The Economist's machine-powered social

Joel Roberts

This case study shows how news publication The Economist successfully sublimated its global target audience using a careful paid social strategy.

Campaign details

Brand: The EconomistBrand Owner: The EconomistLead Agency: UM London, SocietyCountry: GlobalIndustries: Magazines, periodicals, booksMedia Channels: Content marketing, Programmatic display, Sales promotion, Social mediaBudget: 1 - 3 million

Executive Summary

The Economist was looking for an agency to help them make Paid Social work as a global audience development channel. Despite initial tests not performing, they saw social channels such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn as an obvious place to surface their best content and convert potential subscribers.

The company had two problems:

  1. Brand perception...

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