In recent months, a growing number of premium publishers have unveiled ambitious, expensive brand marketing campaigns, splashing bespoke creative across digital, social, and physical channels to draw consumer attention to their companies.
More intriguingly, the vast majority of these publishers have never run such campaigns before.
In January, Hearst Corp. announced its first agency of record partnership in company history, selecting PMG to ideate and lead a series of brand marketing campaigns for titles across its portfolio. The project began in May with brand campaigns for The Houston Chronicle and San Francisco Chronicle, but it has since expanded to several of its other editorial brands and will continue into next year.
In September, the Condé Nast title Wired unveiled its first national brand marketing campaign as part of a larger effort to promote its politics issue. That same month, The Guardian debuted its ambitious new work, The Whole Picture, across subways, billboards, and digital channels. And MarketWatch, a News Corp. brand, recently also ran the first brand marketing campaign in its 28-year history.
This week alone, two more publishers unveiled brand marketing campaigns, both noteworthy in their novelty.
On Monday, NBC News launched the first brand marketing campaign in modern history, deploying creative across digital and physical channels to underscore the trustworthiness of its brand. Historically, NBC has marketed its individual franchises, but this effort marked the first time it had pushed for awareness as an organization, according to a spokesperson for the company.
And on Thursday, Reuters plans to debut just the second brand marketing campaign in its 174-year history, ADWEEK can exclusively report. Its first such effort came four years ago, in 2021.