New York Times highlights impact of independent journalism with Questlove
The New York Times’ latest campaign ‘Independent Journalism for an Independent Life,’ featuring Ahmir ‘Questlove’ Thompson, illustrates his journey of being a Times subscriber since 2020 and how that has impacted his life.
The campaign, which first launched in February of this year, aims to spotlight the role independent journalism plays in subscribers’ lives, helping them discover new interests and become who they want to be.
The film, directed by Ghanaian-American filmmaker Joshua Kissi, showcases the journey of Questlove, his daily routine and lifestyle nuances such as writing in his ‘dream pad,’ talking to the universe and his Wordle obsession, and him narrating impactful headlines such as ‘Conflict and Climate Change.’
The film was shot at the Electric Lady Studios in Greenwich Village, where Questlove resided and produced multiple albums between 1996 and 2002.
As part of the campaign launch, The Times has released Story Portrait, an interactive mobile experience that it is hoping will encourage all subscribers to explore how what they read can inspire who they are.
The Story Portrait tool pulls from a subscriber’s reading habits to create a unique composite of journalism headlines that draws on a collection of 50,000+ Times articles, translates subscribers’ reading history into headlines and creates a custom, shareable image.
The campaign, conceptualized in collaboration with Droga5 and design agency Hello Monday, will run across TV, digital, print, out-of-home (OOH), social and audio spots.
Amy Weisenbach, senior vice-president and head of marketing, The New York Times Company, said: “New York Times subscribers, like Questlove, spend a lot of time with our journalism. They tell us it helps them understand and engage with the world. Importantly, they also say it shapes who they are and who they become. This campaign celebrates Times subscribers and gives them a new way to explore how what they’ve read reflects who they are.”