Times Radio Highlights Growing Lack of Political Trust

The work by MOSAIC, the WPP-backed venture between T&P and VML, aims to cut through the noise of news

By Creative Salon

21 April 2026

The news cycle is filled with talkers, shouters and spin. In a new campaign, Times Radio shows that truly understanding the big issues starts with listening.

Created by MOSAIC, the fully integrated campaign spans film, radio, out-of-home, press and smart speaker activations. At its heart is a striking creative concept: close-crop imagery of the mouths of the world's most recognisable political figures, including Keir Starmer, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, paired with sharp, searching campaign lines. "When everyone says they're right, who do you believe?", "When the story breaks, who brings perspective?", "When lines blur, can you read between them?" All leading to a single answer: It starts with listening. Times Radio.

The campaign directly confronts a cultural tension. Audiences are overwhelmed by political noise and partisan media, unsure where to turn. MOSAIC’s creative solution uses the faces driving that noise to position Times Radio as the calm, credible antidote with in-depth debate, expert analysis and live news as it happens.

Tim Levell, programme director of Times Radio said: “I love this visually-arresting campaign, which perfectly encapsulates what Times Radio is about. The number one thing our listeners value is that our presenters bring on expert guests, ask them intelligent questions, and listen while they explain what’s really going on. This campaign grabs the eyes with its visuals, and tells the ears what they can expect by tuning in to Times Radio."

Russell Ramsey, Executive Creative Director, MOSAIC, added: “We live in an era where the loudest voice in the room is rarely the most trustworthy. Politicians shout and audiences are left trying to make sense of a world that seems to get more confusing by the day. Cutting through this noise starts with listening to informed, intelligent debate.”

The campaign's hero 30-second film runs across three creative treatments, from close-crop politician footage overlaid with voiceover, to Times Radio's own talent including John Pienaar, Cathy Newman, Stig Abell and Kate McCann delivering the script in direct contrast to the political chaos. OOH runs across London and Bristol and a branded Amazon Alexa activation brings an interactive experience to smart speaker audiences.

The media was bought and executed by MOSAIC and The Times and Sunday Times' in-house performance marketing team. The campaign will be visible across video on demand, radio, out-of-home and social media.

The latest RAJAR results reveal Times Radio delivers a reach of 542k listeners, who tune in for 4.4 million hours every week. Listeners can tune in via smart speaker, on digital radio or through the Times Radio app and the Times Live app.

Credits:

Brand: Times Radio

General Manager: Tracy Yaverbaun

Director of Customer Marketing: Sarah Thomson

Head of Marketing Communications: Gina Liggins

Marketing Manager: Chelsea Hardiman

Head of Media & Performance Marketing: Ashleigh Pring-Shambler

Senior Performance Marketing Manager: Will Bazen

Senior Performance Marketing Manager: Jiangping Li

Performance Marketing Manager: Laura Arias Puig

Performance Marketing Manager: Hassan Ahmed

Agency: MOSAIC