ABOUT

THE CHALLENGE
The Financial Times hadn’t repositioned itself since the financial crisis, but recently hitting the 1 million subscriber mark gave an opportunity to revaluate the role that it plays – in business, in reader’s lives and in the wider world. The FT is a globally-respected authority on finance, but its association with the suited elite runs so deep that non-subscribers saw it as part of the establishment. Aloof. Exclusive, and ultimately in service of corporations and their profit. It was clear that the FT needed to appeal to a younger, more diverse and value-driven audience, without alienating existing readers.

THE SOLUTION
What unites the FT’s journalism with its readers – present and future – is a shared ambition to drive progress as well as the bottom line. To collectively write a new agenda at a time when the world has never faced more challenge – financially, politically and socially. However, we knew this would require more than a traditional brand campaign. Instead, we worked from the inside out, using FT’s journalism to directly prospect out in to culture and ignite a new agenda conversation.

THE NEW AGENDA CONVERSATION
We launched with an open letter from editor Lionel Barber – a call to arms that challenged business leaders to unite and deliver purpose as well as profit. Chief economics commentator, Martin Wolf, led the journalistic charge with a piece championing the need for a dynamic economy that benefits the many, not just the few. And in the first time in the FT’s history, we wrapped the launch issue with a new agenda manifesto and the lead provocation: ‘Capitalism. Time for a reset’. To make the conversation global, we lowered the paywall on the FT website – an Open Day that allowed everyone to immerse themselves in new agenda content. In the US we gave away 10,000 copies of the FT to anyone that bought the New York Times to show difference between old and new agendas. Finally, executions in OOH, print, direct and digital featured editorial provocations and invited consumers to directly subscribe to the new agenda.

RESULTS
The response in culture was immediate – Twitter exploded with commentary from business owners, correspondents and thought-leaders. The new agenda was debated on the BBC’s Today show with John Humphries and Sky News, where experts immediately questioned whether it could finally influence the political policies necessary for genuine economic and societal change. The FT continues to write the new agenda with its audience and through event partnerships such as the UN Summit and World Economic forum – driving progress in the board room and beyond.