Every week, we talk to a member of Team Nation to find out how they are bringing the “All in, all together” ad campaign to life. This week 10 questions with…meets Reach’s chief marketing officer and director of invention Jo Bacon.
1. To me, the rainbow symbolises
It is a great visualisation of hope, positivity and a reflection of us wanting to stand united against this terrible disease. It’s reflecting a tribute to the NHS. It also cheers the nation up – serving as a reminder to all of us there is light at the end of all of this. Light follows even after dark times; there is always hope.
2. What is your role at Team Nation?
I am jointly leading the branded content and partnership campaigns for Team Nation, working in close partnership with the wonderful Anne Shooter from Mail Metro Media. We are devising and briefing the campaigns that run as a big part of this partnership across all the national and local titles for the whole of the UK press.
3. Have you ever worked on an advertising campaign of this scale before?
I have worked on global and UK advertising campaigns of enormous scale – but none that have managed to unify an entire section of a media industry with such a fantastic degree of collaboration and seamlessness. It is not only delivering a campaign of fantastic unprecedented scale as one platform, but also one of showing how we can create one uber team of powerful brands and platforms.
4. What is it like working on a cross-industry team?
Team Nation is a group of fantastic, very talented people who all speak exactly the same language so can intuitively move at pace and be incredibly reactive and responsive to briefings. It’s a complex orchestration but made incredibly smooth by all having a very clear set of shared goals and objectives and being able to set those above everything else. It’s amazingly unified.
5. What has been the highlight so far?
Seeing the first few campaigns go out so seamlessly. Phew… There was a moment when we began seeing all of the branded content spreads getting uploaded on the drive almost simultaneously, from so many diverse publishers across national and local region brands. All of it celebrating local community heroes from across the UK. All still in the publishers’ own style and voice, but with a consistent subject matter. It all looked really fantastic, so that was an amazing highlight. Then seeing the first research results coming in – again phew; another highlight.
6. And any challenges you can share?
Just keeping on top of it all – writing and thinking at uber speed so we can maximise the time each of the publishers have to create content. Also trying to build in the time and thinking strategically to plan and evolve a very responsive campaign and content further ahead.
7. Think of three words that come to mind when you think of the campaign?
Fast, fantastic and collaborative.
8. What have you learnt?
I think more reinforcement of an existing belief: that with shared purpose, ambition and the right team, nothing is impossible. No matter how complicated things might first appear, in working together there is always an answer and a way through.
9. What can we expect to see next?
An ongoing series of helpful, informative branded content that hopefully serves to arm all of our readers with information and sponsored stories to help them navigate this unpredictable unprecedented national crisis. This is something none of us have ever experienced before so the more useful we can make this work for people the better. We are an industry that has come together in a time of need but in a way that we are all incredibly proud and passionate about.
10. Finish this sentence…
All in, all together for the sake of the nation.
