Category: Best integrated content campaign
Advertiser: NEW LOOK
Product/Service: NEW LOOK FASHION
Agency: MOTHER
Agency: TWOFOUR
Agency: MONTEROSA
Executive Producer For New Look: Katherine Atkin/Nick Cross (New Look)
Creative Director: Mark Waites (Mother)
Creative Director: Stephen Butler (Mother)
Creative Director: Caroline Pay (Mother)
Planner: Matt Hardisty (Mother)
Project Director/Producer: Sarah Byrne (Mother)
Creative: Julia Stenius (Mother)
Creative: Erik Hedman (Mother)
Executive Producer For Mother: Al MacCuish (Mother)
Executive Producer For Mother: Kit Hawkins (Mother)
Creative Director: Andrew Mackenzie (Twofour)
Head Of Development: Matt Pritchard (Twofour)
Executive Producer: Rachel Watson (Twofour)
Series Producer: Ben Stevens (Twofour)
Live Producer: Francesca Palmer (Twofour)
Director Of Production: Shireen Abbott (Twofour)
Head Of Post Production: Rick Horne (Twofour)
Head Of Development/Executive Producer For Monterosa: Tom McDonnell (Monterosa)
Senior Producer: Alex Button (Monterosa)
Head Of Production: Tony Duarte (Monterosa)
Media placement: TV & Online - T4 (Channel 4) And Www.channel4.com/style - 4th June 2011
Campaign Description
Branded content is still relatively new in the UK, though it has experienced significant growth since a new a relaxation of product placement rules for scheduled broadcasting in 2011.
Since March 2011, brands for the first time were allowed to fund entertainment broadcast programs and benefit from valuable product placement. This programme was one of the first examples of Advertiser Funded Programming in the UK and the very first for Channel 4.
The agreement included a branded title sequence, product placement within the show, links to the brand’s website and a core storyline that integrated the brand message.
All of this was subject to Ofcom guidelines and clarifications to protect the integrity of commercial broadcast programming and the advertising business and was carefully reviewed throughout development by the broadcaster’s editorial team. All brand-funded entertainment must be clearly identified as such.
Effectiveness
The challenge was to increase brand fame and word of mouth for New Look amongst fashion-savvy 16-34 year olds.
To achieve this, we created an exciting dual-screen entertainment property to celebrate the individual, energetic style on the streets of Britain: New Look Style the Nation that aired on T4 in June 2011.
During the 6-week series, our team of celebrity stylists scoured the country in search of promising wannabe stylists to compete for 1 dream prize: a year’s contract as a stylist for the UK’s biggest women’s fashion retailer, New Look.
Contestants created looks to compete each week in a live catwalk showdown; critiqued by our expert panel including New Look’s very own Creative Director, renowned designer Giles Deacon and weekly celeb guests and judged by the viewing public online.
Packed with celebrity interviews, tips and hints, plus live band performances, the show was a must-see for anyone into street trends.
Product placement included branded title sequences, catwalk clothes, and verbal references to the brand, New Look’s Creative Director on the judging panel, store shots and the central story line woven around the brand’s position on street style.
Throughout the series, viewers could interact live with the show on Channel 4’s website, through groundbreaking 2-screen technology. The could take a style test to determine their own style persona, submit their own creations to see them appear down the catwalk live on TV and even compete for a place in the final.
The programme was seeded on Twitter & Facebook, and New Look promoted it on their site to 2m weekly users. Back on the high street, New Look used their nationwide shop fronts to raise awareness of the series. It was the only T4 series in 2011 to receive significant promotion with co-branded promos across the Channel 4 network.
Implementation
The 6 part series was promoted across the Channel 4 network, receiving a significant push from on-air co-branded promo spots.
The series was also seeded on Twitter and Facebook, and New Look highlighted it across their website to their 2m weekly users.
Back on the high street, New Look used their nationwide shop fronts to raise awareness of the series and it was publicised through a national PR campaign.
Outcome
The series was watched by more than 3m people over 6 weeks, beating the already enviable slot average for 16-34 year olds and ABC1s.
1m items of New Look clothing were tried on virtually on the 2-Screen site, by 70,000 unique visitors spending a whopping average 10 minutes on the site.
The series created a huge buzz in social media, generating 13m Twitter impressions and trending during its first episode.
Brand measures across the board went up amongst viewers by an average 25%, that figure rising to 35% amongst those who interacted on the 2-Screen site.
Critically, Channel 4 has re-commissioned the series for 2012, another first for this pioneering branded content series.