Brian Braiker, the editor of Ad Age, writes about the overhaul of the Crain publication.
Braiker writes, “We’re remaining true to our core DNA. Ad Age has better access to and understanding of the advertising landscape than anyone. Period. But it’s time to widen the aperture. Everything is a brand. Everything is an ad for itself. So our coverage needs to reflect the broader culture beyond the weeds of our industry. We’ll still get into those weeds, but we’ll also explore the flowers. And we’ll do it with a tone that’s inviting, accessible, wry, witty and sharp.
“Finally, yes, we’re officially ‘Ad Age’ now. A minor adjustment, maybe, but it reflects a shift that goes deeper. When was the last time you called us ‘Advertising Age,’ anyway?
“The theme of this rebrand issue, is, fittingly enough, reinvention. And this shines through each of our three different cover stories (collect them all!). Ann-Christine Diaz profiles Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, the pro-wrestler turned megastar who is no stranger to reinvention and brand building. Meanwhile, E.J. Schultz reveals the NRA’s tactics for marketing guns to women in a post-Obama world.
“We sent Garett Sloane to Menlo Park to profile Sheryl Sandberg and her team as Facebook attempts to redefine the social network as TV’s next frontier. And speaking of TV, Jeanine Poggi interviews Megyn Kelly, who is repositioning herself as a morning-show host. New recurring features include an entire Creativity section, city spotlights, a regular Q&AA (see what we did there?), throwbacks to vintage ads and data. Lots of data.”
Read more here.
