Shackleton Madrid S.L.

Client: El País
Product: El País (Spanish media)
Title: What do you think?
Media: digital, print, outdoor
Country: Spain
Date Of Campaign: 26/01/2019

Background: The newspaper El País was launched in 1976 (alongside the new Spanish democracy) in a country where all other media were in line with the Franco dictatorship.Since it firmly backed freedom during the 1981 coup d’état, El País has had the largest readership and been the leading newspaper in defence of civil liberties and rights. During the last decade, the Spanish economic crisis has added to internal problems at El País: dismissals, long-term journalists resigning after accusing the newspaper of censorship and banning articles, criticism of the lack of freedom of expression, etc., leading to a feeling that the paper has lost its key values and consequently its social connection with readers resulting in a decrease in sales. The aims of the campaign were:-To move and connect with readers. Bolster up reader support and reconnect with readers who have left.-Take back its position of leadership, as a progressive media outlet and as a reference point.

Idea: In a world where “fake news” and unfounded social media rumours have made events that seemed impossible come true (Trump, Bolsonaro, Salvini, etc.), truthful, corroborated and accurate information has become an essential product.El País, as the leading Spanish-language newspaper around the globe, is an essential tool for understanding what is happening in the world and especially why it is happening. A tool that offers information, analysis, research and diverse opinions to arm the reader with a powerful weapon: knowledge. Based on the most relevant subject areas for El País in editorial terms (ecology, feminism, education, opinion, immigration and current affairs) the campaign consisted of powerful images, each one confronted the viewer with a dilemma that encouraged reflection and appealed to their critical side, ultimately passing on the question and campaign claim: “What do you think?”Each of the images (some World Press Photo winners) told a story that grabbed the viewer and wrongfooted him or her up due to the contrast between its “beauty” and the content. Each piece of outdoor advertising was accompanied by an invitation to think about an issue that doesn’t have an easy or obvious solution: a beautiful image of a seahorse grasping onto a cotton bud to highlight environmental problems; a composition that could be straight out of a Caravaggio painting depicting the drama of the emigrating Rohingya; the 8M protest in Bilbao addressing inequality and the feminist battle; a gay couple kissing to make viewers reflect on homosexuality; a dinghy being rescued inviting viewers to think about why; and two children glued to a mobile phone screen, raising the debate about whether it is good or bad for them.

Results: Quantitative results: 16 million outdoor advertising views;56 million press views;97% of El País readers have seen the campaign 70% of El País social media users remember the campaign positively;Qualitative results: Research study run by GFK during January and February 2019:After the campaign El País increased its visibility by 7 points. It positioned itself as accurate, inspirational, and as a leader and reference point.