News 2004
Emap advertising and Virgin Mobile announce partnership with Kiss 100 Bam Bam Breakfast Show
06/09/2004
06.09.04: Emap Advertising and Virgin Mobile today announce an exclusive deal for Virgin Mobile to partner the Kiss 100 Bam Bam Breakfast Show, the number 1 radio station in London for 15-34 year olds (RAJAR June 2004). The deal, created by communications agency Goodstuff, and brokered by buying agency MGOMD, begins today, September 6th 2004, and will run for a full year, and is a partnership that breaks the boundaries of standard radio sponsorship.
Virgin Mobile will be integrated into several aspects of the breakfast show. In addition to the usual sponsor credits and on-air promotions, Virgin Mobile will take the relationship much further with editorial support, news/gossip tags that link the two brands tactically, weekly listener giveaways, a Virgin Mobile show mobile phone, joint marketing activity and a platform for Virgin Mobile to promote celebrity talent. It will all be supported by kiss100.com activity and newsletters.
The creative will showcase the cheeky, irreverent humour of Virgin Mobile and Kiss 100. The credits will begin with an ‘on or off’ relationship theme to create rumour and speculation that Virgin Mobile and Bam Bam are together, and will be followed by both parties ‘disassociating’ themselves from the partnership (in the same way that most celebrity relationships do!). The creative will be very tongue-in-cheek, in line with the fabric of the station, the show and Virgin Mobile.
Simon Long, Kiss 100 Programme Director, said, "Only Kiss 100 could work effectively with a forward-thinking brand like Virgin Mobile to create this kind of unique partnership. Spontaneous creativity is the key, kicking off with an 'anti-sponsorship' impactful message and then ensuring that the Kiss 100 Bam Bam Breakfast provides Virgin Mobile with the opportunity to be entertaining, quirky and above all current."
Andrew Stephens, Partner at Goodstuff, said: "The partnership has taken us seven months to develop and we are delighted with the extent to which Virgin Mobile will be integrated within the Bam Bam show. It is a totally believable partnership, and therefore listeners will really get involved; in return, Virgin Mobile will create a real fun and tangible benefit to listeners."
Alison Pye, brand manager of Virgin Mobile, said: "Part of Virgin Mobile’s success has been its single-minded approach to product and communications. In response to consumer demand, new products will soon be launching, and strategically we want to avoid fragmented communications. This partnership gives Virgin Mobile a consistent brand voice in the form of Bam Bam while we introduce new products via the show and other communications."
Olivia Wright, Cross Media Solutions Account Director at Emap Advertising, said, "The partnership is a truly unique collaboration between the two brands, with Virgin Mobile fully integrated within the Breakfast Show’s content. It’s a great time for Virgin Mobile to enter into a partnership with Bam Bam’s breakfast show as Kiss 100 has just become the number one radio station in London for 15-34s."
For more information on kiss100 please contact Veryan or Hermione on 0207 289 1616 or veryan@braben.co.uk.
For more information on Virgin Mobile please contact Alison Bonny at Virgin Mobile on 07802 430276 or alison.bonny@virginmobile.com.
