Rebranding Sassy: The Visual Strategy Guide

rebranding

SASSY Volume One: The Visual Strategy Guide

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“[Sassy] gave us 13-year-old girls stuck in rural Wisconsin a glimmer of hope, a pinky-swear promise that the world could be a funny, smart and even sexy place.”

—Jessica Nordell, Harvard Crimson

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40 In this Issue 1

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Sassy in Circulation

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The Start of Sassy Simply Jane Every Sassy Cover. Ever.

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Sassy to the Core What Does it Mean to be Sassy?

Sass, Personified

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Setting Sassy Apart They Say Print is Dead Likes & Followers Girl Power 2.0 Just a Spark Colophon

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SASSY IN CIRCULATION REMEMBERING THE ALTERNATIVE TEEN MAGAZINE OF THE LATE 80s AND 90s 9

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THE START OF SASSY An American teen magazine aimed at young female fans of alternative and indie rock music, Sassy was a force to be reckoned with from the beginning. The magazine was founded in 1988 by Australian feminist, Sandra Yates, who based it on the teen magazine Dolly.

Twenty-four-year-old Jane Pratt was named Sassy’s editor-in-chief and worked with a half Australian, half American staff. Its original main writers were referred to by Pratt as “Sex” (Karen Catchpole), “Drugs” (Catherine Gysin), and “Rock ‘n’ Roll” (Christina Kelly) because of the topics each editor covered.

Other teen magazines strayed away taboo subjects like STDs and suicide, but Sassy embraced it all with a feminist-minded tone. Pre-internet, it was one of the few resources teen girls (and boys) had to frank and factual discourse on political, social, emotional, and sexual health issues.

Sassy ended its New York editorial run in 1994; this marked the departure of Pratt and the majority of the original staff. The magazine was “mainstreamed”, lost credibility amongst its original fans, and published its last issue in December 1996. They were replaced by TEEN magazine.

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smells like teen spirit

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The cover of Sassy’s most popular issue, featuring Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love, in April of 1992.

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12 xo , j ane A p ic tu re

o f Ja n e P ra tt fr o m h e r fi rs t D ia r y , a le tt e r- fr o m - th e

- e d it o

r ty p e a rt ic le a t th e b e g in n

in g o f e v e ry Sassy is s u e .

SIMPLY JANE At the age of 24, editor Jane Pratt was plucked out of ­entry-level obscurity by Australian publisher Sandra Yates to launch Sassy, a groundbreaking magazine for teenage girls. Still a young woman herself, Pratt was responsible for the magazine’s soaring success. There, her job was to be simply Jane—a slightly-reckless, bluntly-honest, effortlessly-cool friend and confidant for thousands of girls around the country. She was so transparent in every issue; to really understand Sassy magazine was to get to know Jane as a person.

Pratt worked relentlessly, never sleeping much while editor-in-chief. Aside from typical editorial duties, there was also the rock-and-roll lifestyle that came with being young and famous in New York in the ‘90s.

In the wake of Sassy’s success, Pratt hosted talk shows Jane and The Jane Pratt Show. She then launched Jane magazine in 1997, as a way to reconnect with her now-adult audience, and then in 2011, Jane went fully-digital, giving women a community on the web at xojane.com, a venture which she still runs today.

Jane Pratt was born on November 11, 1962 in San Francisco to artist Sheila Marks Blake and Vernon Pratt, a minimalist painter and professor of art at Duke University. She was raised in Durham, North Carolina and attended her father’s alma mater Phillips Academy, a boarding school in Andover, Massachusetts at the age of 15. Pratt notes this time as being very difficult for her socially and emotionally, but also attributes this experience as being life-changing; she never lost touch with the feeling of being an outsider, a skill she used to gain credibility with an angsty teen audience.

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After high school, Pratt enrolled at Oberlin College in Ohio where she received a degree in Communications with a minor in Modern dance. Her publishing career began with internships at Rolling Stone magazine and Sportstyle. After graduating, Pratt landed her first job as assistant editor of McCall’s and in 1986, became an associate editor of Teenage Magazine. From there she went on to found Sassy Magazine.

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EVERY SASSY COVER. EVER. FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

1988

JAN

1992

1991

1990

1989

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JUN

A visual representation of the history of Sassy magazine, from its first volume, through various acquisitions, and culminating with its final issue.

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OCT

NOV

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DEC

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ESTABLISHED: MARCH 1988 FINAL ISSUE: DECEMBER 1996 FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

1995

1994

1993

JAN

1996

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march

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july

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october

1988

24-year-old Jane Pratt launches the premiere issue of Sassy.

