2008 : 2007 : 2006 : 2005 : 2004

BBC Global News adds Agency Republic and Play to roster

Source: nma.co.uk | 27 June 2008

BBC Global News has added Agency Republic and Play to its digital marketing roster.

The agencies will begin work on projects for BBC World Service, which goes out across radio, TV and online.

Campaigns pushing services such as online and foreign languages are expected to run over the coming year.

Jane Futrell, head of brand identity at BBC Global News, said, "It's fantastic that technology is enabling really creative and innovative digital marketing campaigns ... so we can exceed those expectations and win more audiences to our exciting online offers."

The agencies will now work on promoting the BBC news and presenters to a global market of 233m people.

The roster will last for two years.

Find out more about Play...

BBC Global News unveils global digital roster

Source: Brand Republic | 26 June 2008

LONDON - BBC Global News has reappointed Agency Republic and added Play to its global roster of digital agencies.

The BBC Global News roster will work on the BBC World Service, which broadcasts on radio, TV and online, and BBC World News television.

Campaigns in the forthcoming year are likely to promote a range of language programming including English, Spanish, Urdu and Vietnamese, as well as the World Service's 24-hour Arabic station.

The agencies will be responsible for helping attract new audiences to the BBC's online service.

The review process, which began late last year, was headed by Jane Futrell, head of brand identity at BBC Global News.

Futrell, said: "Diaspora audiences are increasingly important to Global News -- people who speak a language are connecting with countries and cultures through the BBC, even when they live thousands of miles away. "And the audience too is increasingly online-savvy -- they have high expectations from us."

Gavin Marshall, group business director at Agency Republic, said: "We're delighted to be reappointed to the roster and to have the opportunity to build on the success of the innovative creative campaigns that we have run across 23 markets over the past four years."

Matt Gorzkowski, managing director of Play, said: "The BBC means so much to so many people around the world, and we are proud to play a role in its future."

The roster is in place for two years with an option to review and extend by a further two years.

Find out more about Play...

BBC Global News appoints UK digital agencies

Source: mad.co.uk | 26 June 2008

BBC Global News has created its new international digital marketing roster that features UK agency Play for the first time.

Fellow UK company Agency Republic has been reappointed to the roster.

UK agency Play has also won a place on the roster for the first time. The agency, in which M&C Saatchi has a stake, has only been in existence for three years. The BBC Global News digital roster will work on the BBC World service and BBC World news television. Campaigns are planned to promote a range of language programming, including English, Arabic, Spanish and Vietnamese.

Jane Futrell, head of brand identity, BBC Global News, led the review process, says: "It’s fantastic that technology is enabling really creative and innovative digital marketing campaigns so we can exceed those expectations and win more audiences for our exciting online offers."

Managing director of Play Matt Gorzkowski said: "The BBC means so much too so many people around the world and we are proud to play a role in its future."

The roster is in place for two years with an option to review and extend by a further two years.

Find out more about Play...

Foster's uses scuba competition to push new widget

Source: NMA | 13 June 2008

Brewery giant Scottish & Newcastle has rolled out a campaign site in support of its Foster's brand.

Ride the Scuba focuses on the brand's new in-can widget, which controls the size of bubbles in the drink.

The site allows visitors to control a scuba robot in a water tank in real-time, encouraging them to destroy bubbles in the water through the internet.

Visitors are given two minutes to compete; the person in first place on the leader board by 30 June will win a scuba diving trip to Australia.

The scuba is being broadcast from the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth, submerged in 100,000 litres of what looks like amber nectar.

The site was created by digital Play in its first piece of work for Foster's since being appointed back in January.

The campaign will also take in online and print ads.

Find out more about Play...

Foster's 'ride the Scuba game'

Source: Campaign | 30 May 2008

To promote the new bubble-busting widgets in its cans, Foster's has launched an online game in which users can control a real scuba in real time.

The game, created by Play, features a scuba submerged in 100,000 litres of what appears to be Foster's in a tank at the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth.

The scuba destroys big bubbles, leaving a trail of smaller ones. Users compete against each other to see who can destroy the most, and whoever tops the leader board by June 30th wins a scuba-diving trip to Austalia.

Find out more about Play...

