Social Media and Newspapers- A twist on a tale

Newspapers have certain stigmas attached to them. The Daily Mail perceived to be bemoaning everything wrong with Britain. The Sun renowned for page 3. The News of the World obviously destroyed its reputation with the phone hacking scandal. Murdoch subsequently launched The Sun on Sunday but this could arguably be perceived as a rebranding of The News of the World, and thus have a negative stigma still attached. I was watching the TV the other day and was intrigued by the new Guardian advert. Incredibly peculiar but also very clever, this is an advert that shows off the various facets of a modern day  Guardian newspaper. An invitation for the public to interact with the news.



This advert highlights the mutli-scalar brand of the Guardian but it does this through the use of a well known children's story. The advert depicts the "Three Little Pigs' as if their plight is a news story. Not only is this quite funny and clever but it is very different. Created by BBH London, this invites the audience into a familiar childhood story but told in a modern setting. Nonetheless, it doesn't simply raise a smile, it educates its audience and urges them to get involved. Open journalism.

Newspaper Headline

There is no doubt that technology has completely revolutionised the way we see the news. Social media and smartphones have created the notion of citizenship journalism, allowing normal members of the public to get involved. The Guardian advert takes the audience on a journey of a news story. Starting with  the police raiding the pig's house whilst shouting, "Little pig, little pig let us in", this creates an incredibly surreal scene and thus immediately grabs the viewers attention. The advert then cuts to a woman in her home watching the news story unfold on her laptop. Subsequently, this illuminates the ability to access news online through The Guardian website. Newspapers aren't just something that are delivered every morning.

The woman then interacts with the news story using the comments page found at the bottom of most articles but also other people's voices are then heard. This shows that any member of the public can have their say on the matter, also advocating the use of twitter, using the tag #opennews.  French and American voices are heard commenting on this news story, suggesting that this open journalism is a international matter as well. This cacophony of voices illustrates how the Guardian interacts with so many people, it's a two way relationship between the newspaper and the public. Text graphics continue to show the public's opinions and there is even reference to a poll. 

The Three Little Pigs

This emphasis on sites such as Youtube and Twitter show how important social media has become in the world of news and the Guardian are recognising this. The advert then twists the traditional three little pigs story suggesting they framed the wolf. Video simulations of the Guardian website suggest the big bad wold had asthma and thus couldn't blow the houses down. Not only is there an education on how viewers can interact with the news but the advert creates a plot that is different and thus intrigues viewers. It then arguably relates this back to the modern day credit crunch stating that the pigs framed the wolf to get insurance money as they were in debt.

Pig arrested

I have read that some believe that this parody is patronising and not serious. I would challenge this, it is different and they've used a familiar tale to relate to the everyday person, including those who are not Guardian readers. So often adverts are too serious, they don't engage with the audience. Humour can so often be a great way to make an advert memorable. Simply look at McCann Manchester's Aldi tea advert, winning various advertising awards.

 Clever, different and funny, the Guardian advert shows the important relationship between the news and social media nowadays and how easy it is for the public to interact. The website, an iPad, Twitter, Youtube and the newspaper itself, all displayed, to show how The Guardian provides, in their words, the "whole picture'.