Rolling Stone Visual Strategy Guide
Table of Contents
Rolling Stone | Visual Strategy Guide
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Brand Overview
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Personas
Our Story Our History Brand Soul Mission Statement Rebranding Objective Keywords
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Brand Future
Competitors
We were
Current Competitors
We will become
Adjacent Competitors Future Competitors
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Brand Overview
Rolling Stone | Visual Strategy Guide
Brand Overview Our Story Ourstory Brand Soul Mission Statement Rebranding Objective Keywords
Rolling Stone
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Our Story
"When I started Rolling Stone in November 1967, the magazine's initial chapter was to cover rock and roll music with intelligence and respect. Even then, we knew that the fervor sweeping our generation encompassed more than just music." —Jann Wenner Jann Simon Wenner is an American magazine magnate who is the co-founder and publisher of the popular culture magazine Rolling Stone.
Brand Overview
Rolling Stone | Visual Strategy Guide
Rolling Stone is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its coverage of rock music and for political reporting by Hunter S. Thompson. In the 1990s, the magazine broadened and shifted its focus to a younger readership interested in youth-oriented television shows, film actors, and popular music. It has since returned to its traditional mix of content, including music, entertainment, and politics. The first magazine was released in 1967 and featured John Lennon on the cover and was published every two weeks. It is known for provocative photography and its cover photos, featuring musicians, politicians, athletes, and actors. Penske Media Corporation is the current owner of Rolling Stone, purchasing 51 percent of the magazine in 2017 and the remaining 49 percent in 2019.
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Our History
1990s In the 1990s, the magazine changed its format to appeal to a younger readership interested in youth-oriented television shows, film actors, and popular music.
1985. Rolling Stone was known for its musical coverage and for Thompson’s political reporting. 2000. 1967.
After years of declining readership, the magazine experienced a major resurgence of interest and
Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by
relevance with the work of two young journalists in
Jann Wenner and Ralph Gleason.
the late 2000s, Michael Hastings and Matt Taibbi.
1977. In 1977, the magazine moved its headquarters from San Francisco to New York City. Editor Jann Wenner said San Francisco had become “a
2005. In 2005, Dana Leslie Fields, former
cultural backwater.”
publisher of Rolling Stone, who had worked at the magazine for 17 years, 1980s It also shifted to more of an entertainment magazine in the 1980s. It still had music as the main topic but began to increase its coverage of celebrities, films, and pop culture.
was an inaugural inductee into the Magazine Hall of Fame.
Brand Overview
Rolling Stone | Visual Strategy Guide
2018. It became a monthly magazine from the July 2018 issue. 2021. 2009. In late 2021, Rolling Stone will launch a In 2009, Taibbi unleashed an acclaimed series of
dedicated UK edition in conjunction
scathing reports on the financial meltdown of the
with Attitude magazine publisher
time. He famously described Goldman Sachs as “a
Stream Publishing.
great vampire squid.”
2016. In September 2016, Advertising Age reported that Wenner was in the process of selling a 49% stake of the magazine to a company from Singapore called BandLab Technologies.
2012. In 2012, Taibbi, through his coverage of the Libor scandal, emerged as an expert on that topic, which led to media appearances outside Rolling Stone.
2019. On January 31, 2019, Penske acquired BandLab’s 49% stake in Rolling Stone,
2017. In September 2017, Wenner Media announced that the remaining 51% of Rolling Stone magazine was up for sale.
gaining full ownership of the magazine.
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The Brand Soul
Broaden people’s horizons and enable them to think about social issues and culture individually and critically.
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Our Mission
Our mission is to support people to express their thoughts confidently and freely with authentic feelings.
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Rebranding Objective The objective is to encourage people to express themselves bravely and share authentic facts to uplift people’s confidence and freedom.
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Keywords
Freedom We should prevent providing general information but more idea, creativity, and empathy. It will attract more people and make them feel this magazine can give them the thing they want, even though they are the minority.
Confidence Paying attention to various fields is important for spreading out ideas because we have to have an eye to the whole world.
