Agency: OLIVER
Client: The Guardian
Campaign Name: Dating with a two-track mind
Campaign Overview
Making daters see Soulmates in a new light, and different to the others.
Strategy
There was a need to communicate the distinctive Guardian-ness of Soulmates so the audience could see a middle ground between regrettable hook-ups and data driven matchmaking.
A place where intellect was valued as much as looks.
Shifting perceptions of a brand for existing and new users is a hard task.
The publication had a desire for people to reappraise Guardian Soulmates and wanted to make it more on-brand.
It wanted to put clear water between the service and big-spending rivals using a more data-driven approach.
The ability to offer a place where people can have a meeting of minds as well as bodies is a really powerful asset and unique to The Guardian.
It was time to bring it to life.
Creativity
With simple, bold and unmistakably Guardian typography, OLIVER appealed to basic instincts using innuendo, but also to people’s brains.
Shock value grabbed attention.
A headline that proclaimed “shag” was immediately followed by an explanation that a sea-bird had been spotted on a bird-watching trip; the type of date and humour Guardian readers might enjoy.
The creative put Soulmates in a clear dating space, highlighting the intelligence and lifestyle choices of prospective partners.
Results
The campaign drove a 33% uplift in subscriptions in its duration.
That was backed by a 22% increase in searches for Guardian Soulmates, and 53 million impressions on theguardian.com.
The nature of the creative approach stimulated lots of positive feedback with organic shares, views, likes and comments.
The Team
Magnus Thorne, Creative Director, Oliver - Paul Turner, Creative Director, Oliver - Sam Jacobs, Creative Director, Oliver - Rob Kavanagh, Executive Creative Director, Oliver - Octavia Welby, Copywriter, Oliver - Liam Smith, Design Director, Oliver - Ida Ghotaslo, Project Manager, Oliver - Alba Cruz, Motion Graphics Designer, Oliver - Dan Perry, Planner, Oliver - Suzanne Partridge, Client Services Director, Oliver - Iza Pawlowska, Account Lead, Oliver - Emily Cowan, Marketing Executive, The Guardian - Kate Davies, Head of Brand Awareness, The Guardian - Sonia Sudhakar, Director of Marketing, The Guardian
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