Al Jazeera, the fringe media company, is prepping its biggest Australian brand campaign to raise its profile in the Australian market as it looks to challenge traditional media.
Human stories are at the centre of the campaign, rather than on-air talent or journalists, because that is what Al Jazeera's strategy is based around, according to Al Anstey, managing director of Al Jazeera English.
Anstey told AdNews that there are stories on Al Jazeera that the traditional media doesn't pick up, which is what sets it apart.
“You see stories on the radar that you wouldn't normally see, and connect with those real human beings – the story is about those people caught up in world events, those decisions made by governments and corporations,” he said.
“People have been the strength of Al Jazeera since the get go so the purpose of the brand campaign is about articulating that loud and clear. So that people who haven't seen us understand what the DNA and the core identity of Al Jazeera is and bring more people into our content.”
The campaign, ‘Hear the Human Story’, is rolling out across Australian print, digital, TV and radio.
It features the “Gulabi Gang”, a group of Indian women who clubbed together to fight violence against women; Kiki Katese who started a group of female drummers in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide; and Illac Diaz who brought lighting to slums in the Philippines using plastic bottles.
Part of Al Jazeera's focus, like most media companies is making its content accessible across multiple devices, without focusing too heavily on one.
“We find that content that in a traditional world would have hit the cutting room floor, is now gold dust, and it's important to get it out there in as many ways as possible. If you miss one of them you've broken the chain and people will switch away from it. It's important not to prioritise one over the other,” said Anstey.
Al Jazeera is available on Foxtel as well as a number of timeslots on FTA TV and free to access digitally. Although it doesn't have huge viewership figures here, Anstey said there's a real opportunity for the brand in the Australian market as an alternative to the established media.
“The broadcasters here, it's a very mature market – a fantastic heritage of journalism and very competitive broadcasters that exist here but what we offer is different – the truly international. You'll be seeing the world and the stories that are relevant, seeing all corners of the world through our brilliant journalists. There is a place for Al Jazeera in Australia.
“With start-ups it goes in stages. Firstly, reach. You need to be seen. When you've got the reach you need to start building the reputation for integrity. Then once you have that you start to build up viewership – that curve grew steeply for us. We have an established reputation but now it's about raising the awareness of the brand, that people increasingly come to and increasingly engage with,” he said.
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