The new communications strategy pursued by the Economist is aimed at reaching the “intellectually curious” who might not currently consider themselves to be natural Economist readers. Research undertaken by the company has shown that, with the rise in the number of people going on to university, there are now over 3 million individuals in the UK with high levels of curiosity about the world. The Economist currently sells 186,995 copies each week in the UK.
UK Publisher of the Economist, Yvonne Ossman (pictured), said: “Intellectually curious people take intense satisfaction from building up their personal store of knowledge whether they read The Economist or not. They see the world in terms of connections and we want to communicate how the Economist sees things in the same way. RED WIRES is about the thrill that stimulated minds enjoy.”
The ad was created by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO and directed by Tom Carty. Media planning and buying was handled by PHD. It features wire-jumper Florent Blondeau and was filmed in April 2009 in Budapest. The ad depicts a man walking through a city on a series on red wires and closes with the strapline “Let your mind wander”. Each wire represents a thought inspired by reading the Economist and the journey is a metaphor for the pleasure of connecting different ideas. The cinema ad will be accompanied by various print and digital activities launching throughout the year.
