Who: The Globe and Mail, and Cossette for creative and media.
What: A new brand platform and advertising emphasizing the value of subscribing to The Globe and Mail, using the tagline “Power to the Informed.”
When & Where: the campaign began Friday with a cinema spot, but will be heavy on digital media, accompanied by some print and out-of-home. The real media push begins on Oct. 7, when Canadians become much more engaged with the election, said Sean Humphrey, vice-president of marketing for The Globe and Mail. “The most significant weight is in the final two weeks.”
Why: Like many media properties, The Globe and Mail has been making a concerted effort to generate more revenue from subscriptions as advertising dollars continue to migrate to other channels and media. The goal for Cossette was to articulate the role and value of The Globe and Mail in an environment where there is a “deluge of news and news-like content, and much of it for free,” said Debra Kavchak-Taylor, Cossette’s vice-president of strategy.
The consumer research: “One of the things that came through in the research is that The Globe and Mail is a trusted source. That wasn’t the challenge,” said Kavchak-Taylor. The challenge was to make people appreciate that trusted news content has real value, that it is important in their lives and in culture.
Why “Power to the Informed”? For the past few years, at a time when people were talking about fake news and professional journalism itself was under attack, The Globe and Mail used the platform and tagline “Journalism Matters.” “It is important that the Globe put a stake in the ground about the credible information and journalistic excellence that we provide our readers,” said Humphrey. Power to the Informed tweaks that message slightly, putting the emphasis on how quality journalism is good for the consumer. “From more of a macro [positioning] to one with readers at the centre of it,” he said. “You make your financial personal decisions based on the value it provides you.”
How: Video creative uses a clever misdirect to contrast the time and effort people put into researching things like movies, sports and food, suggesting they might want to put similar time and effort into being informed about the upcoming election—and The Globe and Mail can help. “It’s in your hands,” says the VO.
After the election: The campaign will run until the end of November, although messaging will change after the election to focus on new issues arising from the election and new government. There will also be content that is less political but still speaks to the ways The Globe and Mail helps people make decisions in their lives—from theatre choices to the best wines for dinner.
