the brand

metropolitan home is the definitive guide to modern design and the unparalleled champion of contemporary style. the magazine's urban mindset speaks to readers everywhere and sets the standard for how to live well now.

the question

it’s 2003 and even though met home enjoyed a leadership spot in the modern shelter category, replete with record growth in ad page sales, how could we expand their brand beyond the comforts of their own niche?

the target

media buyers and advertisers.

the answer

educate, impress and entertain. in other words, connect with elusive media buyers and gently remind them that a little knowledge isn’t a dangerous thing. it’s a whole lot better than none at all.

the tools

if we built them their own web site*, they would come. to get them there, we ran ads in ad age and hfn. to keep them there, we created a site rich with information, stats and demos -- and loaded with incentives to answer the age-old media-buyer question: “what’s in it for me?”.

*so you know, a certain social networking site of the same name had yet to become part of the lexicon. otherwise, this would just be silly.