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With its new brand campaign “When it matters, it’s in pink,” the FD underlines its role as a trusted guide for decision-makers, entrepreneurs, and professionals who want to move forward.
Brand & Campaign Manager Jiska Suurland explains how this campaign fits perfectly within the newspaper’s sharpened positioning: the indispensable newspaper for the leaders of today and tomorrow.
Every campaign begins with the essence of the brand: why is the FD relevant to the world around us? What value does our journalism bring to the reader?
The FD helps bring order to complexity and provides direction in times of uncertainty. A strong concept not only shows what the FD is, but, more importantly, what it does: offering reliable insights that enable professionals to make better decisions.
This principle forms the foundation of the new brand campaign, which places the FD’s role as a guide for the business reader at its core.
FD readers are people who look further, dig deeper, and aim higher. They are people who carry responsibility, make decisions, and want to move forward, in their company, industry, or society. They don’t seek fleeting headlines, but insight and overview. Journalism that helps them understand what developments mean for their work and their world.
They value a tone that is serious yet approachable, careful, expert, and independent. That understanding lies at the heart of our brand positioning. The FD’s ambition is not only to inform, but to provide direction. The newspaper helps readers maintain a clear course in an increasingly complex world.
Our readers’ world is constantly evolving. Economic and geopolitical pressures, technological shifts, and an overload of information make it harder than ever to stay on course.
In this context, the FD seeks to offer clarity: reliable insights that separate opinion from fact, and noise from relevance.
The FD is more than a news source, it is a newspaper for professionals who want to move forward. Not just a paper with meaning, but one that empowers readers to act, decide, and lead more effectively. In doing so, the FD fulfils its role as the indispensable newspaper for the leaders of today and tomorrow.
The new campaign makes this role tangible. The message “When it matters, it’s in pink” was a deliberate choice, confident, distinctive, and sincere. After all, who else but the FD can truly claim that colour? Pink is more than a colour. It’s a recognizable symbol of reliability and authority, a visual promise of journalism that goes beyond the noise of the day.
Collaboration with Dawn
Creative agency Dawn was also involved in the process of refining the FD’s brand positioning, and therefore had a clear understanding of our strategic direction.
The campaign briefing was simple yet focused: strengthen the FD’s position as the indispensable newspaper for the leaders of today and tomorrow.
Dawn presented several creative routes, but the choice for this concept was quickly made. It aligns seamlessly with both our mission and the FD’s identity, positive, reliable, and independent.
Seizing relevant moments
There are specific moments when the campaign must be visible, such as Budget Day (Prinsjesdag), the start or end of a fiscal year, the publication of quarterly results, or the launch of a new business. These are moments when the demand for insight and context increases. At such times, we want the campaign to be prominently present, to show exactly where our journalism adds value.
Recognition through simplicity
The strength of the FD lies in clarity. Campaigns are most effective when they are simple in form and language, yet sharp in content. Say less, show more. That simplicity doesn’t make the message smaller, it makes it stronger.
A brand that stays the course
The FD remains consistent, also in the way it communicates. Every campaign builds on the same conviction: independent journalism that provides guidance in a noisy world.
Recognition grows step by step, not by shouting louder, but by consistently showing what truly matters.
Sustained relevance
The tone of this campaign is more outspoken and self-assured than in previous years. The message is clear: in a world where news, noise, and opinions often blend together, the FD is the newspaper that provides direction. Or, put simply: When it matters, it’s in pink, the indispensable newspaper for the leaders of today and tomorrow.
Watch the campaign video on YouTube.
