Increasing advertising revenue by 250% in 2 years and circulation by 25% over ten years, the Economist campaign showcases the true ‘power of the poster’.
An advertising story published by the D&AD in association with Royal Mail.
The opinions contained within this article are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Titan Outdoor.
The Economist is a unique publication. Described as “a weekly debate between two intelligent friends”, it has a singular tone and a breadth of social and political coverage that belies its title. Since 1986, its profile has been enhanced – and its circulation and advertising revenues significantly boosted – by one of the longest-running and most admired poster advertising campaigns of recent times. According to Mark Petersen, board director of Abbott Mead
Vickers.BBDO, the agency responsible for the campaign, “The Economist deserves credit for being so consistent. Most clients can’t resist changing campaigns – even successful ones.” When the agency got to grips with the account in the late 1980s, The Economist enjoyed a strong readership in the economic and financial worlds but not beyond. Its circulation hovering below 100,000 reflected a view that this was a magazine for big business only – not for the broader reader interested in how the world works. More than a decade later, perceptions of the magazine have been radically and permanently changed. It has been progressively repositioned as essential reading for the smart and well-informed, whatever field they work in. An Economist subscription has been given a special cachet – and all with two short bursts of poster advertising a year in spring and autumn, for just four weeks in total, very occasionally supported by TV advertising.
The Economist posters have even claimed a place in design history. When the Victoria & Albert Museum staged a major retrospective, The Power of the Poster, it singled out the poster ‘I never read The Economist. – Management trainee. Aged 42’ for special attention. The series has also been a serial award winner at D&AD, with the Silver Award-winning ‘Smarties’ poster at the 2001 D&AD Awards the latest in a long line of success.
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