challenge

In an evaluation of creative work beyond conversion metrics, I noticed inconsistency with the Mother’s and Father’s Day gifting campaigns. The visuals did not live up to the promise of the copy. Like in any fast-paced business, the culprit was time. I knew the team could do more with these campaigns and wasn’t going to let quick turnarounds get in the way.

positioning

After a thorough audit, I found that, while readers are familiar with digital gift subscriptions, they default to physical gift exchanges where they can add a personal touch. And so, I set out to identify a mechanism that would place a Times subscription in a reader’s consideration set of thoughtful gifts. To unlock the power of our brand advocates year round, the team introduced a gifting messaging platform for all campaigns to ladder up to and drive consistency across gifting occasions. That is, the Times has something for everyone. It is the gift that fits everyone on your list. Whether its for a sister, wingman or cat sitter, a gift subscription lets you tap into any of their interests, build upon a shared one and inspire another.

Results

When the holiday season snuck up, the team was ready to mobilize and a creative idea was quickly found. The campaign stepped beyond breaking news into a more personal territory. With illustrator Abbey Lossing’s touch, it became refreshingly playful. I work on a lot of projects with huge teams so this one felt particularly special as a brain child I brought from start to finish. Plus, I get to continue to see new campaigns flourish from the same platform even after I have left the organization.