Guardian Australia unveils two new films as part of first-ever campaign via Howatson+Company
The Guardian Australia has launched a new campaign via creative agency Howatson + Company.
The two new spots are part of The Guardian’s first-ever brand campaign, which launched in July.
Guardian Australia today extended its ‘news needs a guardian’ campaign with the launch of two films by Howatson+Company. The films highlight the uniquely progressive role that the Guardian plays in the Australian media market.
The films follow the struggle for women’s and Indigenous rights in Australia, featuring the achievements of notable activists within these movements, and the hurdles they’ve overcome over the last century. They underscore the important role that journalism plays in documenting these events, including the Guardian’s own reporting since it launched in Australia in 2013.
Each film was developed in collaboration with Guardian Australia’s editorial team and academic experts, and in consultation with community members and organisations, including Parks Australia, Aboriginal Heritage Action Alliance, Mervyn Bishop, Mabo family, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park,NFSA, NIAA, PKKP and PKKP Aboriginal Corporation and the Victorian Indigenous Research Centre.
Says Lenore Taylor, editor of Guardian Australia: “Guardian Australia is a proudly progressive media organisation. That in no way connotes partisanship. It means we believe Australia can be better and fairer. These ads highlight issues where Australia has made progress over its history, where Guardian Australia has focused reporting attention in the almost 10 years we have been working in Australia, but where there is much more to do.”
Says Chris Howatson, founder and CEO, Howatson+Company: “Often we assess societal progress in the moment, based on the events of the day. In telling the longitudinal stories of women’s rights and Indigenous affairs, we can step back, appreciate what has been achieved but focus on the work still to be done.”
The ‘news needs a Guardian’ campaign was launched earlier this year and runs across TV, VOD, cinema, and digital OOH. It is part of Guardian Australia’s broader growth strategy which includes a national partnership with JCDecaux. Through this partnership, Guardian headlines – curated directly by newsroom editors – appear on train station screens, large format sites and street furniture across the country during peak commuter times.
Contributors
Archie Thomas, Research fellow, University of Technology, Sydney
Professor Sharon Crozier-De Rosa, Wollongong University
Guardian Australia
Lenore Taylor, Editor in Chief
Lorena Allam, Indigenous Affairs Editor
Alison Rourke, Managing Editor
Jocelin Abbey, Director of Growth
Bianca Wachtel, Senior Communications Manager
Howatson+Company
Roy Ah See, Wiradjuri Man, Cultural Consultant
Chris Howatson, CEO
Richard Shaw, ECD
Jeremy Hogg, ECD
Holly Alexander, Head of Production
Sam Butcher, Planning Director
Madde King, Account Director
Trent Michael, Senior Designer
King Yong, Senior Editor
Production Company: Exit Films
Tim Georgeson, Director
Lisa Savage, Archive Producer
Jayson McNamara, Archive Researcher
Leah Churchill Brown – Executive Producer, Exit Films
Post Production Company – Heckler
Gina Wagstaffe, Design Director
Andrew Holmes, Editor
Brad Smith, VFX Supervisor and Flame Artist
Carlos Zalapa – Executive Producer, Heckler
Music Composition & Sound Design – Heckler Sound
Johnny Green – Composer
Dave Robertson – Sound Designer
Damian de Boos-Smith – Cello
Bonnie Law – Executive Producer, Heckler Sound
16 Comments
What does a whole lot of archival footage (produced by other media outlets) have to do with The Guardian?
The only thing that connects it is the line. Not enough.
Great ads for the Labor party, but doesn’t say much about the Guardian. I’d challenge the next round of creative to get right-wing boomers to read the Guardian. This only speaks to their existing audience. If we want progressive change, we know who we need to convince.
It’s a bit off to have archival news as the idea when The Guardian has existed in Aus for less than a decade.
How utterly boring. Surely you referenced the NYT film and just couldn’t pull it off?
…do you get to make two spots about two of the most important and incredible liberation movements in Australian history and yet the films lack any emotion at all. It’s actually an incredible feat to have all this material and it still make an audience feel nothing.
I didn’t feel nothing.
I think raw footage and real voices is an effective way of triggering memories or appreciation of the gravity of past events
How would you have tackled this one do you think?
I presume you are referring to those ‘right wing boomers’ who voted in both Gough Whitlam and Bob Hawke.Two of the greatest Prime Ministers Australia has ever had.
Both Labor.
And both visionaries.
Rudd?
Gillard?
Not in the same league.
Ditto the conga line of Liberal leaders.
Albo?
Fingers crossed.
Nah, I meant the right wing boomers who voted in Howard, Abbott and Morrison, who read the Australian, watch the ABC and Sky after dark and still vote for the Liberals no matter how bad they are.
Seems like a strategic positioning video, but not something that should be public facing.
I guess this is what happens when there’s two ECD’s, a CEO, and a Planning Director on a project, but no actual copywriters and art directors.
The fact that you’re using found footage to tell the stories, shows that at the time, other outlets/journalists were covering them??? So what does the guardian protect? You can’t sell an idea on strength and integrity, with none of your own. Brand deserves way better.
Underwhelming mish mash of NYT and Stabilo highlighter campaign visual reference. Pretty disappointing given the opportunity.
Exceptionally good line.
This level of work Guardian could have done it themselves in fact probably even better.
Looks like a project completed by student activists
i enuinely found this moving.
nicely edited and music is good.
Probably lacking depth because the only creatives that worked on it were blokes and so was the director. If you want the emotion of these movements to truly come through in your campaign, maybe add some diversity to your credit list.