Nerve Magazine Rebrand: From Then to Now
3 April 2013
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Since the beginning of the year, Nerve magazine has operated under a new identity, one that sought to talk to students in their language. |
Written by: Toby Gray (Editor of Nerve magazine)
The idea of creating an all new Nerve magazine came about almost instantly as I took on the role of Editor in April 2012. Alongside Joe Tattersall, the Nerve Media Manager, we agreed the magazine was completely unsatisfactory in its current form, and a serious makeover was needed to once again make it the figurehead publication of one of the best media universities in the UK.
The general consensus was the old magazine lacked appeal, and without a consistently high quality level of content or an eye-catching design that was relevant to the student body, it was time for a change. First off, we reduced the size and increased the quality of the paper at no extra cost, which immediately gave it a more accessible and professional feel. The simple idea was to produce the content students wanted to read, presented to them in a light-hearted and colloquial tone. After spending a hard fought summer designing several house styles and editorial booklets to brief contributors on the changes, the next step was to get it out there.
Naturally, the new face of Nerve needed an equally fresh campaign to compliment it. The task was down to BU Advertising and Marketing Communications graduate Sean Bone. The brief was to remove previously negative associations with the magazine and develop an edgier, more appropriate brand voice in the aim of convincing students Nerve was a professional, approachable and appealing publication. On the idea behind the campaign, Sean said: "When I was approached by Toby I knew it would be tough to make BU students sit up and take notice again. The tone of voice was key, no bullshit, quick witted, brave, and more importantly; relatable."
Led by the 'Nerve is Free' campaign and the new style, the result of the rebrand under the new student tenure saw a revitalised student following across campus. The first 'Fresher' issue flew off the shelves and we received countless positive comments in person and via social media in response to the improvements. The previously unused virtue of an online edition demonstrated the newfound popularity, with individual issues reaching up to 20,000 views.
A particularly pleasing success was our first competition of the year, which as a follow on to the "Nerve is Free to use asā?¦" adverts, asked readers to send in photos of their most creative uses of the magazine. We received bowls, dinner plates, mobile covers, sword/shield combos, and the crowning glory of a fully wearable dress made entirely from pages of Issue #1. It was a fantastic sight (and a great relief!) to witness students engaging with the magazine in ways never seen before, and actively showing in interest in their student media.
Since the launch, we haven't rested on our laurels, growing from strength to strength on our initial success. The second stage of Bone's re-brand campaign focused on procrastination; an undeniable facet of student life. By aligning ourselves with such a ubiquitous student guilty pleasure, the message was perfectly toned in communicating with a previously disengaged audience; so much so the advert was even featured on popular creative blog Hello You Creatives.
The renewed sense of interest also brought along a greater deal of involvement from our dedicated editors and contributors, with standout interviews including; The Vaccines, Labrinth, Local Natives, David James, Andrew Strauss and Conor Maynard. Their hard work in maintaining and spreading the message of Nerve across campus was invaluable, and the collective commitment in their achievements has contributed much to the success of the year.
With big plans lined up for the final issue of the year, which is released in May, the next steps for Nerve are to continuing building its exposure up and beyond Bournemouth University. The focus (beyond my tenure which ends this year) is the consistent improvement in providing content relevant to BU, and the sustainable maintenance of a cutting-edge magazine students will be proud to be found reading.