The Economist ad campaign targets Joburg's unexpected side

“The Economist is for anyone who wants to make sense of the world, from artists and ecologists to capitalists and futurists and our consistent global growth over the last 25 years shows that there are many of these curious people,” said David Taylor-Evans, MD, Middle East & Africa of The Economist Group.

“This new advertising campaign will encourage Joburgers to discover that the magazine satisfies their appetite for intelligent, independent, global analysis in a world of ever-more commoditised news.”

Outdoor, press and online advertising will drive the curious to a blog site where people shaping Joburg's business, cultural and scientific worlds have been invited to capture their views of the unexpected side of the city. The contributors to the blog represent the many different elements that make Joburg so dynamic. They include futurists Vincent Maher, Vodacom: social media portfolio manager; Gidon Novick, joint CEO of kulula; Musa Kalenga, business owner; and Darren Smith, publisher. Satirist Bradley Kirschenbaum will join scientist Simon Gear; ecologist Rebecca Khan; environmentalist Peet du Plooy and urbanist Zunaid Kahn.

The campaign will run until the end of September. Further contributors will be added to over the coming weeks and visitors are encouraged to add their own thoughts and opinions. To view the blog and find out more about what The Economist has to offer, visit www.theunexpected.co.za.