News Corp promotes Herald Sun’s Gen Y journalists in new campaign targeting youth
Youth is the focus of the new HeraldSun campaign
News Corp has thrown its marketing muscle behind the accomplishments of its youthful team of journalists in a newsroom where more than 30% are under the age of 35 as the Herald Sun makes a play for Gen Y readers uninterested in the writings of columnists such as Andrew Bolt.
In a move aimed at making the newspaper more relevant to younger audiences more used to getting their news fix through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, the campaign is targeted through outdoor, sporting venues and Facebook.
The campaign features various young writers behind the stories, with the headlines they created superimposed on their faces.
With more established “names” anchoring the paper and its digital offerings, executives at the Herald Sun were keen to promote the up-and-coming talent who were responsible for original local stories that captured the attention of readers but who were uninterested in the writings of senior columnists.
The campaign is a switch from promoting traditional headline-grabbing columnists such as Andrew Bolt, Andrew Rule and Tom Elliott.
Under the banner Victoria’s Headlines, young journalists Andrea Hamblin, Tom Minear, Matthew Johnston, David Hurley, Brigid O’Connell and Elissa Doherty are featured with the headlines from their stories printed across their faces.
Emily McGrath, The Herald and Weekly Times general manager of sales, said that using the young talents of the paper was one way to show a new audience that they were reflected in the paper’s staff.
“It’s unlike anything we’ve ever done and brings our young people to the fore; the very same people who campaign for change and make a difference in our community,” McGrath said.
“By featuring our emerging journalists we are demonstrating our commitment to fostering upcoming talent whilst also resonating with our core target audience of young media professionals.”
News Corp Australia general manager marketing for Victoria, Kammeron George, backed the idea of showing off a new generation of journalists.
“We want people to look at the portraits and be affected in such a way that it makes them curious and causes them to build new associations with the people responsible for delivering the news each day” Kammeron said.
The campaign was created by ad agency Cornwell with HeraldSun photographer Tim Carrafa taking the portraits.
Simon Canning
Youth is the focus of the new HeraldSun campaign
Wow, that is awful.
Saw this on an outdoor. Younger colleague asked me what a ‘tot’ was. When I told her she said “what an aweful thing to write on someone’s face”. Then she said she looked like an evil clown.
old media making the same old mistakes ( albeit with younger faces) by assuming that people care about the journalists who write the stories as much as the stories themselves. Journalists are not the story….
Cornwell’s an ad agency?
As a Gen Y-er, I don’t care what age the person is behind the story. I care about having less right-wing Murdoch spun crap to read. So unfortunately whether Andrew Bolt is writing your columns or not, still won’t read it!
Spot on, Axel.
I don’t get it.
– Gen Y
“You must be truly desperate to come to me for help”
– Gen Y
Just goes to show how self-obsessed the media are
But they’re young people writing for old, angry people.
Those that buy ‘newspapers’ like the Herald Sun deserve what they get – simple!
“Save Our Kids”
From what? I do notice that kids usually (and kids, meaning 5-10) do not want a right-wing world. Even bullies that age dont usually say that they want an ugly world.
My 7 year old kid doesnt need ‘saving’. What an asinine and non-relevant worldview that is also, aggressive about dominating its POV! (I’d count the Murdoch media as a whole like this)
But what 25 year old really really REALLY cares about ‘saving our kids’? There is little interest in any single mid-20s person in be interested in what its like to be a dad. If so, for only 10 minutes, then they’re bored.
btw the web design of right-wing sites looks like the painted faces here. Coincidence I’d say!
Only four decades too late
am i so out of touch?
no, it’s the children who are wrong.
How depressing.
I found this on the internet – the next round of creative is ready to go and looks super cool!
https://imgflip.com/i/11n7mo
The phrase lipstick on a pig comes to mind.
Since when have youth ever read newspapers ?
You’d think that if the Hun is going to make a play for a Gen-Y audience, they’d utilise a few headlines that would appeal to said readers. “East West Fight”, “Welfare Fails Slain Tot”, “Save Our Kids”? That’s exactly the sort of old-media tabloid garbage that’s driving younger readers away.
I remember a magazine named New Journalist in the 1970s and an article about the decline of the then Herald and Weekly Times. It referred to the fact that the newsroom at The Herald was known as The Kindergarten because of the youthful inexperience of the journalists. It wasn’t a compliment.
Let’s remind ourselves that the Herald Sun is the mouthpiece of an elderly man living in New York, so it’s hardly surprising that there feels like a bit of a disconnect here.
Is it’s just me or does it look like these people have been silenced and have someone else’s opinions put on their faces ?
All the comments here are gold — pure gold!
“Welfare Fails Slain Tot” – this isn’t correct with it’s use of tense!! Shouldn’t it be “Welfare FAILED slain tot?” The tot’s already dead. Therefore welfare failed it. Right? Welfare doesn’t benefit an already-dead tot. Way to go advertising you can’t even write.
“Journalist fails English grammar 101?”
Correction: dyslexic before coffee. But these ads still suck.
This campaign missed the point. Who gives a crap if their journalists are young? Is this gonna make anybody read this rag? On behalf of GEN Y, I don’t think so!
To be honest the execution is terrible, their faces, the headlines painted, their expressions…I almost thought it was a campaign for people who suffered from violence or bullying.