What is the appeal
of the headless model?

Big men can social network about fashion and what it's like to be "big and tall" with a new network from Casual Male Retail Group, parent company of brands like Casual Male XL and LivingXL, MediaBuyerPlanner writes.

The site, BoldXL, targets larger-sized 18- to 24-year-old men, and will include articles, blog posts and videos on the issues facing them, reports MediaPost. The site was created by Planet Propaganda.

"This is the first time we've tied traditional ecommerce with social media marketing. We'll be testing to see if there are other kinds of functionality we need to add, like the ability to create profiles, but for now, we're seeing promising levels of interaction," says Ric Della Bernarda, CMO of Casual Male Retail Group.

The site uses a tongue-in-cheek tone mocking upscale fashion properties, and is designed to get men to participate rather than just read. The company hopes the site will increase online sales by combining traditional branding with social networking. Site visitors can access Casual Male attire via ShopBoldXL.com.

A Nielsen study found the web's role is increasingly integral to the survival of brick-and-mortar retailers.