What happens when the news becomes the news? In Autumn 2022 the BBC set out proposals to drastically cut bespoke output from its 39 Local Radio stations. We created a compelling set of campaign materials for the National Union of Journalists.
The project – in summary
The project – in detail
Step one : Simple socials
As soon as the proposed cuts were announced, everyone was talking about it : respected voices from the media industry, personalities who’d started their careers in BBC Local Radio, and political leaders. We curated these voices into campaign videos for use across social media channels – both long and short form.
Step two : Clean branding
Once the hashtag #KeepBBCLocalRadioLocal was established, we created a graphic that could be used in a variety of communications settings – from stakeholder briefings to a visual cue on NUJ messaging to its membership. The visual used familiar colours from the BBC’s own Local Radio family – aligning the message from the Union, but without infringing any copyrights or trademarks belonging to the BBC.
In late 2022, the BBC also announced proposals to cut the output of Radio Foyle, an opt out service of BBC Radio Ulster. Having already established a theme for the first campaign, we adapted it for a second one.
Step three : In practice
The graphic proved to be highly adaptable – small enough to fit on social media graphics, able to be used in both colour and monochrome, and also practical to use in a variety of visual settings. This example was used as a call to action for NUJ members to vote in a ballot, with a second variation used for public facing social media channels.
Messaging via the NUJ’s Nations and Regions Twitter account attracted thousands of impressions within just a few hours.
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