2019 Silver Best B2C

Client: The Economist

Campaign Name: Opening Minds In a Closed World: Purpose Driven Brand Engagement

Campaign Overview

The Economist needed a new generation of younger readers - but today's younger generation is jaded by news.

Believing the world has become “toxic to truth” and closed minds have the loudest voices, the title needed to prove serious journalism shouldn’t be confused with journalism as entertainment.

Strategy

Research identified the “globally curious” people interested in politics, business, current trends and future technology.

But it also showed they were jaded by superficial, specious news sources, and unsettled by closed minds with loud voices.

Worryingly, many saw The Economist as a “right-wing trade mag”.

So the publication set out to provide worthwhile content, aiming to build direct relationships with potential readers.

An open letter from the editor-in-chief to readers proclaimed: “For 175 years The Economist has not only reported news, it has also championed values: a belief in human progress, distrust of powerful interests and respect for individual freedom. These are under attack.”

Creativity

The campaign centred on Open Future.

A compelling, global initiative to help readers navigate the forces that shape the future.

It was used to showcase the publication’s diverse opinions on a wide range of topics and drive direct interaction with younger, globally curious audiences across multiple platforms.

The work included live events, an essay and video contest, print, social-media, web, podcast and film, organised around an Open Future hub hosted on economist.com.

Content was arranged around five themes, from the future of capitalism to open borders.

Specific content was developed for each channel.
One such execution was The Open Future Festival: a live-streamed event in New York, London & Hong Kong.
It featured a robust debate between dissonant voices with diverse ideas, from Steve Bannon to Tony Blair.

Results

• Nine million active online engagements
• Viewed by 5,168,000 Snapchat users
• 5,317,408 podcast downloads
• 820,451 videos watched on YouTube

The Team

Lauren Hackett, SVP Global Communications, The Economist Group - Holly Donohue, Director, Global Communications, The Economist Group - Tom Amos, Senior Manager, Communications, The Economist Group - Evan Strome, President High, 10 Media - Roslyn Duffy, Associate Director, TVC - Jane Morgan, Managing Director, HK Golin - Neil Peace, Client Director, UM London - Matt Brocklesby, Managing Partner, Proximity London - Samantha DeCaprio, Director, iProspect - Dominic Noble, Creative Director, iProspect - Sara Aydarus, Account Manager, iProspect - Kenneth Yau, Account Director, iProspect - Aman Dayal, Account Manager, iProspect - Haran Timana, Paid Search Planner, iProspect - Nick Adams, CEO, Sense - Sarah Priestman, President, Sense - Daniel Hennessey, Project Director, Sense - Hayley James, Group Account Director, Sense - Scott Davies, CEO, Catalyst - Karen Hui, Client Services Director, Catalyst - Neil Soni, Founder, Unlimited Brewing - Murad Bushnaq, Sr. Marketing & Operations Executive, Unlimited Brewing - Raphael Rennuit, EMEA Sales Director, The Economist Group

Contributors

Sense, iProspect, High 10 Media, TVC, UM London, Proximity, Unlimited Brewing, Golin and Catalyst