The Guardian’s Sara Badler on promoting journalism that’s “global, independent and free”

In late September, The Guardian launched its first major U.S. marketing campaign, featuring the tagline “the whole picture.” It’s a bold statement of intent from the 204-year-old news organization aimed squarely at American audiences, which highlights The Guardian’s brand of free, independent journalism.

In this episode of The Big Impression, our hosts catch up with Sara Badler, chief advertising officer in North America for The Guardian, to explore the vision behind the campaign, as well as some early takeaways since launch.

“We have tons of news outlets … and a lot of them are owned and operated by billionaires. … I think now more than ever, having something free and a truly global perspective is unique and something that we have,” Badler tells The Big Impression.

Across subway ads in midtown Manhattan, pop-up activations in the Meatpacking District, a fashion collab with Lingua Franca and a unified global programmatic strategy, Badler reveals how The Guardian is reinventing how to show up — not just as a news brand, but as a culture brand. She discusses everything from campaign creativity and audience expansion to the monetization model that lets journalism live freely online.