A shining star in a dark sky

Credit: Communication Arts

Surrender is a choice. In North America, most local newspapers are in full white-flag mode, either because ownership wants to maximize profit at all costs, or because they can’t figure out how to remain salient in the face of advertising shortfalls and a rise in non-traditional news sources. We are all poorer for this.

The Toronto Star gets credit for at least trying something different.  Its work with Leo Burnett is one of the finalists for the 2024 WARC Awards in North America.

The Star’s goal was to get attention and stop people in their tracks – and then, of course, to drive subscriptions and non-subscription web traffic.  Unfortunately, the Star’s once most recognizable asset – its ugly, blue newspaper boxes that dotted the city – had become an anachronism in an era where most people no longer read printed newspapers.

So, it brought back those boxes as interactive art installations.  Each so-called “Truth Box” was customized in a way that reflected a different issue, and included a QR code that took people to coverage of that issue in the Star. 

For example, a box that linked to coverage of planetary overheating was designed to look like it was melting.  A box dedicated to coverage of teenage vaping emitted what appeared to be smoke. A box dedicated to surveillance issues featured several little cameras.

After the first month, subscriptions were up 25 percent and non-subscriber web traffic rose 33 percent.  

Whether a plan like this is sustainable long-term is hard to predict.  Fabricating these boxes and scattering new ones all over the city at regular intervals seems like it could get costly.  But it is a compelling way to re-establish both visibility and relevance.