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.

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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.