Brand Marketing Ad of the Day: The ‘Guardian’ BBH's stunning, hard-boiled retelling of the Three Little Pigs heralds the newspaper's new coverage for a new ageBy Tim Nudd|March 1, 2012 Share By Tim Nudd|March 1, 2012 Share Newspapers, we know, are under siege. Ravaged, in more ways than one, by the Internet and a digital age they failed to comprehend and adjust to, they're in a death struggle to remain editorially relevant and financially solvent. Out of touch, out of money … a joke, or at least a punch line—the future is grim. So, it's a bit shocking, then, that a newspaper—that symbol of supreme irrelevance—has delivered one of the most bracingly, brilliantly relevant ads of 2012 so far. On its own, it won't save the newspaper business. But the Guardian's new campaign, from BBH, squarely acknowledges that old newspaper journalism is dead, and posits that the paper will lead the way in harnessing every aspect of new media—and the communities that sustain and evolve it—to build an entirely modern news-gathering service, one that not only keeps up with its audience but once again guides them through the world they seek to understand. The ad's conceit is wonderful—imagining how the modern news media would cover the story of the Three Little Pigs boiling the Big Bad Wolf. Playing out like a docudrama, it begins with SWAT police storming the pigs' house and taking them into custody. As news of the incident spreads, the familiar fevered 24/7 information cycle takes hold, as journalists and citizens investigate and analyze the swirl of facts, conjecture and opinion about the case. The multimedia wash of information is expertly presented and visually stunning—from tweets and YouTube videos to a particularly wonderful segment with the Guardian website presenting a computerized "Huff and Puff" simulation to determine whether the wolf could have blown two of the pigs' houses down in the first place, as he's accused of doing. Amid this whorl of mostly digital data, the pigs themselves—actually, people in giant pig masks—ground the piece with an imposing yet magical physicality. As reliable old fairy-tale characters thrust into the hectic glare of the 21st century, they're a metaphor for newspapers themselves—hounded by the masses, their ill-made houses falling down around them, caught in an existential crisis and fighting back to avoid getting slaughtered. "The newspaper is moving beyond a newspaper," editor-in-chief Alan Rusbridger says in his piece explaining the Guardian's commitment to "open journalism." The idea is to entirely rethink how news is gathered in the modern age—to give, as the ad's tagline says, "The whole picture." Some will say it's a self-indulgent gesture—a glossy piece of propaganda that's more style than substance. And of course, the proof will be in the pudding. But spirit counts for something, and the Guardian here, at the very least, is declaring that it won't go down without a fight. CREDITS Client: The Guardian Marketing Consultant: David Pemsel Head of Sales and Marketing: Richard Furness Marketing Manager: Anna Hayman Media Buying Agency: PHD Media Planner: Toby Nettle Creative Agency: BBH TV Credits BBH Creative Director: David Kolbusz BBH Creative Team: Matt Fitch, Mark Lewis BBH Producer: Davud Karbassioun BBH Production Assistant: Genevieve Sheppard BBH Head of Strategy: Jason Gonsalves BBH Team Director: Ngaio Pardon BBH Team Manager: Alex Monger BBH Team Assistant: Katie Burkes Print Credits BBH Creative Team (Print): Carl Broadhurst, Peter Reid BBH Head of Art: Mark Reddy BBH Print Producer: Sally Green BBH Creative Director: David Kolbusz BBH Head of Strategy: Jason Gonsalves Continue Reading Pages: 1 2 Adweek Adweek