“Unconventional” isn’t usually a word associated with public media, but it’s exactly what WBUR hired Nail Communications to do. With Boston’s NPR approaching its 75th anniversary in 2025, WBUR sought a creative partner to help expand its audience and unify offerings across audio, digital and in-person experiences with a brand reinvigoration. Nail Communications, known for helping every brand find its fascinating, was up to the challenge, according to Alec Beckett, creative partner at Nail.
“Public media is sometimes perceived as too earnest, but for anyone who knows WBUR, we’re anything but,” said Kristen Holgerson, director of marketing and communications at WBUR. “We’re still the radio people have loved for decades, and we’re so much more. This distinctive new brand expression captures both our legacy and our exciting path forward.”
To help WBUR stand out, Nail developed a new identity system built around a vibrant, welcoming yellow and designed an icon known as “the viewfinder.” It is an elegant marriage of a square and a circle — the square representing the rigor of journalism, and the circle representing the art of storytelling.
To bring the new brand to life, Nail conceptualized an unconventional marketing campaign that celebrates WBUR’s breadth and passion for thoughtful, long-form stories — unusual in this age of ever shorter “content.” The creative all centers on a series of long copy “minifestos,” encouraging audiences to engage deeply with WBUR’s mission.
The ambitious campaign is robust and varied throughout Boston and beyond. It includes transit, billboard, OTT video, digital and social placements, with guerrilla marketing placements that will surprise and delight passersby like street signs, hand-painted wallscapes, bar coasters, sidewalk stencils and wild postings. These more unexpected placements feature snack-sized versions of the longer ads and are inviting calls to listen, read and experience WBUR.
New work can be seen here:
Attention: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wndHibNrHU0
Focus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDtPKDVr0Ys
Truth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlRE613_Re4
“The kind of person who might be intrigued to read a long-copy ad is exactly the kind of curious person who would appreciate WBUR’s journalism,” explained Beckett. “And while a lot of brands shy away from election season, we saw it as the perfect time for WBUR to be out there. It’s a breath of fresh air during a chaotic time in the media — and a chance to offer an alternative.”
ABOUT NAIL COMMUNICATIONS
Nail Communications is where every brand finds its fascinating. For 25 years, Nail has made award-winning advertising, design and branding work for regional, national and global brands. To learn more about Nail Communications, visit nail.cc.