Ciruclation is at 250,000.

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december

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december

1989

Heartthrob Robert Downey, Jr. is the magazine’s first coverboy.

1989

Lang Communications aquisition.

Circulation hits 450,000.

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1989

A joint December-January issue, including a free R.E.M. flexidisc.

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march

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april

1990

This issue is fully readerproduced with original content. september

1991

Dirt, a spin-off magazine for boys, launches as a 34-page supplement in this issue.

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1992

Sassy editors discover modelcome-actress Chloë Sevigny and hire her as an intern.

1992

The publication’s most popular issue ever, featuring alternative music’s power couple, Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain.

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AUG

SEP

OCT

NOV

DEC

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k

december

1994

Lang Communications, deep in debt, puts the magazine on the auctioning block. Petersen Publishing buys Sassy for $1.2 million. The magazine closes its New York office and moves across the country to Los Angeles. Sassy goes on hiatus for three months as they transition.

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march

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december

1994

Executive publisher, Jay Cole, blames the magazine’s financial failings on being too “fringe” and missing a large part of the teen market. Sassy goes mainstream and is aimed at an older 15-to 24-year old audience.

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1996

Sassy publishes its last issue and is absorbed by TEEN.

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SASSY TO THE CORE

GETTING TO THE (OFT-ANGSTY) HEART OF THE BRAND AND ITS DEVOTEES 19

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WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE SASSY? It can be argued that the whole point of being a teen is figuring out who you are and where you fit in. Teenage girls in the ‘80s and early ‘90s could largely be classified into two groups—the Seventeen girl who had New Kids on the Block playing on repeat in her Walkman and stressed over prom dress choices in September, and her antithesis: the Sassy girl.

The generation of women that was influenced by the magazine went on to create a new batch of Sassyinspired publications like Bitch, Bust, and Venus, not to mention the plethora of local ‘zines. It is no exagerration to say that Sassy was not so much a teen trend, as it was a feminist movement, a shared ethos that inspired a generation of women like TechStar and CEO Caren Maio, writer and trendsetter Tavi Gevinson, and showrunner and actress Lena Dunham.

Sassy rebelled against the mainstream, Pretty in Pink, please-your-boyfriend culture by publishing articles about suicide and sex workers while Seventeen was still teaching girls how to get a boy to notice you.

But what about the teens of today that missed out?

Magazines are, by and large, dead. While some publishers have expanded to digital versions that can be read on-the-go, interactive communities and social media have largely replaced traditional magazines in the average teenager’s life. A natural evolution for Sassy is as a cross-platform brand that stays true to its irreverant tone and feminist roots.

Nearly three decades after its last issue was printed, Sassy has retained a loyal following, inciting eBay bidding wars and many sentimental articles mourning the passing of an era goneby. Like a secret code, selfidentifying as a Sassy girl today is very telling and creates a bond with fellow readers that is sorority-like.

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With that said, just as the magazine industry has changed, so has the idea of what it means to be a woman. Feminism has gone through many waves and its main causes have changed with the times. By and large, being a feminist in the late ‘80s and ‘90s meant listening to alt-rock, wearing torn fishnets and combat boots, rejecting traditional feminity, and embracing your inner riot grrrl.

A modern-day Sassy girl shuns stereotypes, thinks for herself, and gets involved in the world. She enjoys reading New York Fashion Week blog posts, but takes care to shop locally and ethically. She fangirls over Taylor Swift, and raps along with Kendrick Lamar. She’s the water polo captain and homecoming princess. She knows her body and makes informed decisions about sex. Her friend circle includes a wide range of people and defies traditional cliques. She is smart, funny, opinionated,and approachable. She is woke.

Today, being a feminist means recognizing that women are multi-faceted; the third wave of feminism tackles intersectionality, or the idea that a person’s various identities (sexual, racial, social, etc.) overlap and must be considered as a whole to accurately understand a person’s life experience. A modern-day feminist ackowledges that not all feminists look or act the same (for example, it is possible to be feminine and a feminist at the same time).

sassy to the core

And, above all else, she is Sassy.

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Our mission is to create a space for every teenage girl to think, speak, and act for herself.

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SASS, PERSONIFIED When thinking about a target audience, details like age and ethnicity are helpful—to a point. What is more important is understanding an indivdual’s motivations.

Questions like “Where does she shop?” or “What vacation destination is tops her bucket list?” are more telling than simple stats.

sassy to the core

Sassy girls share common ties: the greatest being their dedication to authenticity and open-mindedness.

Still, its a disservice to lump them all together because they come from all walks of life: gay and straight, Republican and Democrat, affluent and at-risk, white and black (and various shades of brown in between).

