• by Ray Schultz , September 21, 2023

The Guardian, Great Britain’s reader-funded news organization, has debuted a global branding campaign titled, “Not for sale,” working with the creative agency Lucky Generals.  

This is the first such effort since The Guardian’s “Hope is Power” campaign in 2019. 

The marketing blast coincides with the launch of The Guardian’s Europe edition, an English-language edition of The Guardian website and app for readers on the continent.  

Central to the campaign is a film created by Lucky Generals, directed by New York-based Rubberband’s duo of Jason Sondock and Simon Davis. 

The film includes quick-cut shots of people consuming The Guardian in different ways, and features a voiceover from writer/artist Inua Ellams. 

“Taken to bed, taken to heart, taken to court. But thanks to reader funding, never old,” Ellams says. 

Also included are posters that will run both digitally and out of home, stating that The Guardian is “Loved”, “Hated”, “Trusted” , “Feared”, “But never controlled”.

“With ‘Not for sale’ we focused on what makes The Guardian unique in the news landscape – the fact that because it is reader funded (rather than owned by controlling interests like billionaires or politicians) its journalism can never be influenced or controlled,” says Cressida Holmes-Smith, managing director at Lucky Generals.

The creative will be seen in The Guardian’s own channels and in cities throughout Europe, including Amsterdam, Berlin, Dublin and Paris, and in London, Manchester, Bristol, Liverpool and Edinburgh within the UK.

The film will be shown on Channel 4 and in UK cinemas from Sept. 25, and in European digital and social platforms.

“Readers tell us they support The Guardian because they believe, like we do, in robust independent media that is open to all, funded by many, and beholden to no one,” says Anna Bateson, chief executive, Guardian Media Group.

Bateson adds, “Our new Europe edition and our bold new marketing message carry forward this mission and will help us to cultivate even deeper relationships with readers, advertisers and other partners who believe in our values.”