WaPo Capitol Hill OOH Campaign

The Washington Post launched a campaign targeting congressmen and Hill staffers upon the beginning of the 2023 term.

I led the execution of physical and digital assets, ranging from: posters, digital liveboards, web display ads, and house print ads.

The Challenge

Politics is in The Washington Post’s DNA. So, with the turn of the 2023 congressional class, an opportunity presented itself for The Post to reach an important sect of readers by utilizing print, digital, and out-of-home offerings to accomplish two primary objectives:

Drive The Washington Post’s brand awareness among new members of Congress and staffers on Capitol Hill
Drive subscriptions to The Early 202 newsletter

The campaign culminated into a physical takeover of the Capitol South Station in Washington, D.C., which needed to balance messaging that catered to both objectives.

Solution

Elevated visual identity: Giving the campaign a look and feel that’s reminiscent of The Post’s branding (but with new elements and slight variations in color palette) leverages existing brand familiarity and uses refreshed elements to pique interest.

Crafting a dual out-of-home experience: Seeing as the metro station is both a morning and evening touchpoint for the audiences we are trying to reach, the space was physically designed to have unique morning (going to work) and evening (going home) experiences. Promoting The Early 202, as its name suggests, is the focus of the morning experience. Promoting other Post content, namely sections that provide value in helping newcomers to Washington navigate their new local flavors and spaces, is the focus of the evening experience.

Approach

I wanted the visual motifs of this campaign to hit notes of dynamism, authoritativeness, and approachability; but most importantly, clarity and calm amidst a sea of hustle and bustle. These overlapping and interspersed red and blue dots translate across both morning and evening assets, whose placements were determined via mapping high visibility placements and touchpoints along high foot traffic routes within the metro station.