Keeping the brand’s new mission in mind, the following are snapshots of the modern Sassy girl— her wide range of interests, various aspirations, and sources of motivation.

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Sporty STEM Girl Samantha Armen, 15 High School Sophomore Boston, MA

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academics

Taking AP Chemistry and Honors Trigonometry classes this year extra - curricular Co-captain of her high school’s junior varisty lacrosse team extra - curricular

Founded her school’s first competitive robotics team dream job

Google engineer or sports therapist for the New England Patriots spends her money on

Shops for deals on Amazon and buys Nike workout gear via City Sports community

Likes supporting her local coffee shop rather than Starbucks currently listening to

Bastille

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Samantha loves the look on people’s faces when she tells them that she is a nerdy jock. She believes that being good at sports and actually liking school are not mutually exclusive things. At first, she felt a little awkward being only one of 4 girls in her AP Chem class, but has no problem speaking up in class because she is a natural leader. She is a sensible girl when it comes to her money, buying practical things like sports equipment and self-care items. She loves a good bargain, but will pay a little extra to help her community. She likes Bastille because they’re like her: two different things at once (pop and indie).

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Outspoken Artist Kaitlyn Brenner, 17 High School Senior Wilmington, NC

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academic

Yearbook Photo Editor and school newspaper editorialist extra - curricular

Likes debating, hates the debate team

extra - curricular

Publishes a monthly literature and art webzine with friends dream job

Curator for the Met and/or Lisa Ling

spends her money on

Sweet vintage finds at local thrift stores and at A.C. Moore craft store community

An active YouTuber, she plays originals on her uke and vlogs about feminism currently listening to

Regina Spektor

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sassy to the core

Kaitlyn always feel like she has something to say. She likes expressing her opinions and emotions in different ways; that’s why she is involved with her school’s newspaper and yearbook, but also does her webzine, YouTube channel, and crafts at home. She used to be on the debate team, but quit after getting tired of the boys always speaking over her and always getting chosen for competitions over the girls. She admires Lisa Ling because she isn’t afraid to ask the tough questions and form her own opinions, and Regina Spektor because she’s weird and proud, just like her.

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Woke Dancer Mikayla Carter, 14 High School Freshman Flint, MI

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academic

Taking Honors Englsih and US History classes this year extra - curricular

JV Cheerleader and ballet-trained, but enjoys teaching Hip Hop extra - curricular

National Black MBA youth member

dream job

Michigan state senator or a local business owner spends her money on

Her MAC obsession. She’s also saving up for a pair of Stan Smiths community

Organized a student walk-out protesting the water crisis currently listening to

FKA Twigs

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sassy to the core

Mikayla is very mature for her age, due to the civil unrest in her community. She feels very lucky to have strong women in her family who have taught her about black girl magic and doing what you can to fight social injustice. She chooses to be a positive force and role model in her community by working at the Y, studying hard, and rallying her classmates around important issues. She knows that her voice is powerful despite her age and looks forward to carrying this through into her career.

She appreciates the traditional (like ballet), but likes seeing the evolution of movement and ideas to create new things. She admires FKA Twigs because she is also a self-starter and not afraid to be an outsider.

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Thrifty Room Mom Alexis Espinoza, 35 Accountant Austin, TX

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academic

Graduated with an B.A. in Accounting from University of Texas, Austin extra - curricular

Subscribed to Sassy when she was a teen and contributed to the reader issue extra - curricular

Married to college-sweetheart Robert for 15 years and has two kids profession

CPA and Treasurer of the Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas (Austin) spends her money on

Target runs, paying off student loans, and saving for her kids’ college funds community

PTA volunteer at her daughter’s high school and son’s middle school currently listening to

Jesse & Joy

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Alexis got into accounting as a way to help her parents get out of their cycle of debt and to understand her own. Sometimes she feels like an outsider as a Latina professional in a traditionally male-dominated field, but that’s why she enjoys being a part of the HWNT: Austin Chapter. She loves the solidarity. Education is most important to her, for herself, and her kids. That’s why she is such an involved parent at school and saving every penny for her kids’ college funds. She likes a mix of English and Spanish music and really loves how Jesse & Joy sing such contemporary songs while honoring their heritage.

