Our ‘Here’s to Reason’ campaign lands at a critical time for all of us

4 days ago 6

I’ve always been a sucker for a good brand slogan or jingle, and there are some crackers floating around out there: Just Do it (Nike), I’m Lovin’ It (McDonald’s), Not happy, Jan! (Yellow Pages), All The News That’s Fit To Print (The New York Times), and Life. Be In It (a rare government messaging success) are several classics of the genre.

that the Herald helps them navigate these complex and divided times.

This week, the Herald launched its own foray into this world with our new campaign, “Here’s to Reason”. I wanted to explain to you today how this all came about, what we are trying to achieve, and how our subscribers are so central to this endeavour.

Slogans can often be cheap and meaningless unless they tap into something deeper, and I truly believe these three simple words – Here’s to Reason – speak to the millions of Australians who reject extremism and misinformation, and value informed debate, diverse perspectives and nuanced reporting.

We are living in a deeply polarised world and a seriously fractured media environment. Grounded in reader insights and behavioural data, our new campaign reflects what audiences have long told us: that the Herald helps them navigate these complex and divided times.

As we note in the campaign, we all have different ideas, beliefs and priorities, from politics to the environment, finance to education, arts to infrastructure. This is a good thing. That diversity makes us stronger. But in a world of algorithms and agendas, balanced, reasoned news has never mattered more.

You will see the campaign on our website, social media platforms, on television and on billboards and trams across Sydney. The fabulous campaign film, which you can watch here, features several subscribers, capturing the nuances of Sydney’s culture and the Herald’s audience.

The Herald and our sister publication The Age have had other brand campaigns in the past, each with varied levels of success.

One of the things I really love about this one – and the reason I think it will work so well – is that the newsroom was closely involved in its development. Journalists and editors who understand the Herald, what we do and who our readers are, were consulted very early during the development of the campaign.

They have also been part of its launch. On Monday, we wrapped the print edition of the Herald with a four-page special edition featuring reflections from chief investigative reporter Kate McClymont, political and international editor Peter Hartcher, chief reporter Jordan Baker, senior writer and columnist Jacqueline Maley, and Parramatta bureau chief Anthony Segaert about how they think of the connection between reason and journalism.

Jacqueline astutely noted in her contribution that reason is sometimes easier to define by its absence. Reason, she said, is not shouting at your ideological opponent, and not about spreading misinformation. It is also not about the manipulation of emotion to achieve a political end, and not about scapegoating a group different to your own.

“In a world that seems, sometimes, to have abandoned reason for tribalism, prejudice and the nonsense corners of the internet, reason-based news and analysis is more important than it has ever been.” Well said, Jac.

While this campaign is designed to grow the Herald’s subscriber base, I also hope it serves as a great reminder to you, our existing loyal readers, about what we do and why your support is so crucial.

We’ve had lots of great feedback this week from readers, including from Bradley Wynne of Croydon. In a letter to the editor, Bradley said that apart from serving as the community’s journal of record, our mastheads serve as “crucial filters against the blizzard of news and information choices” that consumers face at every turn. “It is comforting to observe the Herald taking a moment to reaffirm its position in such a storm,” he wrote. “That is, we trust the paper and the organisation it represents to be reasonable – in its news selection, its tone, its balance, its formidable investigative journalism, its commentary and analysis, and even, on occasion, its sense of humour.”

We also had another great letter from Celeste Hankins in Ashfield, who gave us a reminder of the importance of the Herald’s future. “One of the simplest pleasures repatriating, after five years in the US, has been reading The Sydney Morning Herald each morning over breakfast with our children,” Celeste wrote. “As we digest snippets of news with our children, we teach them to check, check and check again – facts, sources, motivations. To evaluate our own opinions and how they may change with new information. Thank you for providing the opportunities to facilitate these discussions and equip our children with the ability to reason.”

Thanks to all of you, too, for reading. Have a wonderful weekend – and enjoy the NRL grand final on Sunday!

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