The Economist launches new "Word Play" marketing initiative to drive prospective readers to US 2020 election coverage

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Oct 08, 2020, 11:26 ET

LONDON, Oct. 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today The Economist, one of the most widely recognised and thought-provoking brands, announced the launch of a new digital marketing initiative, "Word Play", designed to drive audiences to the high-quality journalism they can expect from The Economist's coverage of the US 2020 elections.

Tapping into the collective frustration with mass media and acknowledging the emotionally-charged presidential election, "Word Play" will promote The Economist's US 2020 elections coverage, raise awareness of The Economist among US audiences and present the brand as a refreshingly fair-minded, rigorous and data-driven alternative source of journalism.

"Word Play" departs from The Economist traditional white out of red creative of, instead leveraging the secondary color palette with striking blues. Each creative makes use of kangaroo words found within The Economist name to boldly alert audiences to what they can expect (evidence-based, refreshingly fair) and cannot expect (no hype, no clickbait) from The Economist.

This global digital campaign, aimed primarily at US audiences, will run across social media (including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) as well as The Economist's owned channels and a myriad of digital media properties including WIRED, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Huffington Post and Quartz. It will also be featured as host-read advertisements on a range of prominent politics and current affairs podcasts.

Kim Miller, Chief Marketing Officer, The Economist says: "This year, Americans are anticipating one of the most consequential elections in US history, against the backdrop of a global pandemic and social unrest. We know The Economist helps to arm our audiences with the knowledge, facts and reasoned arguments to make sense of the shifting, emotionally-charged world around them. Through "Word Play," we can introduce our brand and content to new audiences looking for a global perspective on the events shaping our world today and begin to bring them on a journey with us."

"Word Play" has been created in collaboration with Brooklyn-based creative agency Superlative. This campaign is designed to connect with people who are passionate about the pursuit of progress, a value that is core to The Economist's mission, and to pique the interest of new readers, including younger, female audiences.

This new campaign supports The Economist's expanded coverage of the US election cycle.

The Economist maintains a dedicated US 2020 elections hub (economist.com/USelectionHub2020) as a guide to US politics. It recently launched its first-ever presidential election forecast model (economist.com/us2020model) as well as its first prediction model for elections to the United States Senate (economist.com/senatemodel2020) and an updated version of its forecasting system for the House of Representatives (economist.com/housemodel2020). Earlier in the year The Economist launched "Checks and Balance" newsletter (economist.com/ChecksandBalanceNewsletter2020) and podcast (economist.com/ChecksandBalancePodcast2020).

About The Economist
With a growing global consumer base and a reputation for insightful analysis and perspective on every aspect of world events, The Economist is one of the most widely recognised and well-read current-affairs publications. Each week, the paper covers politics, business, science and technology, as well as books and arts, concluding each week with an obituary. In addition to the web-only content such as blogs, debates and audio/video programmes available, The Economist app is available for download on Android and iPhone devices. The Economist Espresso, our daily briefing mobile app, is also available for download via iTunes App Store or Google Play.
(www.economist.com)

About Superlative
Superlative, a Brooklyn-based NYC creative agency and consultancy that specialises in the use of technology, content and campaigns to help brands and media companies grow. Superlative thinks and works natively across digital and IRL to create brands, campaigns, apps, events and content. Superlative's services run the gamut from strategic consulting and brand strategy, to creative development and implementation.
(superlative.agency)

About UM
Part of the global media network, IPG Mediabrands, UM is a media and marketing consultancy for the now and the next. We believe in better balancing short and long term growth; a future proofed approach that builds on our long-standing philosophy of Better Science, Art & Outcomes.

UM operates in over 100 countries, with more than 5,000 people innovating on a roster of global clients including Accenture, American Express, The Economist, Just Eat, Coca-Cola, Fitbit, GoPro, Johnson & Johnson, Mattel and Spotify.
(www.umuk.com/)

SOURCE The Economist