We recently heard that a 65 year old dead magazine has been reborn online and it got us thinking about all the ways media outlets shift and change.
In this post we’ve highlighted three of our favourite media outlets and the ways they’ve made themselves over.
The Liberty Project – a historic name to a modern reader
Newest on the revival block is The Liberty Project. The Liberty Project is a revival of the iconic Liberty Magazine. Liberty Magazine was a general interest print magazine in publication from 1924-1950 in the US. 65 years later, thelibertyproject.com recently launched as a digital outlet with 120 original works and personal accounts from emerging writers, photographers and artists, as well as stories from celebrity writers like Sarah Michelle Gellar. The revitalization will post first person accounts of lifestyle stories. This rebirth will be one to watch as it brings an historic name to a modern society in a fresh way
Courtesy of libertyproject.com
Eye Weekly as The Grid – Revitalize a dying brand
This is an example where the rebrand unfortunately did not help the dying product. Eye Weekly rebranded as The Grid in 2011 as a “younger, hipper, more provocative version” (Marketingmag.ca) Unfortunately the rebrand did not catch on as The Grid released its final issue on July 14, 2014. The rebrand was brilliant – Eye Weekly was now cool and a must-read. Once called “The World’s Best Designed Newspaper” by Society of News Design Awards, a combination of the decline in print and advertising are to blame for its demise but the rebrand is not. Check out our love letter to The Grid here
CBC Q as CBC q – Young, fresh and humble…Q to q
Following the Jian Ghomeshi scandal, CBC’s Q earned itself a new host, new themes and a new lower case persona. Will the lower case version overcome adversity? Only time will tell but with its young and fresh makeover, CBC q is sure to bring in new unexpected audiences and a younger demographic.
Courtesy of The Canadian Press
Xtra! – A shift in medium
Xtra! made an important shift in 2015 in becoming exclusively digital. This shift showed that Xtra! understood its readership and realized that their digital portion outweighed the cost of their print publication. The shift allowed the outlet to remain relevant within the LGBT community while slashing their costs. Xtra!’s ability to adapt to the ever changing media landscape shows that they are an outlet that are here to stay.
Courtesy of dailyxtra.com
What are your favourite dead media outlets? Which ones did we miss? What media would you love if it underwent a makeover?