Authenticity It is essential to address opinion seriously and authentically because it is the primary line for producing words in front of the public.
“Being yourself is one of the greatest things you can possibly do. Being true to yourself.” —Jann Wenner
“Rolling Stone is not just about the music, but about the things and attitudes that music embraces.” —Jann Wenner
“I don’t believe that there’s such a thing as objectivity in much of journalism, but I think there is a serious effort to and regard for facts and into taking that stuff seriously is very important to the public discourse and it’s very important to democracy.” —Jann Wenner
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Personas
Rolling Stone | Visual Strategy Guide
Personas People who change the wold and influence the world.
Rolling Stone
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Businessman Justin Walker Profession: Banking Gender: Male Age: 33 y/o
1. He likes the historical landmarks of San Francisco because he wants to experience the local culture. 2. After finishing work, he needs a comfortable environment to relax his tired body and mind because he has to read a lot of project reports every day. Therefore, taking a break in a comfortable environment allows him to enjoy double peace of mind. 3. On weekends, he often likes to find interesting stories on Facebook or Twitter because he doesn’t need to work. 4. He has to do lots of research because the accuracy and precision of his assignments troubles him. 5. He wants to be well-versed with political news in the world because he feels this magazine keeps an eye on political issues around the world. 6. He likes watching movies on Netflix and Youtube because it helps him to follow the trending episodes. 7. He likes to collect interesting opinions in different fields in many magazines because he can use these different fields to help him think diversely.
Freedom
Authenticity
Confidence
Personas
Rolling Stone | Visual Strategy Guide
International Student Rose Kim
Profession: Music Gender: Female Age: 23 y/o
1. She is very interested in American culture and pop art because of her fervent passion for freedom. 2. She always donates a portion of her salary to nonprofit organizations because she believes in helping the underprivileged. 3. She found a great internship because of her diligence in college. 4. She has many friends because she always helps other people when they encounter difficulties. 5. She likes to participate in outdoor activities because she can escape the crowded environment and spark inspiration. 6. She loves to go to museums and galleries because it can enhance her thinking and help her absorb art culture. 7. She likes to talk with different communities because she is willing to help them solve the problem.
Freedom
Authenticity
Confidence
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Photographer Eva Garner
Profession: Photographer Gender: Female Age: 45 y/o 1. She read lots of political and social news because she cares about what is happening right now. And then, she wants to use her power to make lives better. 2. Her favorite artist is Jenny Saville because this artist has a unique way of creation. 3. She has an independent way of thinking about art and pop culture because she was born into an artistic family. 4. She does not believe in some news because she thinks they are fabricated or over-exaggerated. 5. She does not have good sleeping quality because she often thinks too much about things happening. 6. She does not like to use Twitter but likes to read magazines because she feels that the authenticity of magazines is more superior to the authenticity of social media. 7. She often adds some critical ideas in her digital works because she wants to influence others through her own photography.
Freedom
Authenticity
Confidence
Personas
Rolling Stone | Visual Strategy Guide
Company Founder David Walsh Profession: Co-founder at a tech startup Gender: Male Age: 48 y/o 1. He has a lot of work every week because being a co-founder means doubling the responsibilities. 2. He found that contemporary people are always impatient because he feels that they seldom read books and magazines. 3. He likes to travel to different countries because he wants to understand human civilization in different geographies. 4. He often feels anxious because a good leader has to consider all aspects of projects. 5. He wants to use his unique experience to encourage people to pay attention to societal issues because he believes that collective effort would engender societal betterment. 6. He enjoys writing and often makes some “voices” on his blog because he wants to discuss with others in pursuit of facts. 7. He is a good listener and speaker, and he likes to share his opinions because he wants to know more from different perspectives, such as writers, feminists, and artists.
