February 05, 2024

Thom Bettridge on the Intersection of Content and Commerce

31 minutes

Writer, editor, and creative director Thom Bettridge navigates the realms of storytelling, experience curation, and audience expansion with seasoned expertise. From editorial leader at 032c, Highsnobiety, and Interview to Head of Creative and Content at SSENSE, Bettridge has come a long way since his beginnings as a student of philosophy in New York City. His series of compelling statements showcase an impressive grasp of worldbuilding, adding context to the evolving landscape where editorial content and e-commerce converge. In an industry where magazines and retailers traditionally kept their domains separate, Bettridge’s approach to keeping consumers engaged signals a potential future trend for others. His insights reflect a shift toward a more integrated and dynamic relationship between content creation and commercial endeavors. Bettridge has seen—and been behind—much of the changes to the fashion industry as it enters an inundated era obsessed with viral moments. His connectedness to contemporary culture is only rivaled by his closing remarks: that true contemporariness might be found in uncharted, offline territories.

Episode Highlights:

After becoming interested in art criticism via philosophy studies, Bettridge started an art space in Medellín, growing attracted to the fast-paced evolution of Colombian culture and society.

On interning and moving up through the ranks in New York: “That was my idea of hell. So I wanted to go somewhere where I could make more of an impact even if it was an uncertain terrain.”

Noting that “the only two things that were still alive and kicking when I finished school were fashion and, like, tabloids,” Bettridge explains how he came to fashion through his love of magazines and editing them.

The solitary nature of writing didn’t suit his personality, and Bettridge found he enjoyed editing more, with creative direction being an extension of that kind of collaboration.

“360 control over how a story looks and appears”: Creative direction was never a target for Bettridge, who considers it more of a byproduct of writing and editing—what he was already doing—and born of necessity along the way.

His first foray into magazine editing was at 032c, where he gained firsthand experience observing creative direction before moving on to Interview.

Considering philosophy as a way of creating and applying systems, Bettridge sees an analogy in being a storyteller adept at making connections.

Coming to SSENSE as the company was nearing its 20th anniversary, Bettridge leaned on the experiences of the people who had been at the company for a long time.

Bettridge has a strong understanding of brand DNA, pushing the company further into its “anti-nostalgic, anti-heritage” heritage.

“Mind-share”: Bettridge’s creative process aligns naturally with SSENSE’s ability to tap into a young, digitally native generation, which communicates via social media.

Using a metaphor of a hotel with a great coffee shop, Bettridge expresses the relationship between editorial content and e-commerce, where content regularizes exposure to a company and signals what it’s about.

To cater to a younger generation, Bettridge notes that youth culture demands that brands be good storytellers that tap into the current social and political moments.

Old-school print magazines tell stories through image placement (much like Instagram), but in a way, that decisively marks a certain zeitgeist, which Bettridge says somewhat outlasts the neverending inundation of social media.

Bettridge remarks on learning that intuitively marked anchors within a magazine or brand’s vision create cohesion and that visual storytellers are the individuals most capable of creating brands with palpable foundations or clear identities.

What’s contemporary now? The potential for offline culture, a culture that “isn’t solipsistic or self-isolated.”

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By What's Contemporary

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