News 2003
Virgin Mobile PPPosse campaign
20/05/2003
Virgin Mobile has unveiled a £100,000 underground youth marketing campaign, under the title “The PPPOSSE“ (3p posse). The campaign has been created by B’lowfish Advertising to support the launch of their new 3p text tariff, and the above-the-line activity currently running across the UK.
The PPPosse campaign targets 16-24 year old urban music lovers living in key cities across the UK, and aims to create the UK’s biggest text ‘posse’, by allowing members of the same ‘crew’ to benefit from the low-cost 3p texts to other Virgin Mobile customers within the UK.
To front the PPPosse campaign, Virgin Mobile has recruited the UK garage band `The Pay As You Go Cartel’ (PAUGC). The PAUGC recently had a top ten hit with ‘Champagne Dance’ and release their much-anticipated album this summer.
The PPPosse campaign will launch over eleven well-established pirate radio stations across the UK, including Rinse FM, Delight, Silk City, Lost and Diamond among others, where acts like Ms Dynamite and the So Solid Crew were first brought to public attention.
The radio adverts are scheduled to run from 16th May across London, Birmingham, Leeds, Leicester and Manchester for four weeks, and will reinforce the 3p text message. The ads will invite listeners to go into Virgin Megastores or Virgin Megastore Xpress stores to buy a Virgin Mobile phone or SIM pack and join the PPPosse, or just pick up a free PPPosse CD sampler. The CD includes the exclusive PAUGC track ‘Do You Wanna Get’ plus an album sampler taken from their forthcoming album, as well as a free PAUGC ringtone and logo.
As well as airing the radio ads, the pirate radio stations will be running text competitions and promotions to win exclusive limited edition PAUGC £10 airtime vouchers and a holiday for four to Aiya Napa or Faliraki this summer, courtesy of Virgin Mobile.
The radio activity will be supported with full page adverts and inserts in key R&B, Hip Hop and UK Garage publications including Hip Hop Connection, RWD, Grand Slam, Knowledge, Deuce and Touch. Touch Magazine will also be cover mounting their June issue with the Virgin Mobile PPPosse CD sampler. Over 500,000 PPPosse flyers will be distributed to every major Hip Hop, R&B and UK Garage club and record store in the UK in the same four week period.
James Kydd, Virgin Mobile’s brand director said: “What better band could there possibly be to front our campaign than the Pay As You Go Cartel? It was a huge coup to get them to work with us and we are very excited to welcome them as members of the Virgin Mobile PPPosse!”
