Freeview Ad Campaign

Freeview, the UK’s digital terrestrial television service, is to launch an £18m advertising campaign this week aimed at improving awareness of the company’s brand.
The campaign marks a significant shift by Freeview from “tactical product promotions” of services such as personal video recorder Freeview+ and Freeview HD, to a focus on the brand itself.
More than 10m households in the UK have the subscription-free Freeview service on their main television set, while a total of 18m have it on at least one TV in their homes.

However, knowledge of the Freeview brand and what it offers remains patchy, and the company is keen to tackle this issue as Britain heads towards the completion of the digital switchover in October 2012.
The TV ad, due to debut this Friday on ITV1 and Channel 4, will highlight “the quality of content and easy-to-use technology that Freeview offers consumers free from subscription”.
Created by Leo Burnett, the opening 60-second ad follows a viewer as he collects a series of helium balloons representing the various content and technology available through Freeview.
The man keeps collecting until he has so many balloons that he is lifted into the air, as the voiceover says: “How good is that?”
The first TV ad in the campaign will launch on November 18 during I’m a Celebrity…Get Me out of Here! on ITV1 and Come Dine with Me on Channel 4.
Freeview’s marketing communications director Guy North said: “The Freeview brand represents everything that television should be about today – quality television programmes for people to enjoy, in the format they want, without the worry of how much it’s going to cost them each month.

“The campaign will specifically target those people who may be considering an alternative to pay television to take a look at what’s available on Freeview and how to make the most of it with Freeview+ and Freeview HD.
“Freeview has always had a genuine desire to provide great TV for free and we’ve bought happiness to millions of viewers – the new campaign brings this to life.”
Alongside the TV ads, there will also be digital activity including pre-roll videos shown on the ITV Player and 4oD catch-up services, as well as banner advertising promoting Freeview’s various offers.
iPhone users will be able to engage with the Freeview brand via a TV-themed app enabling them to create “their own helium squeaky voice”. An online game will also be launched next year.
More than 70m Freeview products have been sold in the UK since the platform launched in 2002, including the recent landmark of 3m product sales for the Freeview HD service.