The New Yorker

The New Yorker Tote Bag

Okay, this one is crazy. In 2016, The New Yorker Magazine came to FLY to help them sell subscriptions. One of the free give-aways they chose for new subscribers was a nice tote bag. So, FLY did what we’re good at: creating Direct Response advertising to promote subscriptions along with the FREE Tote Bag as a give-away. This wasn’t the first or only give-away that The New Yorker offered new subscribers, but no one had predicted how much this give-away would have become the tote bag carried around the world.

Yes, the New Yorker tote bag went viral. Like, half a million bags viral! THIS IS A TOTE BAG, FOR GOD SAKES! Here’s Google’s explanation for the phenomenon: “The New Yorker tote bag gained significant popularity and became a viral sensation around 2017, coinciding with a surge in new magazine subscriptions following Donald Trump's election and editor David Remnick’s writings. While the tote bag was initially introduced as a promotional item for new subscribers, its widespread visibility and status symbol appeal truly took off in the years following Trump's election.”