The Challenge
With lockdown hugely impacting the behavior of everyone in the UK, Grazia needed to act fast and be nimble to make sure they remained relevant, insightful and connected to their audience – if this meant looking at their plans and starting again, so be it!
The Insight
Aware that more and more people are consuming magazines during lockdown. Magazines are playing to their core strengths providing audiences with connection & information, entertainment & inspiration, companionship & a much-needed escape.
In April, 13% of people said they had read magazines for positive news stories and advice on how to make the best of being at home.
More importantly, today, it’s not just what you say, but the WAY you say it. For the first time, judgements are being made daily on the behaviour of brands & companies and not just the products and services they provide. This meant Grazia needed to have the right messaging.
The idea
HERO NEW HEROES
Incorporating the right tone of voice was the key element for this idea. Instead of going for the normal glossy, celebrity magazine cover, the idea was for Grazia to respond to the crisis with a celebratory issue dedicated to the frontline NHS workforce, as a way of showing their huge gratitude for the selfless dedication to the UK population that the healthcare workers are showing.
Execution
Four different covers were created for that issue, each featuring a different NHS healthcare worker. The images were uniquely photographed in NHS car parks, maintaining social distancing, only taking a few minutes from their invaluable time.
To further show their gratitude for the healthcare workers, free digital copies of the issue were available to all NHS workers.
QUOTES FROM GRAZIA READERS
“In the midst of fear and uncertainty, Grazia stands out not only as a magazine but as a rich document bursting with ideas and advice. It is a message of hope but also of plain reality without the added fake news. Our frontline heroes relate their heart breaking stories with dignity, sticking to the facts, continuing their battle to save lives. Grazia brightens our moods, reporting on the creation of a new home dress code and fashion for the furture months, a cultural catch up, decorating our new home office with bright colours and trendy accessories, some topical fiction (The Heatwave) cooking recipes and even how to keep active with Joe Wicks. Thank you for a brillian magazine.”
“Thank you so much for your latest issue, it was such a ray of light in an otherwise quite dark period in our lives. Now more than ever your magazine is incredibly important to give us all a sense of normality but also a means of escape – it might have been the ration of Pinot but even “Pick your WFH wardrobe” article made me well up with gratitude. Please never stop Grazia – you are an essential service to us all.
