SUBSCRIBERS RULE!

Think Again (About theAtlantic.Project)

Think Again - theAtlantic.Project

It’s not often that the redesign of a print magazine gets marketers talking, but the redesign of The Atlantic may prove to be the exception to the rule — and yes, it has a subscriber-centric angle.

For those not familiar with The Atlantic, it aspires to:

…derive[] its sensibility not from a single editorial voice or theory of how the world works, but from its regard for its readers’ intelligence and wit, for their curiosity and their hope that the world might be made a better place.

To better convey how this mission connects with the new redesign, The Atlantic has launched theAtlantic.Project (a.k.a. “Think Again”) in which regular folks are asked to answer a number of thought-provoking questions such as:

• Do We Consume Too Much?
• Can Selfishness Save the Environment?
• Is Google Making Us Stupid?
• What’s the Cost of Being a Nerd?

The resulting blog, photographs, and video interviews are extraordinarily engaging — perhaps because it’s so rare to hear regular folks respond to questions that are a bit off-the-beaten path.  Give yourself 10 minutes to dig into the site, and I think you may just agree.

When viewed in combination with Microsoft’s I’m a PC campaign, I can’t help but feel that something positive is building in the advertising zeitgeist.  Individual consumer voices are being heard, amplified, and respected — and that could only be a good thing for those who aspire to promote a subscriber-centric philosophy within their own companies.  That’s cause enough to think again.

I’m an Email Subscriber (Who Uses a PC)

So, as the wise philosopher Missy “Misdameanor” Elliott once said, sometimes you have to “put your thing down, flip it & reverse it.”

Apparently, Microsoft was listening because they finally figured out a great way to counter Apple’s ubiquitous “I’m a Mac” ads.  And they did so by “flipping & reversing” it in a way that warms my subscriber-centric heart.

Rather than attack the ads with techno-jargon about why PCs (and by extension - Windows-driven computers) are better, they have completely embraced the “I’m a PC” mantra by showing all of the wonderful and various people (myself included) that live & work on a PC.

Below is one of the various commercials from the new campaign.  I encourage you to watch it twice.  The first time, just enjoy it as a piece of great, competitive counter-marketing.

The second time, however, replace the phrase “I’m a PC” with “I’m an Email Subscriber.”  Personally, the net effect is a nice reminder of the unique attributes and needs of each subscriber.  When the technology and data affords us the ability to deliver these folks content specific to their needs, shouldn’t we?

After all, that’s what the SUBSCRIBERS RULE! philosophy is all about — whether or not you’re a Mac or a PC.