News 2006
Virgin Mobile wins award for `V Festival’ at Mobile News Awards 2006
31/03/2006
31.03.06: Virgin Mobile scooped a win at the Mobile News Awards last night when it was presented with the award for Best Advertising, Marketing and PR Campaign (local) for its unique execution of the `V Festival’. The awards took place on Thursday, 30th March at the Hilton, Park Lane and were hosted by Joan Rivers.
The V Festival has become one of the most prestigious live music events in Europe, happening across two sites in Chelmsford and Stafford and attended by over 300,000 people. The 2005 V Festival, headlined by Oasis and Scissor Sisters, sold out within days thanks to a sophisticated advertising, PR and marketing campaign. PR started months before the event with competitions and stories about what would be hot at V Festival. This was supported by a Road to V competition to find an up and coming band to open the Festival, which attracted a million viewers on Channel 4. 2005 also saw Virgin Mobile launch the first ever `festival buddy’, a downloadable Java application providing the entire running order of the festival. Another first was the creation of a live TV advertising campaign that ran as mini-programmes across the breaks the night before the festival. Loyalty to the Virgin Mobile brand was also promoted within the festival itself with free kebabs and beer for Virgin Mobile customers. The fact that the festival also attracts a bevy of celebrities has made it one of the biggest events in the music calendar.
James Kydd, Brand Director at Virgin Mobile, said: “V is a major property for Virgin Mobile, and is a twelve-month marketing, advertising and PR programme. We have never treated it as an opportunity just to stick loads of logos everywhere, but with our approach we have always tried to add real value back to the consumer experience and provide some added excitement. This award is recognition of the fantastic success that this unique approach provides. We hope this year’s V Festival is even better.”
V Festival in August 2006 boasts Radiohead, Morrissey, Faithless, Beck, Razorlight, Kasabian, Paul Weller, Hard-FI and Keane. For more information on this year’s V Festival, visit www.vfestival.com.
For more information please contact:
Virgin Mobile:
Virgin Mobile Press Office:
0845 600 6272 or press.office@virginmobile.com
Jo Baker:
07941 233300 or jo.baker@virginmobile.com
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 4 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 4u, 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 Pay Monthly (contract) is currently available in Virgin Mobile Stores, The Carphone Warehouse, The Link, Phones 4u and at concessions in WHSmith and at www.virginmobile.com
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.
*On a 90-day activity basis.
