BBC Speaks to News Weary Consumers in First Global Brand Campaign

In a critical election year, the BBC has launched its first brand campaign outside the U.K. to position itself as a more trusted news source in the U.S. and international markets. 

“Made to Make You Think” is a milestone in the BBC’s global expansion efforts and debuts in the U.S. following recent investment in North America. Created by agency R/GA with BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC Group, the campaign puts journalists in the spotlight while claiming to be an objective alternative in the cluttered news landscape. 

“In the U.K., the BBC is oxygen—it’s everywhere. Here [in the U.S.], we’re known and trusted, but we’re not the first place audiences will go to get the news,” Jennifer Ball, svp of marketing for BBC global media and streaming, told ADWEEK. “We heard [from consumers] that they feel an overwhelming fear and anxiety from outlets that are meant to inform and educate them, and also a desire to understand what’s happening in other parts of the world.” 

The campaign centers on two distinct films. One explains the BBC’s mission to provide impartial news, uncover the truth, report on other parts of the world and share inspiring stories. The second spot showcases the breadth of the BBC’s content, from hard-hitting news coverage to award-winning entertainment and lighter features.

Some of the BBC’s well-known journalists, including Jeremy Bowen, Orla Guerin, Maryam Moshiri, Clive Myrie and Amol Rajan, appear throughout the campaign.  

“We’re showing our reporters in the field, bringing global coverage closer to consumers and exploring stories in-depth. Consumers said they were tired of reporters screaming to them from behind a desk,” Ball said. 

The line, “We’re not here to tell you what to think. We’re made to make you think,” is about “building trust” and “empowering consumers to decide for themselves,” Ball explained. 

“We don’t have an agenda. If you want to understand both sides in an election year, this is a great place to come and learn,” she added.

In developing the tone of the campaign, the team aimed to strike a balance between highlighting the BBC’s serious mission and also “bringing in some optimism,” said Bryan Gregg, svp and executive creative director at R/GA.

“We wanted to show that the world is sensational, but not in a way that we need to change it,” he said. 

“Made to Make You Think” will also comprise out-of-home advertising starting in New York, and paid media across podcasts, social and digital channels for the next three months. 

All eyes on the U.S.

The U.S. is a “key market of growth” for the organization, which has spent the past three years expanding its presence there, said Ball. 

In the U.K., the BBC is a storied institution that is primarily funded by a license fee, which is paid by British households using the service, and supplemented by income from commercial subsidiaries including BBC Studios. But in the U.S., the BBC is funded entirely by BBC Studios.

When Ball joined the BBC in 2021, she helped set up a dedicated U.S. marketing team. Recently, the organization has also expanded its news coverage in North America. 

Those efforts have included a redesigned website and app; the launch of a 24-hour live news channel on connected TV and FAST (free ad-supported streaming) platforms in the U.S., which more than doubled the BBC News channel in the market; a daily news podcast, The Global Story, targeted at American listeners; seven new newsletters in the past year; and an expanded Washington, D.C. newsroom.