This ad campaign from Cape Argus demonstrated the changing nature of news stories. Cape Argus is a South African newspaper that’s been around since 1857. Its daily readership as of 2009 was 359, 000, with a circulation of 60, 552.
The angle of this Cape Argus ad campaign is to demonstrate how news can change within just a few hours of a story breaking. To achieve this, the company simply created split-screen photos that conveyed a changing story in two simple photos.
The most obvious example of this is a split-screen ad featuring Kim Jong Il on the left and his song Kim Jong-un on the right. This ad is alluding to the change in power in China after Kim Jong Il’s recent death.
World-Changing Newspaper Ads
The Cape Argus Ad Campaign Shows How the Story Changes Within Hours
Trend Themes
1. Real-time News Updates - Creating split-screen photos to depict the changing nature of news stories within hours presents an opportunity for real-time news updates.
2. Visual Storytelling - Using split-screen photos in ad campaigns can revolutionize visual storytelling by capturing the essence of a changing narrative in a simple and impactful way.
3. Adaptive Messaging - Demonstrating how news stories can change rapidly opens up possibilities for adaptive messaging in advertising, tailored to the current events and public interest.
Industry Implications
1. Newspaper Publishing - Newspaper publishers can leverage the idea of real-time news updates to attract a larger audience by providing timely and accurate information.
2. Marketing and Advertising - The concept of visual storytelling through split-screen photos can disrupt the marketing and advertising industry, allowing brands to convey a dynamic message in a visually captivating manner.
3. Digital Media Platforms - Digital media platforms can explore adaptive messaging techniques to deliver personalized news and content to users, based on their real-time interests and preferences.