Economist Makeover

There are few advertising campaigns as renowned or as revered as that created for The Economist by AMV BBDO. The beautifully-written, white out of red lines have become a classic of the genre. But what’s this? A new Economist campaign, in black and red? Using illustrations? Is this the end of an era? Well no, not really. A new, radically different campaign for The Economist breaks this month in various publications, but it does not spell the end of the classic red and white ads, say AMV. Instead, the new campaign of seven ads will complement its classic cousin.

According to Paul Cohen, AMV's art director on the new campaign, the idea is to broaden the appeal of the magazine and engage with a new audience. The magazine itself is not changing in anyway, but they do feel there's a new, younger group who would be interested in it. The campaign is based on six commissioned illustrators interpretations of copywriter, Mark Fairbanks, lines. The team hopes that this different take on illustration in advertising will give the campaign a coherent feel that is just as strong and identifiable as the white out of red ads.

I feel that they've succeeded, there is definatly an idea and a reward in the picture instead of just the line. It feels honest, bold and refreshing.

But will it be able work as long and as well as the previous campaign?

...only time will tell.