Publisher Luke Bilton captured the client’s imagination with a campaign idea closely integrated into the editorial content in print and online, built on in-depth knowledge of Military Times’ readers.
Intel work closely with gaming partners that use their processing power. Civilization V is a game that allows players to take control of a major civilization from history and lead it to greatness.
Military Times is a new military history magazine, which Chelsea launched in September 2010. Its mission is to bring history’s significant battles to life with action-packed narrative, expert analysis, battlefield guides, and eye-witness accounts. Across print, online and email, Military Times reaches 30,000 history enthusiasts each month. The audience is typically knowledgeable and opinionated men of all ages. The publishing team knew they had a highly engaged readership, passionate about the subject and keen to share their opinions.
Who is the Greatest Leader of All Time?
The central idea was to use this passion to create a debate that Military Times readers would want to be part of – Who is the Greatest Leader of All Time? It began within the pages of Military Times, and then the conversation spread online. Notable history editors and bloggers contributed articles in three consecutive issues of the magazine and a dedicated channel on the website. Readers were encouraged to comment and vote for their favourite leader.
All activity was branded over the period, and the website reskinned with Intel branding. To grow the debate, the team used specialist channels including military history forums – where some of the threads on Forums have continued for over 100 posts - and radio interviews: MT’s Editor spoke on British Forces Radio, reaching over 20 countries around the world.
Web traffic to the MT site increased 400% by tapping into various communities. Forums and social media posts showed how the debate was capturing the interest of an audience well outside the confines of their own media. 2,000 entries were posted on the website, many mini essays on why a particular leader should win. The client was pleased to see the campaign go viral, and other projects are now in the pipeline.
This is an inspiring example of how specialist publishers can use their passionate communities and expert knowledge to create powerful and memorable campaigns for relatively large ad clients.
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