Freedom
Authenticity
Confidence
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Magazine Editor Chris Parker Profession: Editor Gender: Female Age: 27 y/o
1. She always reads news and magazines every morning because she thinks the morning sun is suitable for absorbing today’s fresh world. 2. The accuracy of information is very important to her because her job is to collect facts and ideas and then transform them into her words. 3. She likes watching movies at home because she thinks movie language has another magic for expression. 4. She likes to collect different news reports because this way can enhance her writing skills. 5. She likes to study all kinds of music because she used to be a student of Curtis School of Music and a fan of Rolling Stone. 6. She wants to get in touch with news and magazines in more fields because she hopes information in different fields can generate more insight. 7. She likes to publish her articles on the Internet because she believes that writing can better express her opinions and the internet can receive more feedback.
Freedom
Authenticity
Confidence
Personas
Rolling Stone | Visual Strategy Guide
Ambitious Developer Andrew Reichert
Profession: Web developer Gender: Male Age: 40 y/o
1. During the weekend, he often plays the guitar because he likes music, especially the Queen and the Beatles. 2. He likes to collect music recordings, especially vinyl records. Also, he likes to read many music magazines because this way not only relaxes him but also inspires him a lot. 3. He likes to watch musicals and will imitate some plots because this frees him from the business of work. 4. Because of the music, he has made a lot of music friends in the jazz club. 5. Whenever friends around him introduce new music to him, he is full of interest because he feels that he can know more about the different type of music. 6. He likes to read books about music artists because he thinks that this way can improve his ability to think about thing in a more open way. 7. He believes that music can change people’s lives and give people a lot of inspiration because the expression of music can fill him with positive emotions.
Freedom
Authenticity
Confidence
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Yoga lover
Krithika Vohra Profession: model Gender: Male Age: 35 y/o
1. He is oblivious to things that are irrelevant to him because he thinks his appearance is more important than expressing his thoughts. And he wants to put his energy into things he is in control of. 2. He likes to read fashion magazines because he can get to know new fashion trends for personal styling. 3. He often likes to participate in brand inauguration to build his network within the industry. 4. He is uncertain of his future. He is a firm believer in carpe diem and lives in his own moment because material life gives him a feeling of happiness. 5. He likes to share interesting events with his friends because sharing is caring. 6. He cares very much about what others think of him because he enjoys being lauded by others. 7. He doesn’t know much about feminism and LGBTQ, but he still respects these groups because he doesn’t want to be someone who thinks differently from others.
Freedom
Authenticity
Confidence
Personas
Rolling Stone | Visual Strategy Guide
Master student Olivia Miller
Profession: Master student Gender: Female Age: 30 y/o
1. Because Olivia is interested in cycling, cooking, and pets, she has participated in many activities such as food festivals, bicycle races, and pet workshops. 2. She thinks Instagram is a good platform because she can share her passion for cats on it. 3. She works part-time in a restaurant because she believes that social experience is more important than knowledge from books. 4. Because her roommate is a feminist and talks to her about freedom and changing the world every day, she is influenced to care more about social movements. 5. She rarely has the confidence to express her opinion because she rarely reads. 6. She is worried about her medical insurance and doesn’t care much about the news because she thinks medical insurance is a guarantee of her personal health, which is more important than other information. 7. Sometimes she would listen to others discuss trendy topics, but she would not engage because she is shy.
Freedom
Authenticity
Confidence
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Brand Future
Rolling Stone | Visual Strategy Guide
Brand Future We were We will become
Rolling Stone
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We were
The original rolling stone feels serious, old, and outdated. But in the 1960s it made people feel faith and confidence.
Brand Future
Rolling Stone | Visual Strategy Guide
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We will become
In the future, the Rolling Stone will bring some energetic and inspiring influence to the public. Compared with the past, it is more powerful, more real and full of conviction, and it will also provide a free platform for people to think more clearly.
Brand Future
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone | Visual Strategy Guide
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Competitors
Rolling Stone | Visual Strategy Guide
Competitors Current Competitors Adjacent Competitors Future Competitors
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Current Competitors Rolling Stone’s current competitors are brands that provide similar information, products and services. Similarly, current competitors may be in the category of the print news industry and other publishing companies.
Time Magazine Time Magazine is a weekly magazine which focus on news and events.
Look Magazine
National Geographic
People Magazine
Look was a biweekly, general-interest magazine published in Des Moines, Iowa, from 1937 to 1971. It had an emphasis on photographs and photojournalism in addition to human interest and lifestyle articles.
