The Public House Brings Readers Into the Fold in Belfast Telegraph Campaign

Independent creative agency The Public House launched a new campaign for the Belfast Telegraph across audio, digital, OOH, print, and social. “Inside Every Story” comprises 5 key visuals that feature Belfast Telegraph readers placed into the very stories they are reading about, in print and online.

Behind the scenes, The Public House have also created a new brand positioning for the Belfast Telegraph. “Where Northern Ireland gets its news” aims to refresh the Bel Tel’s status as Northern Ireland’s news brand, a departure from their longstanding “Tell It Like It Is” platform.

The Public House enlisted the help of photographer Alex Telfer to bring this idea to life. Widely regarded as one of the world’s best advertising photographers, Alex added his usual touch of stardust to the campaign. He was thrilled to be chosen for this project as he thrives on creating work which can help create a genuinely positive impact. To do the work justice, Alex tackled the campaign in-camera as much as possible, with minimal retouching and no stock imagery.

It was paramount to Alex that the campaign feel authentically Northern Irish. To that end, he used real people in real locations to give a heightened, filmic authenticity, helping elevate the campaign. The key visuals captivate viewers with a sense of truth and relatability, reinforcing Belfast Telegraph’s new core message.

Alex said of the final images, “They project the honesty and integrity of people caught in the moment. The final compositions shown in the key visuals convey realism and authenticity, captivating viewers with a sense of truth and relatability.”

Mediahuis Ireland's head of marketing, Lee Martin, said of the new work, “The Belfast Telegraph is known for its quality journalism, and it has a crucial role to play in the future success of Northern Ireland. The campaign aims to improve the Belfast Telegraph's mental availability as we grow our audience and increase frequency. The campaign also sees the heritage brand replace its “Tell it like it is” strapline with the consumer-validated “Where Northern Ireland gets its news. “

Mikey Curran, associate creative director at The Public House, added, “My favourite part of this superbly executed suite of photography is the presence of the same images on the front page of each newspaper, without the reader included. That attention to detail mimics Belfast Telegraph’s editorial style. I can’t wait to see this work plastered all over Belfast on my next trip home - it’s going to be unmissable.”

This work is an example of The Public House’s anti-formula approach to building attention-grabbing work under their ‘Boring Doesn’t Sell’ philosophy. The independent creative agency works with a diverse range of ambitious clients that include FBD Insurance, EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, 48 Mobile, and Cadbury.