Guardian launches upside down US advertising campaign
The Guardian has launched an upside down advertising campaign across the pond in a bid to raise its profile amongst US readers.
Created by BBH New York it aims to promote the British titles online edition which is increasingly attracting readers from beyond the shores of the UK.
Covering topical American issues such as women in the military, gun control and internet privacy the campaign adopts a series of striking graphic images which are intended to illustrate both sides in each argument via a neat graphical trick.
For instance a women in the military poster depicts one side of the debate when viewed one way, with lines such as ‘Women aren’t as physically strong as men. We need our best soldiers on the front line’ and two navy blue tanks and a helicopter.
Flip this upside down however and the image transmogrified into a pair of blue eyes and red lips with the words ‘It takes more than brute strength to win today’s wars. We all have the right to fight for our country’.
The campaign will run online and on outdoor billboards with passersby encouraged to snap the version which best corresponds to their own world view and post it to Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #VoiceYourView.
Jennifer Lindenauer, director of marketing and communications at Guardian US, said: “When you look at the debate in this country, at the core of it tends to be the government in our lives versus personal freedoms,” Ms. Lindenauer said. “It’s culture, it’s news, it’s technology. It allowed us to show the multifaceted areas of coverage that we provide for our readers.”