Through extensive conversations across The New Yorker organization, meeting with editors, art directors, audience development, and social leads, a consistent brand stereotype emerged- The New Yorker was perceived as attracting only a high-brow, older demographic. Yet, the brand's true ethos is far more than just that. The New Yorker has an incredibly expansive roster of programming, from podcasts and short-form documentaries to captivating articles and cartoons, each appealing to a diverse, contemporary audience. It's not just for old people; it’s rich in pop culture, humor, and extensively-vetted recommendations. Our mission was to dismantle this perception to bring in a larger, younger audience, specifically targeting the 35-45 demographic.
THE NEW YORKER
Pulling in over 150K impressions in just 10 days, the social ad creative drove substantial traffic to the microsite and sparked significant interest. This initial excitement showed us the ads truly resonated, proving that The New Yorker's witty, curious, and humorous tone hit home. More importantly, this personalized approach of the generator boosted newsletter sign-ups by 700% compared to our standard lead-gen campaign.
Our strategy centered on a core belief: to captivate new audiences, you must offer discovery and personalization. Recognizing how social algorithms now tailor content based on individual choices, we built upon this idea by creating a custom content generator living within a dedicated microsite. This hub was engineered to introduce a fresh demographic to the brand's immense breadth of content, showcasing that The New Yorker's true ethos is far more than perceived. From podcasts and short-form documentaries to captivating articles and cartoons, the brand’s content is rich in pop culture, humor, and extensively-vetted recommendations proving that The New Yorker is so much more than “news.” The generator offered personalized recommendations from this vast library of diverse content, from top-performing stories to hidden gems, effectively demonstrating the brand's contemporary appeal.
Working closely with our external partners at CEROS and the talented illustrator, Rose Wang, I oversaw the overall design and build of the microsite. To breathe life into the experience, I worked closely with Rose to develop a series of playful illustrations paired alongside the generator's content. To maximize the usage of these illustrations (and budget, duh!), they were strategically integrated into all social ad creatives that drove traffic to the site, creating a cohesive user journey that reflected the brand’s playful sensibilities.
