Guardian pushes multiplatform approach
The Guardian has launched its biggest brand campaign in 26 years to trumpet its multiplatform approach to journalism, as it steps up efforts to double online revenue by growing its digital audiences.
Television, cinema, outdoor, press and digital activity, created by Bartle Bogle Hegarty, resurrects the strapline “the whole picture” last used by the paper in 1986. Ads, which broke late yesterday (29 February), highlight what it describes as its “open journalism” approach – encouraging different perspectives from several journalists on the same story and inviting comment and contribution from readers online.
A TV spot, for example, offers several different perspectives on the reason behind the death of the wolf in a contemporary take on the fairytale “three little pigs”, while an outdoor ad to push its culinary coverage uses the line “three journalists, four chefs, 126 people with hangovers discuss the perfect fry-up”. Posters will point to how the paper can be consumed in print, on the web and on tablet and mobile devices.
Andrew Miller, chief executive officer of parent Guardian Media Group, says the “open” approach sets it apart from UK rivals and matches the strategy employed by US offerings New York Times and The Huffington Post in targeting “progressive audiences” – those that embrace change, new technology and “form their view of the world in the digital space”. He adds that these “progressives” are also attractive to advertisers.
The Guardian, which attracts 30 million unique users each month according to ComScore, wants to double the current £45m it earns in digital revenue over the next five years to offset declining print circulation and related advertising revenue.
The campaign, Miller adds, is part of that strategy, as is continued investment in digital technology to present it as an innovative partner for advertisers.
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The paper is exploring further opportunities to develop its Facebook application, Miller adds, as well as the possibility of Facebook games “relevant to journalism”. The opportunity to launch on connected televisions is also being explored.
He adds: “We want to be seen as more than just a newspaper. We are a partner that they [advertisers] can work with across a whole host of platforms and offer a creative range of revenue generating opportunities.”
