Virgin Media is unleashing a major eight-week marketing push behind its new cut-price streaming service, Stream, designed to give customers more flexibility, control and value on their entertainment.
Designed to challenge Sky’s Glass and Pluck services, it combines subscription video on demand (SVOD) with catch-up from the linear channels.
The ‘Hyped’ multi-million pound brand campaign has been devised by VCCP and will run across the UK on multiple channels until the end of August.
It is claimed that Stream “seamlessly combines the most-loved TV channels with on-demand apps, popular streaming subscriptions and must-watch movies, offering customers a new way to enjoy their favourite entertainment all in one place, and at great value, via a small plug-and-play box powered by Virgin Media’s broadband”.
The campaign launched with a 60″ spot which premiered during Friday’s Coronation Street on ITV and Channel 4’s Celebrity Pride Gogglebox.
It opens on a couple being disturbed when their TV starts talking to them. Voiced by British Garage star MC Neat, the TV announces ‘Listen, this is your TV speaking!’
Viewers are then taken on a “journey” as hyped TVs around the country disrupt their owners’ viewing experience to tell them about the benefits of Stream.
In blocks of flats, houses and high street shops, people react as their TVs burst into life as a giant mouth takes over their screens. A man in a bath sits up and takes notice, while a stunned couple are rooted to the spot in their local chippy.
As the track builds, the TVs energetically rap about the many benefits of Stream until it reaches its climax with the line ‘The future of viewing is here, the future of viewing is Stream’.
Bespoke 20″ edits of the film will run across TV, OVOD and BVOD and have been created to target customers with interests in music, gaming and entertainment, as well as families.
Virgin Media and VCCP London worked with partners Electric Theatre Collective, Jungle, Soho Music and Duffy Sound, as well as director Rollo Jackson from Somesuch.
As a fully-integrated campaign, Stream will roll out across VOD, OLV, social, digital display and retail, including digital screens.
Virgin Media will also be hijacking Domino’s commercials, while across social, agency MG OMD has planned for ads to be intercepted on YouTube with contextually relevant messaging, choosing passion points relevant for its audience and pre-rolls against YouTube content for gaming, music and entertainment.
Virgin Media marketing director Amy Gilbert said, “Stream offers a convenient, flexible and more personal connected entertainment experience, bringing the future of viewing right into our customers’ living rooms.
“For a truly disruptive proposition, we needed a truly disruptive creative approach, so we’ve taken the idea beyond a TV spot, disrupting viewers in blipverts across ad breaks and in VOD; with a little help from MC Neat. Disruption is part of Virgin Media’s DNA and that’s exactly why it’s at the heart of this campaign.”
Related stories
Virgin Media O2 takes on Sky Glass with Stream service
Rapp lands Virgin Media O2 customer marketing brief
O2 and Virgin CRM up for grabs as VCCP nets ad brief
O2 ‘Roam Freely’: Fast and furious across the continent
Virgin Media Skatergirl: Ticks all the boxes but not ours
Rapp triumphs at DMA Awards with biggest gold haul
Virgin Media O2 unveils first joint campaign by VCCP
