Consumers demand more than advertising and appreciate the value that Branded Content can add, but are skeptical as the lines are blurred. Rather than shy away, we’re seeing brands & publishers begin to take control to create great branded experiences with transparency & integrity. Some of the most popular videos on YouTube last year were created by Brands with clear branding elements. Conde Nast announced earlier this year that they would make editors available to advertisers through the new Branded Content group 23 Stories, and Sid Holt, ASME chief executive officer, confirmed in February that his organization is updating the current guidelines, which were published two years ago.

Calling the guidelines “outdated,” he said the new rules would “reaffirm Magazine Media’s commitment to transparency between edit and advertising while leaving execution to individual brands”.

The Coverwall-- an immersive, story by story, year by year experience -- deep dive into Rolling Stone archive, housed on both Rolling Stone’s site and Play Newsstand, completely re-imagined the experience of getting lost in some of the best cultural writing and music of our time. Never before had a publication and tech company teamed up in such a way, to rethink how people would want to dig into stories, music, and moments through a digital lens. In short, Google and Rolling Stone brought printed history to life in a digital world.

Three months in to a year long program, we’ve already delivered unprecedented results.

The Rolling Stone Now companion feed in Newsstand became the fastest growing feed in Google Play history

Increased average time spent with content by 50%.

Contextual Google Play ads on Rolling Stone Now feed saw engagement as high as 5x the average.

Rolling Stone digital magazine subscriptions with the Newsstand Deal of the Week saw a greater than 4x increase in WoW sales.

Strategically planned to align launch around Grammy’s weekend and reach an unmissable moment for our users and interact with fans throughout the whole weekend.