Al Jazeera English Launches First-Ever Brand Campaign
Al Jazeera English (AJE) is launching its first-ever brand campaign; ‘Hear the Human Story’ which is rolling out across Australia, London and Johannesburg.
“From the very get go we recognised that human beings are at the heart of the stories. The story is about the people, not just about the decisions being made by governments,” said managing director of Al Jazeera English, Al Anstey.
“The campaign is about building reach and distribution and making sure we’re seen and heard and watched and read around the world. It’s also about building a reputation and that reputation is underpinned by integrity and balance. It’s a normal part of the evolution of any new channel – it’s a sign of progress. We want people to be aware of the core strengths of AJE,” said Anstey.
The face, or rather faces, of the ‘Hear the Human Story’ campaign are those of ordinary people. AJE made a conscious decision not to use one of its high-profiled journalists or presenters to head up the campaign.
One of the faces of the campaign is Kiki Katese, the Rwandan drummer who lost her family to genocide. To help survivors deal with the trauma, she started the first all-women drumming group.
“They’re windows of the world, they’re a way of actually seeing how human beings are at the heart of a story,” said Anstey.
Anstey believes by AJE launching its brand campaign in Australia, there’s an opportunity to fill a gap in the market. He said: “In many senses what AJE provides is quite different, first of all because of the diversity of our people and the breadth and reach of our bureaus around the world. Our correspondents are able to see stories that aren’t on the radar of other news organisations. The underpinning philosophy of AJE is that we don’t see the world through any particular prism. We put every country in the world on a level playing field and evaluate the story on its merit. By doing that, we’re covering the developing world as much as the developed world.”
Anstey says the business drive for launching the brand campaign in just three places around the world is because “Australia’s such an important country to AJE in reaching potential audiences, London is our European hub and Johannesburg, we have a large bureau there”. He adds that the campaign will launch in other countries later on, but not all 130 countries that the network penetrates.
Anstey is almost evangelical in his belief that people inherently want to hear stories about other people – this is despite the self-consuming nature of social media and the amount of political conflict around the globe. He said: “Our ever increasing viewership figures and the engagement we have with audiences right around the globe speaks for the fact that people connect with people.”
Anstey believes the full story of politics and war can only be told through the people affected by such occurrences and he refers to the support garnered from the global #freeAJstaff campaign that started when Australian journalist Peter Greste and his colleagues Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed were sentenced by an Egyptian court to more than seven years in jail for allegedly “defaming” the country.
“More than 150,000 people have been active, calling for the release of these innocent people who shouldn’t have spent even a second behind bars,” said Anstey.
In measuring the audience engagement of the news service, Anstey says in a ‘new media’ sense it’s “quite easy”. He added: “It’s the number of people feeding information back, or commenting on what we’re doing or finally, being involved. We have a program called The Stream which sets its agenda on the conversations taking place on social media.”
“It’s about the quality of engagement as much as the quantity.” Anstey admits it’s hard to effectively measure the network’s reach when it spans 130 different countries around the globe, all of which access news via different platforms. “Some countries are still very much reliant on television for their news, while others have access via all kinds of devices.”
AJE is closer to a traditional news broadcaster than say your VICE news, but Anstey said the network is capable of riding the volatility underpinning the media industry, so long as it protects its journalists and adapts to the technical changes underpinning the industry. “There’s an ever-increasing challenge to journalists in terms of their safety. With so many people around the world wanting their story to be told, journalists are becoming a target. Above and beyond that, the world is changing so incredibly fast, when we first launched, TV was still king. Now, we’re platform agnostic. We’re a multi-platform information provider. People who value content will come to all the different platforms that they have access to. We need to ensure we’re giving the right people the right content at the time, place and on the device of their choosing,” he said.
“What we’re doing with the brand launch is, in a way, articulating the identity that existed since day one. It’s not about re-framing what we do – it’s about articulating the identity of what underpins Aljazeera English.”
The campaign, ‘Hear the Human Story’, is being rolled out across print, digital, TV and radio.
Please login with linkedin to comment
Advertising Standards Bureau Burlington socks Clemenger BBDO Sydney Educate Inform Nutri-Grain P&O CruisesLatest News
TV Ratings (18/04/2024): I’m A Celebrity Wins Prime Time And Key Demos
Aussie viewers can be a harsh lot at times. Only days after Ellie Cole bled her heart out, she has been sent packing.
Effie&co Launches New ConnectAsia Division To Help Aussie Brands Market To Asian Consumers Overseas & At Home
Not provided is advice on using chopsticks and not spilling ramen down your shirt.
Cashrewards Sets Out Stall For New CMO
Thinking of applying for the Cashrewards CMO gig? Here are some insider tips that, yes, are tantamount to cheating.
‘I Ask For The TV Industry To Stand Up And Defend Itself’ – Seven Boss James Warburton Steps Down
The Seven supremo heads for the exits after five years. Here's hoping the Spotlight team organised the farewell bash.
Poh! Jamie! Adriano! Paramount ANZ reveals its tasty plans for this year’s MasterChef
It's your fan's guide to this year's MasterChef! Although no tips on how to pronounce crudités or use a un fait-tout.
Dentsu’s iProspect Partners With MOOD Tea Ahead Of May Campaign Launch
We love a Mood Tea here at B&T. Although we do store old screws and nails in the International Roast caterer's tin.
Opinion: When Culture Starts Eating Itself: Navigating The Age Of Self-eating Nostalgia
Born boss David Coupland asks is adland going through a nostalgia period? But please, no repeats of Best Of Red Faces.
