On Essence and Complex, The Risk and Reward of Being Ahead of the Curve

Aliya Nealy
Jul 28, 2017 · 4 min read

“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”

— Henry Ford

Blavity article on the sale of Essence

With Time Inc. announcing the sale of Essence, I’ve spent the week thinking about traditional print media, our digital world and the importance of seeing what’s on the horizon long before you get there. I’ve seen comments that suggest Essence’s current problem is everything from an inability to strongly transition to digital to the general decline of print media to even the brand just being less valuable today.

From my corner of speculation, it looks like a mix of an inability to reach a younger demo, a slow shift to using digital to drive the brand into the future, and a view that the brand’s history would keep it relevant regardless of changes to the industry. I believe Essence has had to balance its core older black female millennial demographic and the upcoming younger demographic while appealing to both all as the world becomes more reliant on everything being digital. If you look at it, it’s a lot of balls to juggle at once and a lot of transitions to balance. So many traditional print media companies are exactly where Essence is but could be a little further if they shifted to digital earlier, which would have taken one pain point out of the equation.


Funny enough, a few weeks ago I was talking to a mentor about traditional print media, sparked by a discussion of Essence. I mentioned that I thought Complex, as random of an example as that is, had done a better job than any other traditional print media I could think of, in their transition to digital. They were one of the first media outlets I saw really take advantage of social media to drive traffic to their site and excel at content marketing. It wasn’t until last week when I came across an AdWeek interview with Complex CEO, Rich Antoniello, that I understood how early to the party Complex actually was.

The article was full of gems but said one thing that stopped me in my tracks: “In 2006, Rich told his investors they weren’t going to be paid back. Instead, he announced Complex was reinvesting “every dollar” on a projected basis and “going hardcore into digital.”

Stop.

In 2006, he told investors that every dollar was going to digital. Let’s reflect on that. In 2006, I had one of those phones that slid up to reveal a full keyboard so you could text faster, without T9. Myspace was out and Facebook was the newly crowned king. Instagram DID NOT exist. Apps DID NOT exist. The first iPhone hadn’t even been released. Digital was barely a real industry in 2006 and Antoniello decided it would be Complex’s focus.

Imagine being the crazy guy in the room that wants to take all the money from a newly thriving brand and invest it in this field that barely exists. Antoniello risked looking like a lunatic to drive Complex forward in a new and valuable direction. Fast forward eleven years, Complex recently beat out GQ as the top media outlet for its demographic. What if Rich rested comfortably on Complex’s level of success in 2006? Would the brand be moving forward like it is today?

If Essence committed to digital in 2006 or even 2009, where would it be right now? The same place? Further along? It’s impossible to know but it would be interesting to see Essence take a risk now. I want to see Essence find ways to utilize VR or AI all while shifting the culture forward for their company, its black women followers, and media in general.


There’s risk and reward in being ahead of the curve. The risk is not everyone will get it when you do because not everyone is prepared or even interested in looking to what’s on the horizon. The risk is also that it won’t pay off. Not every shift to the future is a successful one and moving a traditional brand into new and uncharted territory can bring the type of risk that a company can’t recover from. Nonetheless, it pays to lead the charge in the field because when things actually do start moving forward you can say you’ve been on the forefront all along. In a world where the difference between being ahead of the curve or even slightly behind it is the difference between success and extinction, the risk of being out on the ledge alone is worth the reward of leading the pack.

Aliya Nealy

Written by

Strategist. Motivator. Black Feminist. Somwehere radiating light… and probably being extra.

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