The Washington Post releases first national brand campaign

The Washington Post released its first national brand campaign Thursday, showcasing the modern-day global news organization and the relevance of its original journalism to people, institutions and culture. The “Impact” campaign will feature a suite of 30-second spots taking viewers inside the trusted reporting readers rely on from The Post. It will include a range of consequential stories, from news that informs policy to stories that move institutions or improve everyday life.

“Our journalists’ mission is to uncover the truth, and that reporting has an impact on the world,” said Kristine Coratti Kelly, chief communications officer at The Washington Post. “We wanted to use ‘impact’ as a jumping off point for this campaign and first showcase The Post people know, then surprise them with powerful reporting they may not have expected.”

Each 30-second spot will distill and compress The Post’s rich and complex stories, much like a trailer would do for a movie. The first spot focuses on the deep investigative reporting that resulted in the Afghanistan Papers, a six-part series that shed light on the truth about the Afghanistan War. With a moving score and bold graphics, the spot takes the viewer through the story and shows the amount of work it took investigative reporter Craig Whitlock and The Washington Post newsroom to bring the information to light.

“We wanted to grab people emotionally and create something bold in both style and tone that will become recognizable, and uniquely The Washington Post, throughout the campaign,” adds Kelly. “To that end, we’ll be opening these spots by reframing our iconic logo in the form of a keyhole. It’s the perfect metaphor to showcase our evolution as a news organization, our unique heritage, and the kaleidoscopic diversity and impact of our journalism.”

Future spots will highlight the breadth of reporting viewers can find on The Washington Post’s various platforms, stoking curiosity well beyond the expected to the must-read stories and interactives that are relevant to people’s lives.

The Washington Post worked with Founder and CEO of GoingConcern Andrew Essex, a creative team from advertising and design firm Buddha Jones led by Alyson Jones and Julie Bloomfield, and media agency Noble People for the campaign. The landing page was designed by a team from Pentagram led by Eddie Opara. The first spot will run across media channels, starting Oct. 28 on the popular game show “Jeopardy!”