October 2019 was one of the most tumultuous months in British political history. The Brexit deadlock divided political parties and the loyalties of MPs within them.

John Bercow, controversial Speaker of The House, was tasked with bringing the chaos under control. Which he did in inimitable style, by bellowing the word ‘order’.

Then suddenly, he announced he would be stepping down.

With conflicting headlines from the mainstream press touting contradictory versions of the situation, The Economist wanted to step in to offer a clearer, non-partisan perspective on what was really going on behind the scenes.

John Bercow was famous for shouting out ‘order!’ in Parliament. So we interrupted the confusion with a reactive social post that went live within hours of the announcement of his resignation. It transformed Bercow’s world famous cry of ‘orderrrrrrr’ into an invitation to discover the real story behind the headlines, with The Economist.

Our wider marketing strategy always looks to place The Economist at the heart of major global and political events as a trusted advisor.

The announcement of John Bercow’s resignation (and speculation around its motivations) presented us with the perfect moment to interject.

With so much confusion already around the twists and turns of Brexit, this new development added yet more complexity and conspiracy theories to the broader coverage.

We sought to offer prospective readers our renowned analysis and clarity (delivered with trademark Economist wit).

And subverted Bercow’s rallying cry, turning it into a way to drive relevance for the brand at that key point in time.

Within hours of the announcement, we created a reactive social post that ran across Facebook and Twitter. In amongst a deluge of ‘inside stories’ that seemed all to be at odds with each other, we invited readers to discover our unique perspective.

Facebook engagement 77% above global average

Twitter engagement 900% above global average