Time Inc. Launches New Ad Campaign

Time Inc. launched a new corporate advertising campaign today, highlighting the power, reach, and influence of the company’s brands.

The energetic campaign, the first in the company’s history, is titled “Trusted Connections” and pairs Time Inc. brands with some of media’s most influential executives including John Lisko, executive communications director, Saatchi & Saatchi Los Angeles; George Janson, managing partner, director of print, mediaedge: cia; Robin Steinberg, group client director, MediaVest; and Andrew Swinand, president, chief client officer, Starcom. It will run now through November in Time Inc. magazines and websites, trade publications, media websites, and outdoor venues.

“When the biggest challenge is getting people’s attention, it’s not enough to just sell pages,” said Wayne Powers, president of the Time Inc Media Group. “Our world-class brands have a trusted connection with readers, capturing their undivided attention and giving our advertisers the ideal platform to influence and engage.”

Conceived in-house by Time Inc. chief marketing officer, Grant Schneider, and Time Inc. Media Group chief creative officer, Lance Mald, the campaign is a look at Time Inc.’s unique ability to reach 107 million engaged consumers through its brands’ touch points: magazines, websites, television, satellite radio, mobile devices, events, and branded products. The campaign centers around four different executions of four-page inserts.

The cover of each insert features one of two copy lines, “We don’t sell pages. We sell attention” or “We don’t sell pages. We sell influence.” The inside spread features a black and white portrait of one of four media executives opposite a sheet of stickers offering lighthearted blurbs about Time Inc. brands (“dreams of being on cover of Time,” “Fantasizes about being Sexiest Man Alive on the cover of People.” “Shaves legs with olive oil, thanks to 101 new uses on RealSimple.com”)

In every instance, one sticker has been removed and pasted on the individual’s portrait. When the stickers are removed from the sheet, a salient fact about a Time Inc. brand is revealed underneath, such as “With an audience of 42.4 million, People is the biggest media event of the week. Every week.” The back cover features logos of thirty-five of Time Inc.’s brands, and drives readers to TrustedConnections.com, a Time Inc. website featuring individual brand media kits, statistics, and a contest to create your own brand stickers to be featured in the last flight of the campaign. The creator of the winning sticker will receive a new iPhone.

In the first flight of inserts, Robin Steinberg is featured with a sticker that reads, “Hollywood hair, courtesy of In Style/mobile.” George Janson’s sticker reads, “Considers self savant of Pop Culture Quiz in Entertainment Weekly.” Each executive chose the brand with which he or she is paired.

“These fabulous executives have always had star status in our world,” adds Stephanie George, Executive Vice President, Time Inc. “This was a chance for us to have some fun together while celebrating the power of our magazine advertising.”

In addition to the inserts, Time Inc. will debut a patented cover wrap on select issues of Time Inc. magazines. In keeping with the campaign, the wrap is a five-panel spread featuring an overhead shot of a crowd of people, each with a Time Inc. brand blurb over his or head. The wrap is a new special unit, exclusive to Time Inc.

The campaign will also run on taxi tops and in Times Square. To learn more, please go to TrustedConnections.com.