National Geographic is the long-lived official monthly magazine of the National Geographic Society.
People is an American weekly magazine that specializes in celebrity news and human-interest stories.
Competitors
Rolling Stone | Visual Strategy Guide
Us Weekly
MTV
The New Yorker
Us Weekly is a weekly celebrity and entertainment magazine based in New York City.
The channel originally aired music videos and related programming as guided by television personalities known as video jockeys.
The New Yorker is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry.
Colors Magazine
Time Magazine
Billboard Magazine
Colors, founded in 1991, is a quarterly magazine about “the rest of the world.” Every issue of the magazine takes a single theme and covers it from an international perspective.
Time Magazine is a weekly magazine which focus on news and events.
Billboard is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by the Billboard-Holly wood Reporter Media Group, and provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the music industry.
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Adjacent Competitors Adjacent competitors for Rolling Stone are brands that are mostly digital platforms, newspaper, broadcast and TV channels which provide slightly different content and allow people to keep updating with current events and news.
CBS CBS is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network.
BBC
Associated Press
Entertainment Weekly
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster. It is the world’s oldest national broadcaster, and the largest broadcaster in the world by number of employees.
The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit news agency. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. Its members are U.S. newspapers and broadcasters.
Entertainment Weekly is an American monthly entertainment magazine that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular culture.
Competitors
Rolling Stone | Visual Strategy Guide
IndieWire
CNN
USA Today
IndieWire is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site’s focus is independent film.
The Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news-based pay television channel headquartered in Atlanta, United States.
USA Today is an American daily middle-market newspaper that is the flagship publication of its owner, Gannett.
OK Magazine
Discovery Channel
BuzzFeed
OK! is a British weekly magazine that primarily specialises in royal and celebrity news. Originally launched as a monthly magazine, its first issue was published in April 1997.
Discovery Channel is an American multinational pay television network and flagship channel. It provided documentary television programming focused primarily on popular science, technology, and history.
BuzzFeed, Inc. is an American Internet media, news and entertainment company with a focus on digital media.
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Aspirational Competitors The future competitors are brands that provide platforms, services, and life-style contents that inspired people to see world and to share their experiences.
Instagram Instagram is an American photo and video sharing social networking service created by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger.
Airbnb
Flickr
Sandbox vr
Airbnb, Inc. is an American company that operates an online marketplace for lodging, primarily homestays for vacation rentals, and tourism activities.
Flickr is an American image hosting and video hosting service, as well as an online community.
Sandbox vr is a virtual reality start up that offers a premium, fully immersive virtual reality experience.
Competitors
Rolling Stone | Visual Strategy Guide
AFAR
YouTube
National Women’s Law Center
AFAR is a publication focused on experiential travel. The company also operates a non-profit foundation providing scholarships for educational journeys for students.
YouTube is an American online video sharing and social media platform.
The National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) is a United States non-profit organization founded by Marcia Greenberger in 1972 and based in Washington, D.C.
Medium
UNHRC
Medium is an American online publishing platform developed by Evan Williams and launched in August 2012.
Reddit is an American social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website.
The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC)is a
United Nations body whose mission is to promote and
protect human rights around the world, and addresses
thematic human rights issues
such as freedom of belief and religion, women’s rights, LGBT
rights, and the rights of racial and ethnic minorities.
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Brand Attributes 5 Positive words
5 Neutral words
Constructive
Knowledge
Creativity
Reliability
Authentic voice
Communicability
Responsibility
Active
Power
Instructive
5 Negative words
5 words your brand hopes to “own”
Outdated
Inspiring
Tedious
Actively
Rigid
Fresh thinking
Traditional
Unique perspective
Inactive
Multicultural
Semester Fall 2021
Typography Poppins
Disclaimer This book is a non-commercial project for educational purposes and is not intended to represent or replace the authentic Rolling Stone brand.
Source time.com unsplash.com wikipedia.com cnn.com history.com newworldencyclopedia.org ebsco.com
Rolling Stone | Visual Strategy Guide
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