Branding: New York Times still photo campaign

Author: CIM COM

The reliability of news reporting has been questioned as instances of spoof news proliferate across social media. In a bizarre twist, jibes from the current US President directed at established mainstream news organisations, from CNN to the Washington Post, have criticised the authenticity of their reporting. In an era where both the veracity of the news and the business model of news publishers are under pressure, the New York Times has chosen to reassert its brand power. Its ad campaign highlights the value of news to society by showing the efforts it takes to find the facts and report the news. The campaign by agency Droga 5, which began in 2017 marks a historic moment in time and shares a hope for a truthful future.

The video’s pared back treatment conveys its message clearly and with impact. The campaign appeared on billboards, in print and online, after kicking off with the New York Times’ first TV ad in seven years at the televised Academy Awards, widely known as the Oscars. It’s a typographical treatment which switches schizophrenically between opposing statements before stating that the truth is hard to find, with the tagline: “The truth is more important now than ever.”

The ad gained widespread publicity across news media and even galvanised an adverse tweet from the US President, which only served to add to its newsworthiness.  The campaign to promote the strength of the New York Times brand has continued with a series of videos which illuminate the efforts required to get to the truth and report the news.

Sea journey to safety

Photo stills of Tyler Hicks photo journalism on the refugee crisis in Lesbos, Greece, are revealed in quick succession putting the viewer in the photographer’s shoes, as the shutter clicks through the emotional scenes of grief and hope. A sombre voiceover from Hicks conveys the desperation which drives refugees to endure such a hazardous journey. The video ends with the tagline “The truth is hard. The truth is hard to find. The truth is worth pursuing.”

Counterterrorism in Iraq

Bryan Denton covering Iraqi counterterrorism forces in Bartella, Iraq was travelling in an armoured vehicle which came under fire for ten hours before a booby-trapped car exploded in his path. His photos of the experience show the danger and chaos. A poignant gap in the clicking images marks the explosion and the passing of the occupant of the bombed car.

Environmental impacts on wildlife

The campaign builds with a sequence of still photographs from Josh Haner covering the effects of climate change on polar bears in Alaska, as their habitat changes they scavenge for food.
Haner’s voiceover challenges climate change deniers to refute the truth of global warming.

The Ebola breakout

Daniel Berehulak’s photo journalism on the Ebola outbreak are the centrepiece of this video. Again, the viewer is clicked through the images and is given a clear insight into the devastating impact of this contagious virus on families and communities. The personal danger which the photographer faced in capturing these images is apparent.

The YouTube description sets out the premise of these brand ads: “Discover the hard work needed to report the facts in the latest video series from The New York Times marketing team.”

The rapid-fire photo treatments are not easy to watch, but provide an insight into the dedication and integrity of photo journalists in their efforts to discover and report the news. This is bold brand building that avoids the superficial ‘window dressing’ approach favoured by some and gets to the heart of the New York Times brand proposition.

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Tom Barrance’s online explainer provides a useful overview of the many ways in which still photos can be used in videos: How to use still images in a film

Especially useful when you have a brand photo archive, Joe Fellows focuses on how to put motion into still photos using the parallax effect in his YouTube tutorial: How To Animate a Photo | The 2.5D Effect

Gioacchino Petronicce’s short film, ‘Pictures’, illustrates how still photos can be used to create a stop-motion film. It was created from 80 000 pictures shots in cities from Paris to New York over three years. The film is well paced and successfully pauses to give certain moments greater impact. See: Pictures