The Atlantic has tapped the New York office of Euro RSCG Worldwide as its integrated AOR, effective immediately.
Euro RSCG will be responsible for The Atlantic‘s branding efforts and will launch an integrated campaign with print, digital and out-of-home elements. The goal is to develop a cohesive, modern brand message that promotes all of The Atlantic‘s media channels.
“Euro RSCG had developed a strong reputation in the area of corporate advertising, and they also have a strong reputation in the area of luxury,” said Justin Smith, publisher of The Atlantic. “The Atlantic in many ways stands at the cross-section of those two areas. From a corporate branding point of view, the corporate branding agency needs a deep knowledge of opinion leaders — that’s The Atlantic‘s endemic demographic. On the luxury front, The Atlantic reaches a very affluent, very well-educated audience, and that’s an area we want to tap into as well.”
Euro RSCG will develop a brand strategy for The Atlantic over the next few months. Campaigns are slated to debut this fall, coinciding with the launch of a re-designed magazine and Web site. Though there are no definite plans about the marketing mix Euro RSCG will deploy, direct marketing — in the form of events, peer-to-peer, e-mail and direct mail — will play a key role.
“Our first task right now is how we articulate the brand proposition for The Atlantic. Being able to develop a campaign that’s nontraditional and able to live anywhere was also important in the decision,” Andrew Benett, co-president of Euro RSCG New York said. “A lot of The Atlantic‘s core proposition anchors around intelligence, but what we have to do is really look at that and kind of dust off what intelligence means for a modern day consumer. What’s great about The Atlantic versus other outlets is that it goes deeper and is much more substantive. Our challenge is making that substance relevant and approachable for the 24/7 news cycle that most people live in today.”
As part of its re-branding, The Atlantic has hired Wired‘s Jay Lauf as publisher, commissioned a magazine redesign from Pentagram and a Web redesign from Bond Art and Science and removed the paid firewall from its site.
The magazine is also kicking off a five-year circulation growth and investment strategy, which calls for heavy direct mail and other marketing. It recently launched a package insert subscription campaign, which has seen strong results. To engage digital audiences on behalf of the print product, The Atlantic is building an e-mail database of print and online readers. Marketing partnerships are in the works as well.
The Atlantic chose Euro RSCG after conducting an internal analysis of various agencies. There was not a formal RFP. Smith said The Atlantic had not engaged an agency in recent years, but that he couldn’t be sure that no agencies had been hired in the title’s 150-year history.
Euro RSCG offers advertising, marketing services, corporate communications and interactive capabilities. Clients include Air France, Charles Schwab, Jaguar and Kraft Foods.
