Blog

Today, I got my last DailyCandy. There it was in my e-mail inbox, and today for the first time in I don’t know how long, I opened it.

Titled “The Short Goodbye,” it was exactly that- the last of a legendary series that had admittedly gotten pretty weak of late.

Back in 2000, the founder, Dany Levy, created something unique and valuable for the e-mail channel. Focused, witty, stylish, it delivered what it promised. Her list grew and grew from word-of-mouth and pass-along, and the site became enormously popular. She sold a controlling stake to a partner for $3 million after which they sold the whole thing to Comcast for more than $125 million. Comcast subsequently merged with NBCUniversal.

By 2011, Dany Levy was completely out. The big company didn’t know what to do with the 10-carat diamond that was DailyCandy. It was a precious, small gem that by jewel standards was a real diamond. But by giant conglomerate standards, it was a small stone that just didn’t fit the setting.

As a result, they mismanaged it. They confused following with innovating, launching spin-off fashion and daily-sale type businesses. Both failed.

Then, they closed it down.

Levy says, “It had a good life.” It was a sweet life indeed. DailyCandy, you changed things. You inspired. You showed us that great content can rise to the top, even in the context of the lowly e-mail inbox. You proved that small, focused, and different can still change the world.

And in the end, you reminded us that independence can be a priceless and irreplaceable jewel as well.

R.I.P.