News 2001
Virgin Mobile wins Best National Advertising/Marketing and PR award
20/03/2001
Virgin Mobile has been awarded 'Best National Advertising/Marketing and PR Campaign for 2000' by industry magazine Mobile News.
This is the second year running that Virgin Mobile has won the award, in only 16 months of operation. The honour proves that Virgin Mobile is now the undisputed pace setter for marketing activity in the industry. Virgin Mobile was the only national operator to have won an award at this year's event.
The accolade was given to Virgin Mobile for its "Spoil Someone Rotten" campaign that was led by the character Mike, played by actor Victor Maguire. The integrated approach ran across press, TV, radio, posters, bus shelter ads, London Underground bill-boards and PR and proved to be a massive success. Research found that two-thirds of the 450+ sample remembered seeing one or more of the ads in the campaign. Virgin Mobile also had a higher level of TV advertising awareness than any other network.
Virgin Mobile beat One 2 One into second place with their pre-pay roaming campaign. The other finalists were as follows:
- BTCellnet - Mobile Internet
- Eircell - Ready to Go
- Eircell - 50% off call charges
- Orange - No Eak
- Vodafone - Smartstep
Commenting on the award, Mobile News' Editor Ian White said: "Virgin Mobile has again shown how it is possible to produce network advertising that breaks the mould by being entertaining as well as informative."
Sir Richard Branson, chairman of Virgin Mobile, said: "We're thrilled to have received this award for the second year running. It recognises the enormous creativity and energy that all our staff at Virgin Mobile possess. Together with some great products and services, our staff enthusiasm has helped make Virgin Mobile the world's largest and most successful Mobile Virtual Network Operator."
Virgin Mobile used Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe Y & R for creative, Manning Gottlieb Media for media buying and Consolidated Communications and Bigmouths for PR for the execution of the campaign.
