2017 Bronze Best writing

OLIVER

Client: The Guardian

The Media Planner

Campaign overview

How do you get cynical media buyers to sit up and take notice?

Making them laugh is a good start, and The Guardian set about doing just that.

Strategy

The Guardian has a challenge maintaining advertising revenues and tends to be regarded as an old fashioned print platform.

OLIVER needed to get media planners to re-evaluate what The Guardian can deliver, and engage with their 'Platform for Action'.

The strategy was to give The Guardian’s sales people a 'conversation starter' that would get them a foot in the door, and have media planners begging to hear more.

They started with the insight that media is an industry that loves poking fun at itself.

Creativity

OLIVER created an 'educational children's book' that spelt out what The Guardian needed to say in a way even someone who works in media can understand.

‘Learn about the world of The Media Planner’ explains The Guardian's advertising platform, whilst gently poking fun at the worst excesses of the industry.

It delicately lampoons the rise of the right, social justice warriors, nepotism, the gender pay-gap, freedom of speech, farmers' markets, healthy eating trends, and all that is right and good in this world.

The book is a cautionary tale that follows the contrasting fortunes of two sets of planners as they navigate the world of media planning through hangovers, market research and ad misplacement that leads to allegations of racism. And other fun stuff.

Written by those in media, for those in media, it's a perfect example of how creative a B2B project can be.

Results

Although too early to put hard numbers to the project's success, the feedback from the Direct Mail drop has been very positive within the industry.

And The Guardian has received numerous messages of support and applause for "A brave and fantastic little book".

Team

Brian Cooper (Chief Creative Officer) OLIVER - Paul Turner (Creative Director) OLIVER - SamJacobs (Design Director) OLIVER - Liam Smith (Art Director) OLIVER - James Fieldhouse (Copywriter) OLIVER - Katie Howe (Designer) OLIVER - Christopher Evangelista (Artworker) OLIVER - Izabela Pawlowska (Project Manager) OLIVER - Sofia Lanzalaco (Account Handler) OLIVER - Martin Hargreaves (Illustrator) OLIVER - Tom Bazeley (Consultant) Hoot Comedy - James Menzies (Consultant) Hoot Comedy - Heather Scott (Copywriter) The Guardian - Adam Foley (Commercial Strategy Director) The Guardian - Sally Hunter (Director of Trade Marketing) The Guardian - Hamish Nicklin (Chief Revenue Officer) The Guardian