Read Ahead with WIRED Magazine
Summary | WIRED Magazine was iconic in the 90s for its accurate optimistic predictions about the digital revolution. As digital has become mainstream, they’ve started to change their tone. To increase readership in a world where most publications now also cover digital, we positioned WIRED as a guide to our tumultuous future.
What I did:
Research
Creative Brief
Comms Planning
BACKGROUND
WIRED was launched in 1993 to take the digital revolution mainstream.
Their goal was to write about the future of culture, business, politics, daily life. They made a magazine that felt as if it had been mailed back from the future.
PROBLEM
The digital revolution is no longer a revolution, but a part of our everyday lives.
There’s now a Digital, Innovation, and Tech section on just about every reputable magazine and website—not to mention the real-time updates we get via social media. As a result, it is one of the least popular magazines at Condé Nast and has lost 50% of its ad pages.
OPPORTUNITY
One thing has remained consistent with WIRED: Their dedication to predicting the future.
In 1994 they accurately predicted ad blockers. In 1997, Fake News, and in 2003, the power of the camera phone. And they haven’t stopped. Except now that they’ve seen the results of the digital revolution, their predictions are cautious.
OBSERVATION
After being caught off guard multiple times in the past years, we're more cautious than ever.
With lives thrown out of whack because of our political climate and the pandemic, people are feeling extra cautious. A 2021 US consumer sentiment survey by Mckinsey reports, "Steady overall cautious optimism."
STRATEGY
Position WIRED as a guide to the tumultuous future.
CREATIVE CONCEPT
Read Ahead.
We explored the future of new technologies from WIRED articles to intrigue readers into reading ahead with WIRED.
Read Ahead
PRINT
WIRED ads displayed in other Condé Nast magazines, like Allure, Bon Appétit and GQ.
EXPERIENTIAL
WIRED brings futuristic exhibitions to DC's Museum District. Patrons will be able to subscribe at each exhibit.
Spy Museum
An unsuspecting photo booth uses Deep Fake technology to assume your identity.
Natural History Museum
An exhibition masqueraded as a children’s game highlights the dangers of gene editing.
Air + Space Museum
An autonomous car demo reveals the dilemmas we will face as self-driving vehicles become more prevalent.
PARTNERSHIPS
No Sleep Podcast Miniseries
Episode One - Prosthesis
Netflix
A docuseries called Rewired about the science and technology of the future with Rami Malik from Mr. Robot.
MERCH
Free with any WIRED subscription as an extra measure of safety for the future.
Adversarial Tee + Mask
The tee features a patch designed by Belgian researchers that renders you invisible to any AI technology. The mask QR code will display a warning message to those taking a photo of you without permission.
Team Madeline Guzzo (AD), Kevin Ma (CW)