Background

For over seven decades, this pioneering Black media brand has stood as a cornerstone of African American culture and journalism. Since the 1940s, the publication has documented the Black American experience through powerful storytelling and iconic imagery, building one of the most significant visual archives of Black life in America.

As the brand evolved from print to digital media, this vast collection of cultural heritage became a crucial asset for their online presence.

The Challenge

In early 2019, the publication's management team encountered a critical issue during a routine digital assets audit. They discovered that many images used across their digital platform lacked proper copyright protection, particularly those published before 2019. For a brand that had documented decades of Black excellence, achievement, and cultural moments, this posed both a legal risk and a threat to their storytelling integrity.

"Our archives contained thousands of articles chronicling important moments in Black history and culture," explains one executive. "Removing the unprotected images would leave huge gaps in our storytelling, but we couldn't risk the legal exposure. We needed a solution that would both protect our institution and preserve our ability to tell these essential stories."


The executive team made the difficult but necessary decision to remove all pre-2019 images. This created an immediate challenge: how to maintain the visual impact of their cultural storytelling while ensuring legal compliance. The stakes were particularly high given the publication's historic role in documenting and celebrating Black life in America.

The Plan

The solution emerged through a partnership with Aeon, offering an innovative approach to this complex challenge. Rather than simply replacing static images, the media brand saw an opportunity to revolutionize how they presented their stories through AI-powered video content.

The implementation followed a thoughtful, phased approach that respected the publication's cultural significance:

First, the team identified key articles needing immediate attention – stories that continued drawing significant traffic despite missing their original images. These became the test cases for the new video integration.

Next, they collaborated with Aeon to develop an AI system that could understand the context and nuance of the brand's unique storytelling. The technology needed to generate video content that not only filled the visual gap but enhanced the narrative in a way that respected and elevated the original reporting.

"What impressed us most about Aeon's approach was their understanding of our cultural legacy," notes Aeon's point of contact. "They weren't just offering a technical solution – they were helping us reimagine how we could present our stories for a new generation of readers."


Outcome

The results of the video integration exceeded all expectations, transforming what began as a crisis into an opportunity for digital innovation. The impact was immediate and measurable across every key performance indicator.

  1. The brand saw a remarkable 40% increase in revenue, driven by higher engagement and improved ad performance.

  2. The average time spent on site quadrupled, indicating that readers weren't just viewing content – they were deeply engaging with these culturally significant stories.

  3. The visual storytelling led to a 20% increase in CPM rates, as advertisers recognized the value of the more engaging format.

  4. Perhaps most significantly, the video content became one of the top five traffic drivers across the entire site, suggesting that readers were actively seeking out these enhanced stories.

"We didn't just solve our image problem," reflects brand. "We discovered a new way to make our archives more vibrant and accessible than ever before."

The success has led to an expanded partnership with Aeon, with plans to implement the video solution across more of the publication's extensive archive. To ensure the expansion maintains the brand's high editorial standards and cultural authenticity, they've brought on a former Marketing Executive from their team to oversee the project's growth and help share their success story with the broader media industry.

As this historic publication continues to bridge its storied past with an innovative future, this transformation stands as a testament to how technological solutions can preserve and enhance cultural legacy while driving business success.

The publication's Michael Bendell reflected on the broader implications of this transformation: "Aeon's technology is truly game-changing. This isn't just about our brand – it's about the future of digital publishing. This kind of innovation will revolutionize how publishers approach content creation and archive preservation."


Looking Forward

Through their partnership with Aeon, this pioneering Black media brand has not only preserved their vital cultural archives but has created a new standard for digital storytelling in legacy media. As they continue to expand this solution across their platform, they're setting new benchmarks for how historic publications can thrive in the digital age while maintaining their cultural authenticity and mission.