News 2005
Virgin Mobile creates advertising first with live ad break ticket giveaway
19/08/2005
Virgin Mobile will pull off an advertising coup tonight, on the eve of the 10th V Festival, with a live ticket giveaway running across 5 ad breaks, broadcast exclusively on Channel 4.
The ads, created by Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R and based on a media initiative by Goodstuff, will be hosted by The Cuban Brothers at the Hylands Park V Festival site in Chelmsford, and will feature live competitions to win 40 pairs of highly sought-after pairs of weekend camping tickets to V. With a line-up featuring Oasis, Scissor Sisters, Franz Ferdinand, The Streets, The Prodigy and Chemical Brothers, tickets have been in great demand, having sold out way back in March.
The irreverent competitions include ‘Dude looks like an Angel’, in which viewers have to guess which of three Virgin Mobile Angels is a man; It’s Getting Hot in Here, and the Kebab Challenge, all of which relate directly to the V Festival and related Virgin Mobile promotional activity.
In total, five ads will be broadcast: three 90”, a 70” and a 20” which will air from 8.15pm to 20 past midnight, just as V Festival officially begins. Each ad will set up a text-to-win competition and announce the winners from the previous break.
James Kydd, Brand Director of Virgin Mobile said: “V is a major property for Virgin Mobile, and is a twelve-month marketing programme. We have never treated it as an opportunity just to stick loads of logos everywhere, but have always tried to add real value back to the consumer experience and provide some added excitement. Giving away the last tickets live on air reinforces this approach.
“It has been a true nightmare to organise, but then most things that haven’t been done before usually are, as we at Virgin Mobile know all too well!”
James Murphy, CEO of Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R added: “Virgin Mobile is yet again pushing marketing boundaries to the limit. The only way to really communicate the last-minute buzz around V is to broadcast direct from the festival the night before it kicks off. It will create amazing stand-out in the ad break and will set a new standard for innovative, content-driven advertising.”
Andrew Stephens, MD of Virgin’s communications and media planning agency Goodstuff explained: "Virgin Mobile wanted to use the 10th V Festival as an opportunity to reassert their headline sponsorship and overall music provenance at a time when every other network seemed to be jumping on the bandwagon. The idea combines the essence of 'live' music, the V Festival partnership, the very last tickets, the Virgin brand spirit and a very brave marketing team. Only Virgin Mobile could have pulled this off."
This is the first time that a broadcaster in the UK has enabled a ‘live’ ticket giveaway advert of this nature to be broadcast, and is a major coup for Channel 4.
Advertising regulator BACC (Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre) has worked closely with the production team to ensure that these ads can happen, within the existing regulatory guidelines.
The campaign also features an online game and viral, which have pre-seeded interest and prompted people to tune in on the night. Additionally, press ads and TV listings will point people in the right direction in the run up to the broadcast.
Media buying is by MGOMD, who also brokered the deal between Virgin Mobile and Channel 4.
CREDITS
| Client | James Kydd, Brand Director, Virgin Mobile |
| Creative Agency | Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R |
| Copywriter | Nick Strada |
| Art director | Greg Mitchell |
| Planner / Account management | Georgina Lobo |
| Agency producer | Claudio Gorini |
| Director | Marcus Viner |
| Production company | Blink TV |
| Exposure | Channel 4, national press, online, viral |
| Media planning | Goodstuff |
| Media buying | MGOMD |
For further information
- Alison Bonny at Virgin Mobile on 07802 430276
- Liz Vater at Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R on 07779 228969
Notes to Editors
About Virgin Mobile:
Virgin Mobile Holdings (UK) plc, the UK's largest mobile virtual network operator, is majority owned by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group and uses T-Mobile's network. Since its launch in November 1999, Virgin Mobile has attracted more than 5.6 million customers.
In the UK, Virgin Mobile phones are available direct on 0845 6000 600; on the web at www.virginmobile.com or on the high street at approximately 5,000 outlets including Virgin Mobile Stores within Virgin Megastores, The Carphone Warehouse, The Link, Dixons, Phones 4 U, Curry's, Comet, Tesco, Asda, John Lewis, Argos, TOMO, Woolworths, Toys R Us and Ryman plus hundreds of independents mobile phones dealers and available via Shop Direct, Littlewoods, Grattan and Empire home shopping channels.
Virgin Mobile employs approximately 1,400 staff at three sites, Trowbridge, London and Daventry, and has an outsourced customer service centre operated by approximately 200 staff in Middlesbrough.
Virgin Mobile's customers were found to be the most-satisfied mobile consumers in the pre-pay sector for two years running in 2005 and 2004, according to the surveys by J.D. Power and Associates. Virgin Mobile is also featured in `The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For’ list 2005 and is part of the FTSE4Good Index.
About Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R
Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R is the IPA’s Effectiveness Agency of the Year 2004/5. Its clients include Virgin Mobile, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Trains, M&S, Lloyds TSB, Landrover, News International, Breakthrough Breast Cancer and Powergen.
