Robb Report Launches The Muse, a Female-Focused Print and Digital Pub

Kara Bloomgarden-Smoke

Updated Wed, March 21, 2018 at 11:00 AM UTC

Robb Report is launching The Muse, a print and digital magazine geared toward women.

“Right now, the media is so saturated with content, so for us it was really coming up with something that didn’t really exist already — or there was no reason for us to be,” editor Jill Newman said.

After a lengthy discussion about doing something in the women’s space, all the pieces seemed to fall into place when Robb Report was acquired by Penske Media Corp., in early 2017.

Robb Report, which was founded in 1976, provides advice and recommendations in superluxe categories such as aviation, boating, automobiles and watches. The brand has steadily expanded its global footprint in the last few years. In 2016, WWD parent company Penske Media Corp. revealed that it had bought a stake in Robb Report from the Detroit-based Rockbridge Growth Equity.

“Robb Report is product-focused. This is very much not,” Newman said. “It was a mix of identifying people who we thought were interesting, and writers who could bring their stories to life.”

According to Newman, woman have been making strides in traditionally male-dominated consumer spaces such as watches, investing and automobiles — areas that are a natural fit for The Muse to tackle.

The inaugural issue includes stories on female “change agents” like Natalie Massenet, architect Barbara Bestor and “tequila’s first lady” Bertha González Nieves. Vogue writer Lynn Yaeger contributed an essay on power suits. Other pieces take on female watch collectors, female culinary figures, female investors and what self-driving cars mean for automotive enthusiasts.

Advertising is a mix of female fashion and accessory brands, as well as Robb Report’s existing advertising sectors such as travel. “I think what’s interesting is that a lot of the advertisers are the same as Robb Report as well. I think that’s because, to some degree, we are speaking to the same luxury consumer,” Newman said.

The Muse is also partnering with Spring Place on a speaker series that will be held in both New York and Beverly Hills.

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Robb Report Launches The Muse, a Female-Focused Print and Digital Pub

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