Does The Guardian need to tone it down?

 

‘Subscribe for fact’s sake’ – The Guardian, 2021. I guess the pandemic’s been hard on everyone, huh? 

 

So I was skimming headlines on TheGuardian.com when this ad popped up.

 

I was stunned when I saw it and stopped mid-scroll and screenshotted it straight away.   

 

I had to. 

 

The phrase was just so different to the way they usually talk. It stood out like a sore thumb. It sounds wrong, forced…offbrand. 

 

It’s nothing like their typical brand voice. They normally stick to a journalistic or editorial tone. Their ads read as if they’re trying to gently coax and persuade readers to subscribe, donate or whatever the call to action is. Usually. 

 

This header has none of that – it’s direct, cheeky and the word play sounds less like The Guardian and more like Brewdog. It demands your attention. Maybe that’s what they were going for, shock value. 

 

But is shock value, for the sake of it, a good thing? Maybe if you’re Paddy Power. They’ve made a name for themselves with that approach. But is it right for The Guardian?

 

TOV can be such a tricky thing. It’s more important than ever to flesh out a brand’s personality because there’s more competition, making it harder to stand out and build loyal followings. People are looking for authentic exchanges and prefer connecting with brands they relate to or share similar values with. So how do they get this across? Their TOV. 

 

Do you think this copy’s onbrand for The Guardian?

Does it do a good job of catching people’s attention? 

Would you stop scrolling to read it? 

Is the fact that it got our attention enough?

 

And, next time you’re reading the news, if you saw this ad, would you subscribe to The Guardian? For facts’ sake.