Hearst Magazines, the Whitney and Johnnie Walker Align Social Values to Create "The Art of Moving Forward"

Of course putting that into action in a way that is authentic timely and aligned with a brand39s core values may at times seem more aspirational than realitybased especially when an idea is a collaboration between multiple partners Yet that is exactly what happened with quotThe Art of Moving Forwardquot a partnership that Hearst established with the Whitney Museum and Johnnie Walker in honor of International Women39s Day and Women39s History MonthAccording to Haskell the idea to amplify emerging women artists who are making a difference across multiple Hearst Magazines brands started as he says most of their best ideas do through editorial In this case it was spurred by a walk through Rockefeller Center one of their editors took during an exhibition of Mexican art last autumn that had taken over the whole plaza A brainstorming discussion followed that got them thinking quotImagine if we turned over some of our real estate on our sites and magazines to celebrate International Women39s Day to artists who had something really interesting to say about how women around the world are moving forwardquotThat imagining turned into action starting with decisions about which twelve Hearst Magazines brands would participate what artists they would be paired with and how they would find those artists Hearst tapped into their longstanding relationship with the Whitney Museum to help curate the women artistsInterestingly the first thought as this unfolded was not how this would make money Rather quotit made good editorial sensequot Haskell recalls quotWe were going to do this regardless of whether or not we had a partner However once we decided to do it we were thinking about advertisers who shared these same values and who would be excited about aligning with this messagequotJohnnie Walker rose to the top of the list Johnnie Walker a Diageo brand in 2022 launched their First Strides initiative a longterm investment in cultural trailblazers with a goal quotto uplift diverse communities spanning film music sports art hospitality and technologyquot This perfectly aligned with their own brand messaging and according to Haskell Johnnie Walker quickly jumped on boardOne of the other commonalities these partners had was that they are all legacy brands that have stood the test of time quotYounger consumers are drawn to iconic brands to the craftsmanship behind them and the story behind the brands but those brands also have to be relevant to the consumer and their livesquot Haskell says While their social values may align with these younger demographics in order to keep the legacy going they need to reach these audiences where they are hence this partnership has been optimized on social and digital channels and amplified further with paid socialIn addition two of the brands Oprah Daily which was paired with artist Gabriella Baez and Country Living which was paired with artist Kathy Butterly also created minidocumentaries featuring the story behind the artist as well as that artist39s work quotUsing the social platforms particularly video we can reach that unexpected readerquot Haskell notesOther Hearst brands that are a part of this collaboration include Cosmopolitan Elle Elle Decor Good Housekeeping Harper39s BAZAAR House Beautiful Town ampamp Country Veranda Women39s Health and yes Esquire which featured Justine KurlandHearst39s efforts to incorporate their social values in their messaging does not stop there Nor does Johnnie Walker The latter39s First Strides commitment is ongoing awarding more than 1 million in grants to womenowned businesses Hearst39s other initiatives include Project Tell Me which supports the next generation of journalists from historically underrepresented communities and The New CSuite a Cosmopolitan brand program which celebrates the next generation of Blackowned business ownersAccording to Haskell not only does this type of program resonate with consumers by demonstrating they share values it helps internally within the organization quotIt makes people feel good about what the brand is doingquot Haskell saysPicture at top courtesy of Hearst Clockwise from top left Dadamp8217s Tools 2021 Courtesy of Cheyenne Julien and Chapter NY New York Photograph by Charles Benton 2 Lizards Courtesy of Meriem Bennani and Orian Barki Photograph by Ron Amstutz Blue Kinetic amp169 Kathy Butterly 2023 Image courtesy of the artist and James Cohan New York Photography Alan Weiner Memo Center With Clean House Plaque Joanne LeonardDigital Image amp169 The Museum of Modern ArtLicensed by SCALAArt Resource NY amp8230the hawk looks outamp8230as she embraces the hauntamp8230and flies come for the nourishingamp8230 2021 Courtesy of Ebony G Patterson and Monique Meloche GalleryClick the social buttons to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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Hearst Magazines, the Whitney and Johnnie Walker Align Social Values to Create "The Art of Moving Forward"

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Joanne Tombrakos

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Hearst Magazines, the Whitney and Johnnie Walker Align Social Values to Create "The Art of Moving Forward"

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Joanne Tombrakos

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