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Diplomatic Fashionista Madison Duong, 13 8th Grade Westminster, CA

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academic

Taking an Accelerated Algebra course to have a head start in high school extra - curricular

Member of her school’s Gay-Straight Alliance along with her BFF, Tyler extra - curricular

Watches Project Runway and wants to apply for the Junior edition dream job

Couture fashion designer or a doctor

spends her money on

Modifiable fashion basics at American Apparel and Sally Beauty Supply community

A first-generation American, she’s bilingual in English and Vietnamese currently listening to

Troye Sivan

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sassy to the core

Madison feels a lot of pressure from her traditional Vietnamese family to be successful (i.e. become a doctor). She does what her mom asks (like taking accelerated courses and studying hard), but refuses to sacrifice her passions: fashion and beauty. Another issue of contention is her friendship with her gay best friend, Tyler, and their involvement in their school’s GayStraight Alliance. She loves her mom, but tries to reconcile the fact that there is a cultural and generational divide between them. She discovered Troye Sivan when he was still just a YouTube star and loves him because he is a true artist in every sense of the word.

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Proud Performer Tyler Fields, 13 8th Grade Westminster, CA

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academic

Struggling to keep his GPA up, but has to for drama club extra - curricular

Events Chair for his shcool’s GayStraight Alliance extra - curricular

Spent the summer at water polo camp prepping for high school team tryouts dream job

Actor/singer or a star stylist. Regardless, he’s Hollywood-bound! spends her money on

Banana Republic and at the local AMC Movie Theater community

A social butterfly, he hangs out with lots of groups, but is BFFs with Madison currently listening to

The Chainsmokers

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Tyler feels lucky to have supportive family and friends (like Madison, the GSA, and drama club) who love him no matter what. He thinks it’s important to give back to his community by organizing fun and charitable events. He loves himself and accepts his weaknesses (academics) along with his strengths (acting and singing). He is not necessarily very sporty, but has lots of friends joining the water polo team and knows he’ll benefit from having that support system in high school. He likes the Chainsmokers because they break the mold, just like him.

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“A strong woman understands that gifts such as logic, decisiveness, and strength are just as feminine as intuition and emotional connection. She values and uses all of her gifts.� —Nanci Rathbun, IT project manager & novelist

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SETTING SASSY APART COMPARING THE BRAND TO CURRENT, ADJACENT, AND FUTURE COMPETITORS 41

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seventeen

This is the teen magazine.

They seem to have the market on lock-down. Big celebs on the cover. Strong social media presence.

THEY SAY PRINT IS DEAD After Sassy magazine printed its last issue in December of 1996, its staff and writers were absorbed by TEEN magazine...which was then absorbed by Seventeen. The magazine business itself is floundering at best as the move to digital media has largely made it obsolete. Still, there are a few stalwart companies that have had commercial success and it’s important to set Sassy (as it was then) against these brands.

Sassy set itself apart as an alternative magazine for teens. Fashion, music, politics, and sex were all covered but with an off-center perspective.

It differs from the rest of the industry because it produces content that has substance and does not patronize its teen audience.

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marie claire

nylon

Like a grown-up version of American Girl magazine.

Clean and PG-13. Includes DIY projects and book reviews.

In terms of popularity and accessability, this is second only to Cosmo. More focused on fashion and beauty trends.

The artsy trendsetter in women’s magazines, especially in design. They tend to be more indie and edgier than the rest.

people

teen vogue

tiger beat

The king of entertainment gossip, with a bit of celebrityrelated fashion and lifetstyle news. Published weekly and very accessible.

Has gained popularity as a fashion-minded competitor to Seventeen. Benefit from their big sister magazine connection.

Recently rebranded. Very slick, yet cutesy website. Strong social media presence. Those ubiquitous celebrity crush posters are still included.

girls ’ life

cosmopolitan

j - 14

Not as popular, but this one definitely scores points from parents as being considered “safe” because taboo subjects like sex are not covered.

A household name. CosmoGirl! is defunct, but teen girls would just as rather read the big sister magazine. Covers adult topics.

One of the last surviving teen celeb gossip magazines. Cheap and easily-found. Very active on social media. Known to “discover” rising stars.

setting sassy apart

justine

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snapchat

The king of media for teens today. The filters make it fun.

The disappearing photos make it relaxed. Once dismissed as a sexting app, it’s now the best way to reach young people.

LIKES & FOLLOWERS After an abrupt shuttering in the late ‘90s, Sassy put out an unofficial final issue online. The website, which is still live, is like a time capsule, design-wise (think Times New Roman, 256-color palette, and clip art overload). It’s a quick reminder of how far we’ve come since the beginning of the World Wide Web. By comparison, today’s teens are social media natives and early adopters. If Sassy is to keep up, it will be competing against social media sites like these, moreso than traditional magazines.

Sassy combines multiple aspects of each of these sites: community, advice, audienceproduced content, celeb news. Also, it has a feminist, empowerment point of view which is missing from the majority of these apps.

