Financial Times celebrates 125th anniversary
The Financial Times celebrates 125 years as one of the world’s leading business news organisations today by launching a range of initiatives around the globe. These include an anniversary feature in print and online, a new marketing campaign and subscription offer, and a series of global events.
“Since 1888, the FT has grown to become the world’s most authoritative source of global business and political news, providing a trusted guide to international affairs, and we are now read by more people than ever before,” said FT CEO John Ridding.
“During our 125 year history, much has changed, especially with the digital disruption of recent years. But there are some crucial constants – the quality of our journalism and the innovation we have brought to bear in adapting to the changing demands of our readers and in creating a dynamic multi-channel business.”
FT editor Lionel Barber said, “The Financial Times has been the gold standard in business and financial journalism for 125 years and we intend to do the same for the next 125.”
On 14 March the FT and Penguin will publish Lunch with the FT: 52 Classic Interviews in hardback and ebook format, edited by Lionel Barber, with a foreword by John Ridding. The book features a collection of memorable lunches with prominent personalities ranging from Angela Merkel and Jeff Bezos to Michael Caine and Sean ‘P. Diddy’ Combs, plus many more encounters selected from the iconic feature in FT Weekend.
A global marketing campaign will include a new print and online creative by adam&eveDDB. The campaign features an image of a rolled up Financial Times newspaper and includes the tagline, ‘Still guiding the way for global business’. The campaign will appear in selected print and digital titles as well as on digital outdoor screens in London.
Over the course of the year FT 125 and FT tablet app shaped hot air balloons will fly over global financial hubs and the FT‘s headquarters in London will be lit pink to commemorate the milestone. John Ridding and Lionel Barber will host anniversary receptions in London and New York, and will ring the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange on 30 April. The Empire State Building will be lit FT pink on 1 May.
The FT was founded in 1888 and the first edition of the newspaper was printed on 13 February. Since turning the newspaper pages pink in 1893 the FT has continued to evolve, becoming global and pioneering new business models, products and services.