Blog.

ESI Media's best bits of 2019.

What a busy year it has been! As the year (and decade) draws to a close, we wanted to celebrate the moments that made 2019 for us. Thank you to all our partners for making it a cracker. Here are our best bits...enjoy!

Campaign of the year

We have worked with some incredible clients this year, creating unique, media first content across all of our brands. From live streaming episodes on our digital platforms for Sky One's Curfew, to partnering with Nespresso as part of their BAFTA sponsorship, allowing our readers to experience the glamour and exclusivity of the film industry by broadcasting directly from the red carpet at the Nespresso BAFTA Nominees’ party. However, the campaign that needs a special mention is our partnership with London Zoo.

The Evening Standard brought the zoo to life through an engaging content series, playing on the cute animal factor while focusing on the expertise of the zoo and its keepers.

We streamed live broadcasts of the keepers feeding the penguins and giraffes and there was a competition to win an overnight stay at the zoo supported by vendor activity, advertorials, and social.

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Best Evening Standard Magazine cover

It has been a year of fame, glamour and emerging talent for ES Magazine, with the likes of Florence Welch, Andrew Scott, Julian Moore and Edward Bluemel gracing the front cover. However, the one that stands out for its vibrancy and Valentino haute couture dress is the 29 March edition with Eva Green. It certainly brightened up the evening commute!

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Best contextual advertising

Did you know 50% of Evening Standard readers agree that a topical ad is more likely to grab their attention? Lots of brands are excellent at reacting to current affairs, popular events or even the weather, and easyJet has excelled at this in 2019, with topical ads in the Evening Standard throughout. This one was particularly clever, using the July heatwave to entice readers to book a flight to a cool down in Faro, using exact temperatures in both locations.


Easy Jet Heat Wave Ad

Most read article on Independent.co.uk

The article that gained the most page views of 2019 was of course related to the epic final season of Game of Thrones. 'Game of Thrones characters ranked worst to best: From Cersei Lannister to Euron Greyjoy' received nearly 10 million page views!

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Most glamorous event

This year was the 65th year of the Evening Standard Theatre Awards, taking place at the London Coliseum on Sunday 24th November 2019.

The star-studded ceremony was co-hosted by Evening Standard Proprietor Evgeny Lebedev, American Vogue’s Editor-In-Chief, Dame Anna Wintour, Damian Lewis, Helen McCrory and The Good Fight actress Cush Jumbo, who also presented the evening’s ceremony.

Jumbo opened the ceremony with ten Brit School students in a rendition of Windy City, with further entertainment coming in the form of performances from two of the West End’s brand new musicals.

Andrew Scott, Maggie Smith, Sir Ian McKellen and many more were awarded for their excellence on stage in 2019.

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Editorial campaign of the year

In today's world, it's more important than ever that the trusted voice of newsbrands is used as a force for good in campaigning for issues that matter to readers. Both the Evening Standard and The Independent have a strong campaigning heritage, but one in particular that needs special mention for its impact on the political agenda 2019 is The Independent's Final Say campaign.

The Independent campaigned for a Final Say referendum since 2018, a fight which secured the backing of more than 1.3 million people. The campaign delivered two public marches, as well as a petition delivered straight to Downing Street by The Independent's editor, Christian Broughton. Importantly, the once unthinkable option of an historic Final Say referendum broke into mainstream political thinking.

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Campaign of the decade

This is a hard one as there are so many winners across our brands, clients and platforms. However, the Evening Standard’s campaign with Westfield, The Agenda, is our winner. Running for five years now, the four-page editorial feature showcases trends from the capital, with a focus on fashion, beauty, entertainment and food. The campaign aims to excite and inspire consumers to visit Westfield’s centres by tapping into our readers’ love for shopping. The feature has become part of the fabric of the paper with time spent reading The Agenda equalling editorial norms, and at times beating it.

It’s a great example of how to build a long-term content strategy, with Myf Ryan, CMO Europe and Group Director of Brand and Strategic Marketing for Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, saying: “‘The Agenda’ combines authentic, credible editorial content with relevant, engaging advertorial and advertising for readers, all themed by season and retail category, which showcases our position at the cutting edge of the retail industry.”


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