Freeserve launches ads to push broadband services

Freeserve, the Internet service provider (ISP), is launching a “multi-million pound” marketing campaign to drive take-up of its new high-speed Internet access service.

The cross-media campaign is spearheaded by a television advertising drive, and follows recent campaigns that Freeserve claims have attracted 400,000 new subscribers in the six months to March.

The 30-second ad, by M&C Saatchi, will appear in heavy rotation across terrestrial and major satellite channels beginning today (May 15). It is being supported by extensive press and online advertising and in-store promotions in Dixons, PC World, The Link and Currys.

Set in an alpine ski resort, the TV ad is in the same humorous vein as Freeserve’s recent “Freedom” campaigns, featuring naturists and hippies. The endline is: “Broadband’s here, why wait?”

Freeserve is the only UK ISP to distribute in store a complete “broadband in a box” product via the 1,100 Dixons Group outlets. It costs &£84.99, with the broadband service priced at &£29.99 a month.

Freeserve’s retail proposition for broadband closely resembles that of its parent company, Wanadoo, in France: it has experienced broadband growth in the year to the end of March of almost 300 per cent, taking the total number of Wanadoo broadband subscribers to 531,000.

Freeserve is also the title sponsor of the world premiere event for Star Wars Episode II – Attack of the Clones. The sponsorship will be supported by print and online promotional activity, including exclusive ticket giveaways in national titles such as the Daily Mirror, News of the World and Hello!.