‘It’s Not For Everyone’: AFR leans into ambition with new TV campaign

The Australian Financial Review is going for audience quality over quantity with its first television campaign in over 15 years, unveiling a new brand identity: “It’s Not For Everyone.”

Released today, the new 60-second commercial highlights the masthead’s ‘shared ambition’ and the effort, grit and obsession its readers endure to achieve success.

The campaign marks the Nine-owned paper’s first campaign with Howatson and Co, which was appointed agency of record in May last year.

Speaking to Mumbrella about the bold — and potentially polarising — tagline, Nine Publishing head of brand and acquisition Vera Straubinger downplayed comparisons to a famous UK slogan for yeast spread Marmite: “You either love it or hate it”.

“We’re doubling down on who we are for, by recognising that doesn’t look the same for everyone — and that’s okay,” she said.

“It’s not about being exclusionary. It’s about being honest — ambition looks different for everybody, and the path to success isn’t the same for everyone. It’s more about self-selection based on drive and hunger, rather than exclusion based on any one attribute.”

Another great example of divisive advertising

“We definitely didn’t start here, but when we landed on it, everyone just felt it. It felt right,” added Aimie Rigas, Nine Publishing director of audience growth. “Even working at the AFR isn’t for everyone: you have to be a certain type of journalist to want to work in that newsroom.”

In a press release statement, editor-in-chief James Chessell described the campaign as “unapologetically focused on telling stories about people who will shape this country in the coming decades.”

“The campaign reflects our core belief that entrepreneurship is the most important driver of Australia’s future prosperity,” he said.

The AFR’s last major brand campaign was the 2022 “Make It Your Business”, a multi-channel effort spanning out-of-home, print, digital, social and podcast content, developed by BMF.

When it appointed Howatson and Company to lead the new brand refresh last year, the AFR said it was “looking to the future,” aiming to refine its brand while remaining true to its 70-year history.

Part of this involved opening up its media channels to a full-fledged TVC and video campaign, which follows three individuals: a corporate leader, a start-up founder and a designer as they navigate the challenges of ambition, persistence and professional growth.

New AFR campaign aims to “look to the future”

Richard Shaw, deputy chief creative officer at Howatson and Company, said in a press statement that the campaign “celebrates the truth that modern success has many forms, but one defining quality: an unstoppable drive.”

“Some have it, some don’t, and that’s okay,” he continued. “After all, like everything in life, not everything is for everyone. It’s bold, honest and true to a publication that stands by the statement ‘the daily habits of successful people.”

Directed by Dylan Duclos and produced by Collider, the TVCs will be shown in 15, 30 and 60-second formats and were filmed in Sydney

“We just really wanted it to be human and have a sense of, like, a real cinematic quality to the creative in its final kind of product,” said Straubinger.

Casting was deliberate to represent a “breadth of industries”

“We just wanted it to really reflect the emotional reality of that grit and that determination in the way that the film was shot.

“The casting was really deliberate, both in terms of the breadth of industries that we were representing, and also just challenging some of the perceptions in terms of who people might think the AFR represents, or the readership represents today — it is actually much more diverse.”

The campaign will run nationally from February 16, 2026 and consists of TV, streaming, audio, large and out-of-home, digital, print and social, led by media agency PHD Australia.

Reflecting on the broader responsibilities of working with legacy mastheads, including the Sydney Morning Herald, Straubinger added: “There’s always the weight of legacy. With the metros, you’re carrying 190 years of history. With the AFR, you’re building on a highly regarded masthead in the business community.

“There’s a real sense of purpose in these newsrooms. That’s something that matters to me.”