A box arrived in the mail this afternoon from Elle. It wasn’t the right size for a magazine, so I was a bit curious but fairly certain it would be some sort of invite.
Nope, not even close.
It was actually a sampling of Elle-branded hair accessories. What the what? I had no idea that these existed nor am I sure that they should. Back when I worked at YM we did some branded products, but that was a teen magazine. And I could barely see the purpose even then.

Is there really a shortage or sparkly barrettes and headbands at mass? I think Goody et al pretty much have that covered. And does the Elle reader want to buy accessories licensed out by the mag? I highly doubt it.
But I’m no marketing expert so maybe they actually turn a profit on these sorts of random things. And if that’s the case, I guess more power to ‘em.