1. VIBE
For young urban followers of hip-hop culture
MAGAZINE
CASE STUDY

3. Hip hop culture has always been fuelled by the soul of
the inner city, the passion of the people and the voice
of those who didn’t have a platform. At the centre of
the movement was music—which shaped, moulded and
propelled the genre into the most powerful movement
since rock ‘n roll.
VIBE has and will continue to be the vehicle that
gives a voice to the undiscovered and a stage to those
already shining. Through our pages, we chronicle the
celebrities, sounds, fashion, lifestyle, new media and
business born from urban music. As an authoritative
voice, VIBE creates trends as much as it records them.
VIBE serves as a portal to a growing
young, trendsetting,
multicultural audience. As excellent journalists and
innovative marketers, VIBE is the voice of urban
music and culture. VIBE provides a democratic digital
experience were users are encouraged to contribute
content. At VIBE, print and online seamlessly relate

4. DEMOGRAPHICS
ADULTS
Men 55%
Women 45%
AGE
18-24 35%
18-34 67%
21+ 82%
35+ 29%
Median Age 30
EDUCATION
Any college 55%
Currently in college 20%
EMPLOYMENT
Employed 62%
HHI Income $52.5k
Black /African AMERICAN 75%
White 15.9%
Spanish/Hispanic/ Latino 12.4%
Asian 1%
Other Race 11.3%
TOTAL AUDIENCE - 2,400,000 (2011)

5. The VIBE Lifestyle Network
- 15 million unique users per month
- 62% male / 32% female
- Multiple channels:
• Music
• Sports
• Lifestyle
• Entertainment
• Fashion

7. VIBE.com
VIBE.com is proud to anchor the VIBE Lifestyle
Network and bring a powerful channel of
websites to advertisers who want to reach the
VIBE audience. VIBE.com chronicles the
celebrities, sounds, fashion, lifestyle and
business born of urban music with an
authoritative voice.
• 1.3 million unique users per month
• HHI $40-60K
• 62% male / 38% female

8. VIBE VIXEN
VIBE Vixen is a magazine geared towards
female readers of Vibe Magazine that
covers
fashion, beauty, dating, entertainment, a
nd societal issues for "urban minded
females". The magazine was initially
released in fall of 2004 and is issued on a
quarterly basis.
Median Age 27
Household Income $51, 868
Women 18-34 71.3%
Women 35+ 28.7%
Any College 79.1%
Never Married 62.6%
Employed 48.9%

10. 2011… %

11. 2012…

12. Marketing
Opportunities
VIBE offers advertising both online and in the
magazine, it represents over 25 websites in it’s
entirety.
“ No other urban culture brand has the
credibility to provide advertisers with
direct access to high-profile events
including music festivals, fashion
shows, film, movie premieres and award
show celebrations. We work closely
with our advertisers to develop
customized programs and promotions
suited to brand and product initiatives.
With our reach of more than 13 million
influential young adults, VIBE goes
beyond traditional mass media to
provide our marketing partners with
360 turnkey opportunities to engage
our urban audience and increase
mindshare and market penetration.
”

13. SHOWCASE

15. Advertising
Rates

16. CASE STUDY
Background
The magazine was founded by producer Quincey Jones in 1993 and was later taken over by
InterMedia Partners.
Although Vibe magazine doesn’t have a slogan, on the website it says ‘redefining hip hop’
Images
The celebrities used on the covers of the magazines and throughout are all very successful rappers
and singers, for example, Lil Wayne, Eminem, Neyo, Nicki Minaj and Rhianna. All the images used are
posed and taken for the magazine, giving it a professional feel.
The covers are slightly more of males however the ratio is quite even, the race of most of the stars is
either black or mixed ethnic groups however in October 2012 Kesha was the first Caucasian female to
be pictured on the front cover.
Inside the magazine
Vibe made a consistent effort to feature models of all ethnicities in these pages. Former editor Emil
Wilbikin was frequently credited with styling those pages and keeping fashion in the forefront of the
magazine's identity during the early 2000s. Many clothing brands created or linked to hip-hop
celebrities, such as Sean Combs' Sean John, Nelly's Apple Bottoms and G-Unit by 50 Cent found
plenty of exposure in Vibe's pages.
In the September 2003 issue commemorating ten years of publication, the magazine created different
covers using black and white portraits of its most popular cover subjects. It also contained "The Vibe
100: The Juiciest People, Places and Things of the Year."

17. VIBE
CONTENTS
PAGES