The Economist World Cup
The Economist
Issue 50 | February 2019
Agency
Proximity London
Creative Team
Creative Executive Creative Director John Treacy Deputy Executive Creative Director Jason Cascarina Copywriter Ben Sawyer Art Director Robert Morris Design Mitch Bellach Copywriter Tom Powell
Production Team
Project Management Matt Brocklesby Account Director Prena Amin Project Manager Lloyd Nicholls Strategy Lead Matt Linnett
Other Credits
SVP, Global Acquisition Mark Beard Director, Global Audience Prospecting & CEMEA Circulation Tom McCave Marketing Manager, Global Audience Development Ryan Gillett Marketing Manager Rocio Serrano Martinez Digital Marketing, Audience Development Jocelyn Soares Marketing Executive, Global Audience Development Eleni Barr Marketing Manager, Global Audience Conversion Diane Curtaz
Date
July 2018
Background
In the run-up to the football World Cup, the question was, could The Economist be relevant to sports audiences who may never have considered the magazine before?
The Economist had no reputation in sports coverage and there was not much budget.
Idea
It so happened that in 2018 many nations participating in the World Cup were appearing in headlines for the wrong reasons, including the hosts, making it one of the most politically-charged tournaments in decades.
While others focussed on football, The Economist offered political perspectives on participating countries. A series of provocative, reactive and nation-specific display ads were created. Immediately after the games, dynamic ads supported by social media were put out connecting the scores on the pitch to general interest stories that ranged from Russia’s dubious use of social media to Nigeria’s huge advances in solar energy.
As well as popping up in in realtime across websites, they appeared on Fanzone screens at precisely the moment they would be most relevant. Fans were encouraged to think beyond global sport to underlying global tensions.
Results
33,000,000 people were reached and the campaign inspired 1,400,000 clicks, engaging football fans with editorial from The Economist team. As a result, an astonishing CTR of 4.24% was achieved which far surpassed any previous brand benchmarks for social media activity.
Our Thoughts
Dynamic advertising gets a bad press because all too often it means moronic remarketing. We’ve all been pursued around the internet by a brand trying to sell us something we’ve already bought.
All too rarely are creative agencies asked to consider the possibilities for greater engagement that Programmatic offers, which is a pity because they are better at it than media agencies (sorry, chaps.)
I know Proximity are proud of the TV commercial they made for The Economist but, personally speaking, they should be a lot more proud of this idea, which would almo