Sky to air 18m autumn ad blitz

Duckworth Finn Grubb Waters is developing an autumn advertising campaign for Sky Television, following the satellite broadcaster’s decision to part company with its former agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty (MW July 21).

Parent company BSkyB is believed to be putting 18m behind the push, matching the investment spent on last year’s pre-Christmas marketing and advertising campaign (MW September 2 1994).

The new push will promote Sky’s largest autumn season of programmes to date and its new corporate identity which breaks on September 24. It will continue to feature the “No Turning Back” slogan.

DFGW’s appointment was confirmed this week. The agency is now working with BSkyB’s marketing department headed by marketing director Philip Ley to develop “a special event strategy”.

The autumn campaign is understood to mark a change of approach from Sky’s recent advertising initiatives. Since its major autumn 1994 push, it has opted for broad sweep advertising to reinforce the range and breadth of its services to existing and potential viewers.

For autumn 1995, Sky is understood to favour an event-based advertising strategy. Recent advertising since mid-summer has featured Sky Sport’s exclusive Premier League coverage and the Frank Bruno fight broadcast last weekend.

BSkyB confirms the multi-media drive will be supplemented with a major retail promotion.

“DFGW gives us the flexibility to communicate our event strategy and we will be doing so in a highly innovative way,” says a spokeswoman.

However, she stresses, DFGW’s appointment is on a “three month only” basis. “We are continually assessing our communications needs,” she says.

Media, page 14