EL PAÍS launches campaign: “And what do you think?”

EL PAÍS is set to launch a campaign on Sunday that focuses squarely on the reader – and asking one simple question: Y tú qué piensas? (And what do you think?) “In a world full of noise and shouting, EL PAÍS is asking its readers what they think; we want to remind them that the newspaper is attentive to their opinions, to what’s happening, and we want to let them know that we don’t accept that there’s a single solution to all our problems and concerns as citizens,” explained the editor Soledad Gallego-Díaz during the presentation of the initiative.

In the main ad for the campaign viewers can see a range of different images  – of demonstrations, migrant boats, conflicts, environmental disasters  – some of them prize-winning examples of photojournalism. A voice-over addresses those who "ask themselves not only what, but also why" things happen in the world. The campaign – developed by the branding department of Prisa Noticias together with the advertising agency Shackelton – is based on the values ​​that have accompanied the newspaper since it was founded in 1976 and revolves around five major themes: immigration, especially from its social angle, feminism, education as the basis of social progress, ecology and dialogue, now more necessary than ever in the current climate of polarization and dissent.

With these areas in mind, four months ago EL PAÍS reinforced the space dedicated to these in a new section, Society, which focuses on the issues that most concern citizens and that most directly affect them. The Letters to the Editor section was also expanded, and is a fundamental tool for keeping abreast of the concerns, the demands and sensitivities of our readers.

Connecting with the public, not just with all those who read EL PAÍS, but also with those who don’t, with those who share the paper’s editorial line and with those who do not, is the main objective of the campaign. “And what do you think?” is the newspaper’s first such campaign for more than a decade. “It is an appeal for critical thinking among the public," explained the editor during the presentation, because "thinking together we can deal with almost everything."

The campaign is being launched this Sunday in EL PAÍS’s print edition and online, and is accompanied by a digital special that covers the work of the newspaper in these five key areas. There’ll be videos featuring people behind the news: an immigrant who arrived in a boat as an unaccompanied minor, a woman who participated for the first time in a feminist demonstration last March, and a teacher who seeks to teach in another way. Besides appearing in different media and formats, “And what do you think?” will also be taking to the streets. Over the next few weeks, displayed on bus stops or hanging from buildings, the simple question will challenge the public, inviting us all to think together to seek answers to the complex issues of the world we live in.