‘Papers aren’t just paper anymore’ is Newsworks and John Lloyd’s first-ever multi-media advertising campaign. The campaign highlights the distinctive and important role that newspapers (or newsbrands) play in our lives. In total there are six ads, each representing a distinctive characteristic of contemporary newsbrands. The ads highlight the growing audience of this multi-platform industry, its fluid relationship with social media and the age-old investigative role of newspapers in exploring and exposing current issues, including the NSA files, MPs’ expenses and Stephen Lawrence’s murderers.
Lloyd worked alongside contemporary designers Tappin Gofton, best-known for their work with Coldplay, the Chemical Brothers and photographer Nadav Kander, to produce the series of ads, which highlight newspapers’ transition to multi-media newsbrands.
The six ads will run in the UK’s leading national newspapers – the Guardian, Observer, The Independent, The Independent on Sunday, i, London Evening Standard, Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday, Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror, The Sunday People, The Sun, The Sun on Sunday, The Times, The Sunday Times, The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph - from 23 September for 12 weeks across print, online, tablet and mobile. The ads will be colour pages, banners and MPUs.
Rufus Olins, chief executive, Newsworks, said: “We hope the campaign reminds people that newspapers across all platforms continue to play a hugely important and influential role. There has been a lot of criticism of the industry and these ads tell the other side of the story. We’re thrilled with the commitment and work from John Lloyd and Tappin Gofton.”
John Lloyd, writer and television producer, said: “If Rufus had asked me to write a newspaper advertising campaign to promote ‘newsbrands’ a few years ago, I would have thought he was mad. But, working with him closely for the last 12 months, my perception of the industry has totally changed. I now understand and fully support his vision to promote the press, not as mere paper but as essential multi-media newsbrands. A world without newspapers is truly unspeakable. I hope the campaign changes perceptions and makes people think – newspapers are a vibrant and innovative business, full of dedicated and passionate people, an industry that I have come to both love and admire.”
Simon Gofton and Mark Tappin, co-founders of design agency Tappin Gofton, said: “The brief was very compelling and it was a unique challenge for us working on our first (newspaper) advertising campaign. The ambition and passion shared by Rufus and John for the project and for their belief in newsbrands was invigorating and infectious. The aim was to make people re-address their perceptions of what a newspaper is today and what it can be in the future.”
About Newsworks
Newsworks says: “Newsworks is the marketing body for the national newspapers in all their forms. Its stakeholders are: Guardian News & Media, Evening Standard, Independent Print, Mail Newspapers, Mirror Group Newspapers, News UK and Telegraph Media Group.”
