The Register introduced a new branding campaign that positions itself as a trusted alternative to endless streams of “fake news” on the Internet and social networks.
Using images of UFOs, mermaids and dragons as its visual foundation, the campaign playfully reiterates the value of fair and objective reporting that’s published by an established local news organization.
It contrasts the importance of consuming news produced by journalists that is fact-checked for accuracy by editors, versus reading questionable stories trying to pass as news from unknown or intentionally biased sources.
The campaign reminds digital audiences that they can streamline their news-consumption experience by reading reporting from trained journalists that report facts on behalf of reliable news organizations.
Print and digital ads with the UFO theme began in early February, and illustrate the vast difference between fantasy and reality with respect to the news you read.
Southern California News Group is sharing the campaign through posts to its company account and its 11 daily newspaper accounts on Facebook and Twitter. Many of the posts are accompanied by a #PressOn hashtag, which is being utilized by journalists and other news organizations. Some include links inviting people to subscribe and support local journalism.
The ads will also run in outside of its own media brands, mainly in promotional materials from its community partnerships.
Newspapers and websites within Southern California News Group include the Los Angeles Daily News, Daily Breeze in Torrance, Long Beach Press-Telegram, The Orange County Register, Pasadena Star-News, The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Whittier Daily News, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, The Sun in San Bernardino and Redlands Facts.