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facebook

instagram

Touted as “the world’s largest online art gallery and community”, it is a creative outlet for artsy young people.

A profile is still necessary, but less teens use it now. A way to connect with older friends and family. Pretty PC.

Still going strong. A way to share your outfit, lunch,or vacation. Teens follow friends, celebs, and the Insta-famous.

twitter

whisper

youtube

Where hashtags were born.

Teens like knowing what’s trending and who is feuding.

Celebs still largely use it. Live Tweeting is still popular.

Anonymity and voyeurism are the draws. This can turn sketchy. The scrapbook style and personalization options have a lot of appeal to teens.

Music videos, vlogs, & trailers.

Many teens are creators on the site and part of the community.

Trending challenges engage viewers and creators.

fanfiction . net

loveline

tumblr

A fan fiction archive site that is very popular with literaryminded teens and comic enthusiasts. They have a poetry-based sister site as well.

Popular adio call-in program that offers medical and relationship advice. Targeted to young adults who enjoy the show’s laid-back attitude.

Very easy to use. There is a rich community built-in.

Something for everyone. Has an artsy slant, image- and GIFdriven. Popular with fangirls.

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deviant art

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girls who code

This education brand has made something once thought nerdy into something cool. The community is really strong.

GIRL POWER 2.0 The feminist movement has gained traction in recent years, particularly in the media and advertising world.

Businesses (regardless of their wares)are cluing in to the fact that marketing to women in a empowering way resonates with this generation. Sassy was simply ahead of its time, but this is a prime environment for a renaissance, perhaps as something more robust as well.

Sassy is capable of pivoting in order to compete with feminist lifestyle brands and products. It stands apart by being a pioneer for this movement within the magazine sector; it has a rich feminist history. Apart from that, it’s audience is unique: teen girls specifically.

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under armour

ted

nike

Spotlighted female athletes so successfully that not even Nike could do quite as well. Brand loyalty has risen because of it.

An education brand that has branched out to a TedWomen conference as well. The videos are free and easily accesible.

A leader in fempowerment campaigns. High name recognition. Cool, luxury items.

They’re much more than shoes.

mac

hello flo

girl scouts of the usa

Long-known for their inclusivity (race, age, gender), MAC elicits strong customer loyalty because of their vast range of skintone/color options.

They jumped on the monthlybox subscription format at the right time. They use humor to appeal to both parents and girls in tackling a “taboo” subject.

The organization went through a “realignment” in 2004 to modernize and boost membership. They continue to create strong female leaders.

dove

covergirl

beyonce

Not many would have forseen a deodorant company as a leader in female empowerment. Their ads use real women that their audience can relate to.

Various successful campaigns, featuring inclusivity and feminism. Affordability and relatability, while remaining glamourous, are key.

setting sassy apart

One of the strongest female empowerment brands today. A powerful opinion leader (even sociopolitically). Cool, likeable, relateable, and marketable.

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“I believe that the rights of women and girls is the unfinished business of the 21st century.” sassy in circulation

—Hillary Rodham Clinton

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JUST A SPARK From its humble editorial beginnings, Sassy has empowered every young woman to think, speak and act for herself. Sassy then knew that pandering to teenage girls never works. Rather, the magazine choose to take a smart tone and assume that their audience was capable of more. At its very soul, Sassy was a gamechanger.

setting sassy apart

Today, Sassy continues to encourage girls to reject the glass ceiling as a given and, rather, to break through it, and traditional conventions. Counting riot grrrls and nasty women among their ranks, Sassy preaches girl power, inclusivity, and intersectionality. After unearthing its history, distilling its essence, evaluating its audience, and assessing its competition, a spark has been lit. The brand is primed and ready for a renaissance, a continuation of the revolution that began more than thirty years ago.

Sassy is back.

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COLOPHON Š 2016 Jazmine Diaz jazmine.diaz@gmail.com www.jazminediaz.com This book is a non-commercial project for educational purposes and is not intended to represent the Sassy brand.

Academy of Art University Nature of Identity professor Hunter Wimmer design Jazmine Diaz photography Sherrie Gulmahamad, iizombie, bad_lands, Deirdre Malfatto, Jane Pratt, Chris Goodwin, Brad Sigal, Cherie Harmony, E. Greske, Melissa Ayee, Lily Pebbles, Paige Smith, Stephanie Godfrey, Erik Gross, Elena Borner, Lauren Shin, Alex Hawley, Alex Karamanov, Fernando Carranca school course

All rights are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording, photocopying or otherwise,