Who’s Going To Cannes?! The TikTok Young Lions Winners!
It's Aussie adland's next gen! They're off to Cannes with high hopes of bringing back a Lion & a foot-long Toblerone.
Adobe Launches Express Mobile App With Firefly AI
Want to be the coolest kid at Friday staff drinks but forgot your retro Nikes? This new Adobe wizardry may do the trick.
ThinkNewsBrands & IMAA Extend News Publishing Education In Brisbane
Industry duo takes its publishing roadshow to Brisbane. Was disappointed no male attendees were wearing walk socks.
B&T Chats With Wavemaker’s Provocative Pioneers On Their Cross-Pacific Sojourn
B&T TV heads to Wavemaker's Sydney digs to interview two staffers from its New York & LA digs. If that makes sense?
HoMie & Champion Launch “Give One. Get One” Campaign Supporting Youth Homelessness Via Town Square
Much like the fête's prized chutney wears a blue winners sash, so too should this top initiative from HoMie & Champion.
Thinkerbell Takes Us Back To Summer In Latest Work For XXXX
This beer ad wants to take you back to summer! Just minus any chance of a shark attack on your morning bus commute.
Cannes Lions Unveils 2024 Programme Featuring Queen Latifah, Jay Shetty & P&G’s Mark Pritchard
Are you one of the lucky ducks heading to Cannes in June? Check out the headliner acts you'll be queueing hours to see.
Scroll Media Recruits Costa Panagos From Twitch
Costa Panagos set to bring South American flair to the Scroll offices. Assuming that he is, indeed, South American.
Year13, Microsoft & KPMG Australia Launch AI Course For Gen Zs
Born around the 2000s? Need to amp up your AI creds? This guide's for you (although it's not really that age specific).
General Motors Snares Heath Walker From Scania
Do you rage about oversized American cars on our roads? You need to bail up Heath Walker at parties & industry events.
VML Launches New “Envoyage” Brand For Flight Centre
VML unveils new brand for travel operator Flight Centre. Alas, no sign of those paid actors pretending to be pilots.
Subaru Places Media Account Up For Review
Subaru puts media up for review, as adland journos get set for mandatory "agency drives off with..." headline.
TV Ratings (17/04/2024): Contestants Faced With Harsh Realities As Alone Australia Heats Up (Or Cools Down)
Alone still doing the business for SBS. Overly long train journeys not doing the business, but they persist anyway.
Ben Fordham Loses Number One Spot As Ray Hadley Celebrates 156th Ratings Win
The radio numbers are in! Discover who's off for a boozy lunch today & who's waiting for the dreaded HR death knock.
Gourmet Ice Cream Brand Connoisseur Launches New “Thrill Your Senses” Iteration, Via SICKDOGWOLFMAN
Rattling the old "truth in advertising" adage comes this ice-cream spot full of noticeably thin people.
Paramount’s Global Sales Boss: ‘Australia’s Converged Model Is A Blueprint For How I’d Like All Of Our Markets To Be’
Paramount's global sales boss gives local sales ops the thumbs up. Didn't weigh-in on the Lisa Wilkinson debacle.
TikTok Starts Testing Its Instagram Rival In Australia
In exciting news for piano playing cats & brattish pranks in shopping centres, TikTok unveils its Insta rival plans.
Man Wrongly Named By Seven As Bondi Killer Hires Lawyers
Struggling to save for a house deposit? Why not get wrongly identified by Sunrise!
Smartsheet Appoints Indie Agency Sandbox Media To Its Media Account
Can't stand your colleagues? Like to dob them in when they miss a deadline? These work management platforms are ideal.
Boss Not Letting You Come To Cannes In Cairns? Use This Business Case To Convince Them!
Stingy boss won't spring for a ticket to Cairns? Add this to your persuasive argument repertoire. Or grovel.
Alt/shift/ Brisbane Builds Portfolio With Ausbuild Creative, PR, Content & Social Account Win
The Brisbane comms/PR agency lands constructor Ausbuild. Also hoping for a discount on its new glass conservatory.
Young Guns Versus The Old Guard: Who Adds More Value to Our Industry?
Cannes In Cairns poking this hornet's nest in a lively debate. Just so long as the oldies can get up the stairs.
70% Of Aussies Don’t Have Green Power Plans ENGIE Says In Major Brand Campaign Via HERO
Are you the notorious "light leaver on-er" in your flatshare? Quell any infighting with this green energy news.
PrettyGood Launches Offering Brand & Media Solutions For Australasian SMEs
B&T applauds the charitable nature of this new agency. Although we'd hate to see it impact any Chrissie present sends.
A Blunt End: Dolphins Medicinal Cannabis Sponsorship At Risk
Yes, it's another NRL drug story. Yet, thankfully it doesn't involve coke in Kuta during the off-season.
Slew Of New Creative Hires At Leo Burnett Australia
Ahhh, all black! The outfit of choice for agency creatives, David Jones staff and everyone in Melbourne.
Under Armour Unveils Local “Live in UA” Campaign
American apparel brand set for yet another tilt at the Aussie market, as Nike declares "we'll see about that".
Pepsi Launches New Look, Refreshing Classic Fashion Staples Via Special PR
Are you always the bridesmaid, never the bride, as the old saying goes? How do you think Pepsi feels?
Pure Blonde Returns To A Place Purer Than Yours In New Campaign Via The Monkeys
B&T's always been a huge fan of the 'drink yourself thinner' diet plan. So big thanks to Pure blonde, vodka & tequila.