The Economist
IDEAS PEOPLE
When The Economist introduced its new global ad sales strategy to the North American marketplace, it was important to tell a story that was accurate to the brand yet tailored to a specific audience. The Economist has a meaningful message for advertisers and media agencies — a story of remarkable growth in an industry suffering declines. Readers of The Economist search out solutions and become advocates for the products and services they believe in. They are Ideas People. They are the world’s driving influential leaders in the 21st century. And The Economist is a place of shared values, where Ideas People congregate to exchange ideas, information and inspiration. To create solutions serving the global ad sales strategy, the messaging amplified the ways The Economist helps advertisers meet and engage the community of Ideas People.
Charley’s goal in developing effective ad sales marketing materials was not to only create a story introducing The Economist brand and the Ideas People platform but also make a connection with young media buyers who could become advocates for the brand. We developed a visual storytelling approach that was smart, fun, witty and accessible. It’s a little irreverent in The Economist way — with a twinkle in the eye — using friendly humor. The design and illustration utilized The Economist’s iconic red and white color palette, creating an instantly recognizable visual expression. The graphic system and toolkit were designed with flexible, modular components, making the creation of digital presentations and applications across multiple initiatives seamless and consistent — which let the ad sales team spend more time concentrating on developing ideas and building relationships.
PROJECT SCOPE
Brand Strategy
Marketing Collateral
Digital Experience
Motion & Video
Environmental Design
A video series was created to tell the story of how The Economist connects the dots, making sense of global events for people who are the driving influential force in 21st century societies: the Ideas People.
Winning minds with laughter
When it came to the launch of the Ideas People initiative, we needed to think big. Similar to an entertainment network, Charley created an “upfront” presentation with a major event focusing on The Economist brand story and success, after which their teams could follow up with ad sales efforts in key North American markets. The roadshow began in New York with a theater takeover and a lively presentation that drew on the talents of The Second City comedy troupe. While attendees took in the performance, the theater lobby and lounge were transformed into a speakeasy with custom cocktails created using the Ideas People themes of pioneers, catalysts and builders.
