Thread by @danbarker

The Guardian's "while you're here..." ads get more detailed every year. Here's a 2015 ad (left) vs one today (right):

1. It's relevant right now ('new decade')
2. Positions a point of fear for most Guardian readers in para 1 (Boris), & provides 'hope' against that fear.
...

3. Appeals as personal support: 'the Guardian will be with you'; and service to a community ('our readers').
4. Paragraph 2 sets up a logical reason for needing money ('more people than ever before read...'), & why The Guardian deserves £ (no paywall, open to all).
...

5. Paragraph 3 uses four 'Barnum statement' issues, that feel like personal causes the individual reader cares about, but each appeals to almost all of those reading the ad:
- Climate catastrophe
- Inequality
- Big tech control
- Fight against disinformation
...

6. Paragraph 4 reinforces the 'David vs Goliath' underdog theme, explaining that your money *will* count in 2 ways:
- editorial independence (fighting commercial/political bias - known elsewhere as 'drain the swamp')
- bringing power to account by speaking up for those who can't.

7. The final paragraph asks for the money now:
- embeds the phrase 'you will consider supporting us today'.
- prefaces with the info that you can give a 'big' donation, to avoid '£1' sounding like a recommended amount.
- Handles the 'time' objection by saying it's quick to give.

8. The final 'call to action' sentence is in block yellow, and the 'support' button is in block yellow with black text - the highest contrast elements on the page, so even if you're scan-reading you can't miss them.

9. The payment icons, including PayPal & Apple Pay, let you know that it's easy to give however you like.

10. If you do actually click the ad, despite the ad itself saying 'as little as £1', the default option selected is to give £5 a month for an open-ended period. That's qualified with the phrase '£1.15 each week' to handle the '£5 sounds like a lot...' worry some readers may have.

Summary = similar principles to when they started these ads, but a much more cleverly executed, well written, well thought out system of flowing anyone who may read a Guardian article on virtually any topic, through to giving money to support them directly each month.