the addition of click-to-call functionality to easily get in contact with venues.

The bottom line

This site carries the GQ brand successfully to mobile. Its main purpose is as a content resource, but where GQ differentiates itself is through the addition of the bar and restaurant finder. It looks to be a genuinely useful tool that I will be using in future.

Theo Theodorou is head of sales at Microsoft Screentonic