ROLLING STONE
01. The Ask:
Choose a brand with a legacy and historical richness that has lost relevance and fallen from greatness, but has potential for redemption. Develop a strategy to breathe life into this brand while still honoring its most valuable equities.
02. Focus:
Rolling Stone Magazine—founded in 1967 by Jann Wenner, who believed that rock and roll needed “an insider’s voice.” The magazine quickly came to represent counterculture and edge; but today, it represents neither. Counterculture is dead, and the magazine suffers from lack of differentiation in a sea of media outlets.
03. Strategy:
Rolling Stone was once iconic because it embodied the excitement of being an insider, of being ‘in-the-know’ before others. In short: discovery. Our strategy was to re-establish Rolling Stone as a cultural force by fostering discovery and cultivating talent—making the reader feel like an insider.
BRINGING STRATEGY TO LIFE
From following to leading
We proposed the development of a record label, Rolling Sounds, dedicated to cultivating undiscovered talent. The label would have a dedicated team of scouts searching far and wide for independent artists with raw talent and potential.
A distinct music culture
Rolling Sounds would be a place for these new artists to collaborate with each other and be mentored by known musicians. The label will nurture new and diverse talents to build a music culture ownable to Rolling Stone, making it the place people go to discover new music.
Discovery delivered
An accompanying subscription service, Rolling Sounds Singles Club, would give people access to exclusive music by up-and-comers from the label on 7” vinyl records, delivering the excitement of discovery to subscribers.
An insider’s voice
To help Rolling Stone differentiate its voice and content, we proposed content partnerships with smaller niche magazines that would imbue the publication with diverse and unique perspectives.
An updated format
We recommended that the magazine switch from monthly to quarterly to deliver a higher priced, higher quality product and increase subscription yield.
We sought to reimagine the once iconic cover that no longer makes a statement. The new cover draws the reader in in a new way, where they have to open the magazine to discover for themselves what (and who) is inside.
Strategy: Sophie Lubin, Sarah O’Connor, Sam Reichman
Research: Bradley Cummins, Rie Oshiro
Design: Oscar Herrera
Project Duration: 2 weeks