Category: Best Use of Integrated Media
Advertiser: BT
Product/Service: BT CONSUMER BRAND
Agency: ABBOTT MEAD VICKERS BBDO
Media Agency: MAXUS LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
Account Director: James Campbell (Maxus)
Digital Account Director: Alex Smith (Maxus)
Broadcast Manager: Tom Ritchie (Maxus)
Digital Media Manager: Daniel Parkinson (Maxus)
Media placement: Digital - Facebook Homepage Takeover - 4th March 2011
Media placement: Digital - Youtube Masthead - 26th April 2011
Media placement: Radio - Absolute Partnership - 7th March 2011
Media placement: TV - Vote Campaign - 467 spots - Coronation Street - ITV - 3rd March 2011
Media placement: TV - Reveal Campaign - 62 spots - Britain's Got Talent - ITV - 23rd April 2011
Insights, Strategy & the Idea
The UK telecoms market is mature and highly competitive; disloyal customers are happy to switch to whichever provider offers the best deal. BT identified that a particularly high-risk switching group were C2D Housewives. Our challenge was to retain them.
Historically BT has been held in high regard by British people, however over the past few years this has been eroded, now they are seen as a faceless service provider associated with bills and complaints. So, we also needed to bring the warmth back to BT.
We found that our audience are far more interested in people than brands and that they love to get involved with and talk about other peoples’ lives. They trade in gossip. So, while many brands seek to impact young people via social media, we set out to prove that older C2D housewives could be mobilised just as effectively given the right stimulus.
Creative Execution
For five years BT had been running an episodic TV campaign, centred on ‘Adam and Jane’ the BT family. We decided to give our fans control over the lives of the characters, letting them decide how their stories would develop.
So, in March 2011 the UK was gripped by two big marriages - but it was only Jane’s that the public helped to plan. Our customers decided which dress, wedding car and what their first dance would be. All these were discussed and voted for on Facebook. And we helped voters make their decision by taking the campaign into print, TV and other mainstream media; for example, people could decide what the first dance would be from a special playlist aired on Absolute Radio.
Finally, we ensured our Facebook fans were first in the know, previewing the wedding video there before it debuted in top rated ‘Britain’s Got Talent’.
Results and Effectiveness
We generated more than 450,000 votes 120,000 Youtube views and 800,000 campaign interactions.
All brand and advertising metrics saw a huge increase.
Most importantly we reduced ‘churn’ by a massive 16%, proving that we helped the UK remember why it loved BT.