Dive Brief:

• BuzzFeed has entered a branded content partnership with L'Oreal USA that the site hopes will be the beginning of more branded content with e-commerce options.
• The first post, "11 Vintage Hairstyles Anyone Can Pull Off," keeps the traditional BuzzFeed aesthetic with gifs and a listicle format. What is different, however, are links to tutorials and sites where readers can buy styling items.
• Some of the gifs on the sponsored content stories will include a button that says "Love it? Buy it!" that will direct readers to the L'Oreal retail page.

Dive Insight:

BuzzFeed has seemingly captured lightning in a bottle with its ability to create some of the most sharable content on the web—75% of its traffic comes from social media. By introducing e-commerce elements, it will be an experiment in whether or not readers will engage with a brand. L'Oreal is currently BuzzFeed's only brand partner, but if the e-commerce initiative goes well, it will likely extend to more brands, BuzzFeed's CEO Andy Wiedlin told the Wall Street Journal.