WWD Launches Global Chatbot, WeChat Channel
NEW YORK — Beginning today, WWD will deliver its unique fashion, business and beauty news and features via chatbot. The initiative is a global one, with the debut of an intelligent Facebook Messenger chatbot in English and a WeChat channel, rendered in Mandarin as well as in English, geared to WWD’s growing Chinese readership.
The launch of the two initiatives coincides with tonight’s Met Gala, honoring Comme des Garçons’ Rei Kawakubo. In addition to the latest up-to-the-minute news about the event, the bots will offer a copious collection of articles dedicated to Kawakubo and past Met Galas and exhibits. The bots supplement WWD’s various offerings, including the Digital Daily and WWD.com.
“WWD dedicates significant coverage to the Met Gala, reporting live from the red carpet to bring our readers the latest on the designer attendees, celebrity style and beauty trends,” said Miles Socha, editor in chief of WWD. “We are excited to introduce our WeChat and chatbot accounts on one of the most important days of the fashion calendar, while extending our editorial reach in Asia.”
WWD’s WeChat, titled “WWD Fashion + Beauty Report,” will deliver global fashion, beauty and business news, including “They are Wearing,” highlighting global street style as well as subscriber-only content. The launch of the dedicated WeChat (WeChat ID: wwdchinaofficial) account complements WWD’s expansion in Asia, with the establishment of a Chinese bureau and the upcoming Global Fashion & Beauty Forum, to be held in Hong Kong this October.
WWD’s Facebook Messenger chatbot, powered by Headliner Labs, is the first of its kind by a major U.S. fashion publication and offers several unique features, including news alerts, a curated selection of stories each day and the option to browse.
“We are incredibly proud to be the first U.S. fashion media brand with a dedicated Facebook Messenger chatbot, bolstering our strategy as a digital-first company to reach our readers in the way they want to consume their fashion, business and beauty news,” said Paul Jowdy, senior vice president, group publisher, WWD.
Caroline Klatt, chief executive officer of Headliner Labs, added, “By partnering with WWD to release the first-ever chatbot by a major U.S. fashion publication, we are pioneering a conversational, mobile-first approach to digital content.”
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