Sky changes tack for fresh ú18m marketing offensive

Sky Television will spend at least another £18.5m on marketing when its new financial year starts in July, says director of marketing Philip Ley.

Commenting on the eve of the second wave of Sky’s “No Turning Back” campaign, he added that Sky’s advertising is about to enter a new, strategic phase.

“Last autumn’s campaign (which featured Stalin in a TV commercial and a series of sometimes saucy posters) was about image building,” he says. “The new initiative which breaks on Saturday (April 1) is tactical – focusing on just what Sky offers.”

Two commercials, by Bartle Bogle Hegarty, featuring LA Law star Corbin Bernsen, will run on ITV. National press, cinema and possibly radio ads will follow.

Ley denies the ads mark a move away from its controversial earlier work, some of which prompted public complaints.

“We haven’t deliberately moved away from the tone those ads set, even if it appears so,” Ley maintains.

The campaign follows a decision by a number of high street retailers to reduce the price of dishes to £99.99 – the first time the price has dropped below the psychological £100 barrier.