The ad campaign aims to reinforce the newspapers’ commitment to keeping readers well informed in confusing political times.
The full brand campaign portrays politicians as animals in the Westminster zoo, whose territorial divisions create much noise but make Brexit negotiations virtually incomprehensible to much of the public.
News UK – The Times and Sunday Times’ publisher – says that the 40 second advertisement captures the mood of the nation, with squawking parrots, hysterical hyenas, slippery snakes, and ever-changing chameleons adorning the green benches of the House of Commons. Only the lion and the unicorn – from the royal crest in The Times’ masthead – bring order to proceedings.
Designed and conceptualised by News UK’s in-house agency Pulse Creative London, the campaign is led by a film set within the House of Commons, and is also running across print, TV, buses, taxis and digital media.
It launched on 14 February with eye-catching projections of the zoo scene on the Houses of Parliament. The 20 second ad then launched across social media platforms, using the promoted hashtag #PoliticsTamed.
The TV advertisement went live over the weekend in the first position of the centre break during Channel 4’s The Last Leg. The 40 second ad will continue to run across Channel 4, ITV, Channel 5, Sky, More 4 and cinemas for one week, and then the 20 second ad for another six weeks.
John Witherow, editor of The Times, said: “As Britain’s most trusted national newspaper, The Times consistently provides quality journalism and incisive commentary from across the political spectrum. Our campaign captures the national mood of confusion and frustration, while we at The Times seek to bring clarity and balance to our reporting of this pivotal moment in British politics.”
Catherine Newman, chief marketing officer of The Times and The Sunday Times, added: “Right now there is so much information from so many sources it’s hard to make sense of it all. The ‘Politics.Tamed.’ campaign aims to address this. The Times has been making sense of politics since 1785, so when people don’t know where to turn, we want to remind them that The Times and The Sunday Times offer the guidance and analysis they need. We are fiercely proud of our brands and of this campaign.”
