FT rebrands Weekend edition to drive readership
The Financial Times has launched a refreshed FT Weekend today (18 March) backed by a global brand marketing campaign as it looks to bolster its readership.
FT rebrands Weekend edition to drive readership
The refresh includes a number of editorial changes. A redesigned front page, a redesigned FT Magazine, introducing a new ‘big’ interview that probes the private passions of public figures, a new weekly satirical column by political writer Henry Mance and a new FT Weekend video channel, FT Life, to launch in April.
The integrated global push will appear across print, digital, and social media, at events, retail, and out of home. It supports the FT’s readership growth drive by building brand reach, awareness, affinity and engagement with its journalism.
The creative images, produced by global agency Founded, make a contrast between professionals’ weekday vs weekend lifestyle, featuring items hand-picked by FT editors.
An additional creative has been commissioned to an illustration artist and will launch in May with media partnerships at art fairs in New York and Hong Kong.
FT Weekend editor Alec Russell said: “FT Weekend delights and inspires our readers with unimpeachably classy coverage of the arts and lifestyle that is written and edited by an exceptional collection of journalists. It is a home for award-winning, long-form writing – as highlighted by our three prestigious prizes in this week’s UK Press Awards.
"For us, it is culture rather than the cult of celebrity that matters. As one FT Weekend reader said recently, it chooses content that’s “not just hip that week, but very well-rounded… I love that it comes out on Saturdays because I then have two days to indulge and enjoy it.”