It’s been seven months since Tom Florio, publishing director for Vogue, asked if it would be possible to take the online ad strategy that helped propel candidate Barack Obama to the White House and apply it to a magazine looking to simply build revenue. Although the drive to raise political campaign contributions is worlds different than a magazine’s aim to build revenue, to online tech firm Blue State Digital, the science of targeting is adaptable for all kinds of online marketing efforts, a WSJ piece suggests. Ultimately, the magazine hopes to discover Vogue readers who might be willing to pay for online content, the way the Obama campaign was able to single those who were willing to make a donation.

The partnership between Blue State Digital and Vogue could provide a boost to both entities during a difficult time. For Blue State Digital, looking ahead to another year without major political races, the need to cater to a wider array of online marketers is key to its survival. Meanwhile, Vogue, like other mag titles, has struggled through a deep ad recession. The best both can hope for is at least a mild turnaround next year, so both are more willing to try something new.

As in its Obama campaign fundraising efforts, Blue State Digital began with the model of a “relationship ladder,” which slices demos into groups on their level of their involvement with the brand. The rungs on Vogue’s relationship ladder started with those who may have read something online related to the magazine all the way up to someone who bought an item of clothing that appeared on its site. In addition to those demos on the ladder, Vogue and Blue State Digital are trying to pinpoint individuals who link to anything that ties back to the mag’s website.

A big part of what Vogue wants to learn is whether there are enough people out there willing to pay for the magazine’s online content. But executives think they’ll learn more than that for its revenue drive, such as how to market its e-commerce and subscription marketing initiatives.

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