The Financial Times is aiming to recapture the essence of its advertising heyday of the 1980s and 1990s, but for today’s radically different media landscape, with the appointment of New Commercial Arts to handle a major consumer subscriptions drive.
The move, which follows a competitive pitch process run by Ingenuity+, will see NCA devise a creative platform that draws on the appeal of its journalism – an editorial mission more vital than ever in an era of volatility – while also engaging new, global audiences with content beyond business and finance.
The FT was founded in London in 1888, and began printing on pink paper in 1893 to stand out from its rivals, such as the Financial News, as well as because unbleached newsprint was cheaper at the time.
It eventually expanded from a City of London financial sheet to a global digital and print publication. As of 2023, it was reported the FT had 1.3 million subscribers of which 1.2 million were digital. The7Stars has handled media on the subscriptions account since April this year.
In March, the so-called “Pink ‘un” appointed Jon Slade as its new CEO, who assumed the role on July 1. Slade had been chief commercial officer since 2014, and before that held various roles in the FT’s advertising team.
FT consumer marketing director Graham MacFadyen said: “We are delighted to be working with NCA; 2026 will be an important year for the FT.
“News media ecosystems are going through a period of unprecedented upheaval, but there has never been a greater need for authentic, authoritative journalism, evident in the FT’s growing subscriber base and strong commercial performance.
“We’re excited to keep building on that momentum, raising our creative output to meet new challenges.”
New Commercial Arts chief executive Hannah White added: “The FT is a brand you dream about working on. It is a privilege to work with their team, especially at a time when the unbiased journalism and in-depth research of the Financial Times is of such critical importance in our society. We cannot wait to get started.”
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