Curry's targets women online in Easter electricals campaign

Source: Revolution | 01 April 2008

Curry's is tackling the misconception that women don't buy electrical goods with an Easter tie-up with Handbag.com targeting females.

The electricals retailer's Easter offers push on Handbag is part of a larger month-long campaign, which includes a promotion and creative designed with women in mind.

Digital agency Play has been tasked with creating imagery and copy, while Handbag built the page.

Using a make-up mirror theme, creative has been designed to blend in with Handbag's content and style, appealing to a feminine audience. Adverts aim to make electrical products appeal to different personality types: the iPod is geared to 'music divas' and the new Apple MacBook Air laptop to 'trendsetters'.

The campaign, which was soon to go live as Revolution went to press, will inform whether the brand rolls out further female-targeted online advertising in the future.

Find out more about Play...

Vox pop: What do you think of the new bbc.co.uk homepage?

Source: Revolution | 01 April 2008

The BBC has revamped its homepage to coincide with the tenth anniversary of the official launch of BBC Online. The redesign is part of a broader roll-out of new features, and BBC director-general, Mark Thompson, has outlined a provision of 'world-class on-demand user experience' as part of his Delivering Creative Future announcement. The site offers widgets, feeds from BBC blogs, BBC TV schedules and live BBC Radio streaming - but does it hit the mark?

Matt Gorzkowski, managing director, Play, BIMA executive committee member In years gone by, the BBC created the zeitgeist. It is perhaps a sign of how the media landscape has changed that it is now merely embracing a zeitgeist established by Google and the major portals such as Yahoo! and MSN. But this should not detract from the scale of the BBC's achievement. For a public-sector broadcaster, steeped in the culture of devolving content created by the few to the many, to allow people to edit, co-create and demand content represents a huge culture shift. The new BBC homepage is a clear manifestation of this shift and, in my view, a highly successful one.

Find out more about Play...

Play wins pitch for Foster's online brief

Source: Campaign | 25 January 2008

Scottish & Newcastle has appointed Play to handle the digital account for Foster's, its flagship lager brand.

The agency picked up the business following a pitch against undisclosed agencies. The review was handled by Creative Brief. Play is the lager brand's first retained digital agency and will work across its entire online account, including advertising, branded entertainment and web build.

Until now, digital duties for Foster's have been handled by the company's direct marketing shop, EHS Brann Cirencester. The company won the DM account from Harrison Troughton Wunderman in August last year, but did not repitch for the digital part of the business.

Play will now be briefed with targeting young adult drinkers who have migrated away from TV by building a dominant digital presence. The agency will also work closely with M&C Saatchi, its sister agency that handles above-the-line duties for the Foster's brand.

Find out more about Play...

Play wins Foster's digital account

Source: mad.co.uk | 25 January 2008

Scottish & Newcastle UK has appointed Play as the lead digital agency for flagship lager brand Foster's after a four-way pitch-process managed by Creative Brief.

The specialist agency will be responsible for all the brand's digital activity, including advertising, branded entertainment and branded utilities.

Play will work closely with S&N UK's above-the-line roster agencies, which include M&C Saatchi, which also owns part of the digital agency.

Mark Given, marketing manager at Fosters, said: "Play were very impressive during the pitch presentation. They nailed the brief and really challenged our thinking on the longer term role of digital for the brand. I'm excited about working with them on our plan for 2008."

Mark Gorzkowski, managing director of Play, added: "This is a great win. We're very excited to get started. The Foster's brand team have a very strong progressive attitude towards digital media and we're looking forward to taking the brand into entirely new territories."

The appointment comes as S&N continue talks with rival brewers Carlsberg and Heineken to take over the company. The company is reported to be set to accept a formal 800p-a-share takeover offer today.

Find out more about Play...

Play wins digital pitch for Foster's lager brand

Source: NMA | 24 January 2008

Brewery giant Scottish & Newcastle has appointed Play as the digital agency for its Foster's lager brand.

Foster's has traditionally focused on above-the-line marketing but last year began to invest more in digital and integrated campaigns.

M&C Saatchi, which owns half of Play, already holds a place on the above-the-line roster.

Mark Given, marketing manager at Foster's, said, "Play were very impressive during the pitch presentation. It 'nailed' the brief and really challenged our thinking on the longer term role of digital for the brand."

Play won the brief following a four-way pitch.

Find out more about Play...