The Guardian Covers the Whole Picture in First US Brand Campaign

The Guardian has launched its first major US marketing campaign, highlighting its distinctive role within the US media landscape: 'Journalism that’s global, independent and free.'

The campaign, created by Lucky Generals, will feature a new tagline, 'The whole picture', which emphasises the Guardian’s unique ability to bring an outside, global perspective to news, culture, sport and lifestyle for both a US and global audience.

Katharine Viner, editor-in-chief, Guardian News and Media, said, “For more than a decade, the Guardian has built up a top-tier, thriving edition in the US, with coverage of the climate crisis, racial injustice, gun violence and politics that rivals the top news outlets in America. Over time we’ve grown our US audience to more than 40 million, including hundreds of thousands of paying supporters who value our independent, global perspective. Now, with so many US outlets under pressure and others choosing to compromise their editorial independence, we see it as the perfect time to re-introduce ourselves to an American audience, grow our footprint in New York and DC, expand offerings in sports, culture and how to live a good life, and launch our first-ever US podcasts. We know Americans in this moment are craving just what the Guardian provides: journalism that’s global, independent and free.”

Anna Bateson, chief executive officer, Guardian News and Media, said, “Ever since we began asking US readers to support the Guardian, our revenue there has taken off, reaching $75m [£56m] last year with even higher goals for the future. Now, we’re looking to take our advertising business to the next level, and I couldn’t think of a better time for our first major US ad campaign. I want to thank our marketing team, the US leadership of the Guardian, as well as our partners at Lucky Generals, for creating and executing such a beautiful, effective, and authentically Guardian campaign. I can’t wait for America and the world to see it.”

Betsy Reed, US editor, Guardian News and Media, said, “When I first discovered the Guardian on a trip to London when I was in college, I never imagined I would be leading its US newsroom, let alone during a major expansion at a time Americans are craving something new. As other outlets around us have sought to appease Trump by dialling down their coverage, we’ve held firm, and it’s helped cement our identity in the US. I’m thrilled to be a part of this moment at the Guardian, an outlet that provides American readers with something many other outlets don’t: fearless, global and independent journalism, free of charge.”

Conner Tobiason, executive creative director, Lucky Generals, said, “Partnering with the Guardian on this campaign was an opportunity to do something that truly matters. In a country overloaded with hot takes, half-truths and eroding trust in journalism, working together to tell ‘the whole picture’ felt urgent and important.”

Paid media in the US will be concentrated in Outfront’s MTA subway advertising network – on lines 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, E, F, G, R, L, J, M – as well as on subway platforms at key stations along the routes. It will appear on digital billboards within Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station, opposite Madison Square Garden on Seventh Avenue, and in paid audio ads on The Vox Media Podcast Network’s biggest programs – with host reads on Pivot, Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel and Today, Explained.

The campaign creative will also be seen across the Guardian’s own channels, including a landing page, Guardian audio, video, newsletters, and across the Guardian’s digital sites. A landing page video and social video will feature the US editor, Betsy Reed, walking readers through the new US campaign.

'The whole picture' ad campaign in the US comes during a time the Guardian is currently embarking on another round of growth and investment in its US operation, hiring for dozens of roles in New York, Washington DC, and across the country; as well as developing its first-ever podcasts; a US shopping site modelled after The Filter; and a planned expansion of global and US soccer coverage ahead of the 2026 World Cup in North America.

Collaborating with creative agency Lucky Generals, this is the Guardian’s first brand campaign since 2023’s 'Not for sale', which centred on the Guardian’s reader-funded model that allows it to be open to all, but beholden to no one.

'The whole picture' takes inspiration from the Guardian’s iconic and award-winning campaign 'Points of view'. Launched in 1986, the campaign presented multiple perspectives on a single event to demonstrate the Guardian’s balanced approach to journalism. Widely celebrated and acclaimed for its powerful message, the campaign highlighted the dangers of prejudice and importance of understanding the full story. It went on to win numerous awards and is still frequently cited as one of the greatest advertisements of all time.

Simultaneous to the ad campaign, the Guardian will also collaborate on a partnership with a fashion brand, which will launch today at its store in the West Village of Manhattan. In addition, the Guardian will stage an on-street stunt in Manhattan on Wednesday, 24th September, with details forthcoming.

The campaign is a collaboration between the Guardian’s marketing team with Lucky Generals leading on creative strategy and execution, and PHD leading media planning and buying.