Visually, the campaign consists of two primary elements. The first, the subscribe-unsubscribe dichotomy, will play on inside jokes that Philadelphians cherish. For instance, one line of copy reads: Unsubscribe from “weird accent.” Subscribe to “what accent?” Another reads: Unsubscribe from “Did you eat?” Subscribe to “Jeet?”
To accompany the copy, Red Tettemer O’Connell created a series of images based on the distinctive font—and famous “I”—of The Inquirer brand. The agency created a dozen different “I” images, which themselves reflect beloved Philadelphian traditions.
One, for example, has the shag rug texture of Gritty, the mascot of the Philadelphia Flyers. Another resembles the iconic Love sculpture created by Robert Indiana.
The interplay between the copy and the “I” adds additional context to the inside jokes. The “weird accent” text, for example, appears next to an “I” that resembles a water ice—an iconic Philadelphia treat and a phrase that native Philadelphians pronounce distinctly.
The throughline of the campaign is a desire to communicate a shared sense of community and authenticity, according to Hughes.
Amplifying subscription growth and branded content
To measure the efficacy of the campaign, The Inquirer will measure incremental increases in brand affinity, familiarity and likelihood to start reading, based on data sourced from the Harris Poll, according to Hughes.
Readers inspired by the campaign to visit the website will be able to read several articles before hitting the paywall, as the publisher uses a dynamic technology that only gates content after repeat visits.
Once on the site, the reader can familiarize themselves with the new products introduced by The Inquirer in recent years, including its live blog, Wordle copycat Birdle, podcast suite and more.
The publisher hopes to translate this potential uptick in readership into new digital subscribers—its paid readership has grown 50% since Hughes joined in January 2020—as well as advertising revenue.
Compared to other publishers, advertising is a smaller portion of The Inquirer’s revenue, according to Hughes. Still, the publisher is pacing to be 2% below its ad revenue last year.
The Inquirer has seen success with its nascent branded content offering, however, which it launched in 2021. Called Inq Studio, the offering has become a seven-figure business, working primarily with clients interested in corporate reputation messaging, according to Hughes.