More than 80 of the regional publisher’s daily and weekly titles all over the UK ran a series of special supplements over the past 10 weeks chronicling the history of the war.
Over the course of five fortnightly supplements, every facet of the war has been examined, from life in the trenches to the home front, to the many social and historic changes brought about by the conflict.
The armistice and legacy of remembrance were also a key focus of the group supplement project and this gave Johnston Press the opportunity to partner with the Royal British Legion and its Scottish counterpart, Poppyscotland.
Every page of the supplement, which reached many thousands of readers, featured the RBL or Poppyscotland logos and many adverts promoting the work of the ex-servicemen’s charities were run in either the supplements, or the main papers.
In the fifth part of the supplement, which focused on the end of the war and its aftermath, a double page spread was given over to the work of the charities in supporting ex-servicemen and women and the vital work of the annual poppy appeal.
Johnston Press has also made a sizeable donation to the RBL and Poppyscotland, signing over a proportion of the revenues from the project, says the company.
According to Johnston Press, reader response to the supplements has been incredibly positive, with many people commenting how it has helped complement school curriculum work on the subject as well as being a fascinating read and a must-keep souvenir part-work.
Johnston Press titles have also used the group supplement as a springboard to launch their own localised coverage of the many events taking place around the country – from Scotland to the south coast and Northern Ireland - to mark the centenary.
The content from all the supplements is now also available on all 185 Johnston Press websites and is attracting many thousands of page views.
Johnston Press CEO Ashley Highfield said: “Everyone knows the Royal British Legion and Poppyscotland for their amazing welfare work for thousands of serving and ex-service people.
“And Johnston Press has been proud to use this opportunity to support and publicise this really important cause.
“Our World War One supplements project has also given thousands of readers a great background to the tumultuous history of the conflict and another great reason to buy our titles over ten weeks.”
