The Economist unveils ads to reach out to the “intellectually curious”

The Economist is launching an outdoor marketing campaign asking people “Where do you stand?” on the subjects of drugs legalisation, the trading of human organs and prisoners’ right to vote, in a bid to promote its editorial content.

The magazine says the ads aim to present arguments for and against each issue, and have been created to highlight the key qualities of The Economist’s editorial: agenda-setting, constantly surprising and tested through analysis and continuous debate. The ads will break on Monday (7 June) and will run until 21 June.

The new campaign aims to reach out to the “intellectually curious” who are unfamiliar with The Economist.

It hopes that by encouraging them to engage in discussion and debate, The Economist will showcase its editorial content, demonstrating that it might be something they’d enjoy.

UK publisher of The Economist, Yvonne Ossman, says: “We believe we have a fantastic publication and have identified a significant pool of potential readers. By demonstrating to them how surprising, thought-provoking and diverse The Economist’s content can be we are aiming to create a connection between our magazine and this new audience. By sparking engagement and debate, we believe the new poster ads do just this.”

The posters are the first element of a broader communications plan that will include digital executions, an online widget and direct marketing.

A sampler issue will also be available, highlighting the breadth of issues that The Economist covers. “Where do you stand?” will be running throughout the summer, and is the first phase of a continuous campaign from The Economist to challenge and inspire the intellectually curious across the UK.

Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO created the ad. PHD handled media planning and buying. Below-the-line work was developed by The Communications Agency.

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