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But do you have an ‘Elle’ phone?

Women's fashion magazine Elle looks to expand the reach of its brand by launching its own cell phone — that doubles as a mirror. Stacey Vanek-Smith has the story.

TEXT OF STORY

MARK AUSTIN THOMAS: Something new from fashion magazine, “Elle”. It’s a cell phone. Stacy Vanek-Smith has more.


STACY VANEK-SMITH: Phoning home has never been more fabulous. The Elle GlamPhone includes a camera and a screen that doubles as a mirror. It costs about $180.

Still, the product seems a little strange coming from a fashion magazine.

Howard Buford is CEO of marketing firm PrimeAccess. He says the cell phone market has matured, meaning most people now use them. So companies are seeing big bucks in phones that appeal to niche markets.

HOWARD BUFORD: The real battle now is for the existing market share. And clearly this is targeted at the female youth audience, which is the largest segment and really drives the whole mobile market.

Buford says this kind of cross branding is nothing new. Remember the Eddie Bauer Ford Explorer?

I’m Stacey Vanek Smith for Marketplace.

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