Another Busy Year

The typical Times reader relishes being absolutely in the know. However, as news-cycles get faster and always-on lives prove more hectic, it can be easy to miss things. Which is why for subscribers, The Times and The Sunday Times play the role of anxiety mitigator; providing information, insight and perspective to power conversations and help readers prepare for any professional or social situation. This mindset is never more relevant than at the start of a new year.

The work sought to highlight how quickly events change over the course of a year and how that induces a sense of information anxiety, before presenting The Times as an antidote. However, as a premium and intelligent brand not in the business of scaremongering, the key was a light touch humorously highlighting all twists and turns that featured dozens of high profile protagonists in their natural environments, with twelve months of news stories on each. Every execution placed a prominent newsworthy individual in multiple guises and varied contexts.

The work delivered a total of 12,018 new subscribers (a 39% increase year on year), and was one of the most successful sales campaign the newspaper has ever undertaken. Beyond the key sales metric, endorsements rang out far and wide. Journalists and readers engaged with the campaign on social media unprompted, praising the attention to detail in each execution. The campaign was also recognised by the industry – winning a DMA Gold for Best Design and Art Direction and D&AD Wood Pencil for Art Direction.