The August 22 issue of The New Yorker featured one advertiser. If you haven’t already heard, Target bought every single ad space in the magazine and had each designed by a different artist, prompting immediate media buzz and hundreds of headlines playfully targeting the word target. Brenner Thomas shoots down notions of editorial compromise but asks the question, “What would it mean if an advertiser purchased the entire year’s worth of real estate, or two years?”
For the record, I thought Target’s strategy worked like a charm with the New Yorker‘s format. My strategy for reading this mag is to first “cartoon hop” through it, reading the funnies first before floating back to the features. Target took that very common navigational habit and used it to its advantage. My only worry for similarly branded future issues is that the advertiser might be someone like Lamisil.
Every New Yorker is a Target [design observer]
New Yorker Misses the Target [sun times]
The New Yorker is Right on Target [market watch]
Discount Retailer Goes to the New Yorker [slate]
The New Yorker’s Target Audience [gothamist]
Target Targets New Yorker [wow report]
