Barclaycard head slams TV for its poor value for money

Barclaycard head of brand strategy and advertising Paul Troy has admitted its &£6m advertising campaign starring comic Jennifer Saunders failed to convince people that it offers “value for money”. The campaign was created by Bartle Bogle Hegarty.

He has also lambasted TV for being “unprofitable” for brands with small budgets. Troy said brands spending less than &£2m on television were “wasting their money”, and revealed Barclaycard was increasing its spend to “cut through” the clutter.

Troy, speaking at Marketing Week’s TV 2006 conference in Rome, added: “It is important for us to address that, going forward.” New creative work will break later this year, building on the Saunders campaign. “We can do better creatively,” he said, yet called the campaign “average to good”.

Daniel Salem, commercial director of Viacom Brand Solutions – the sales house for networks including MTV, Nickelodeon and Paramount Comedy – retorted: “If you work with relevant media owners, then &£1.5m or even &£500,000 will have you on air for most of the year.”

Mike Parker, Channel 4’s head of strategic sales and commercial marketing, who presented on behalf of TV marketing body Thinkbox, agreed. “There has never been a better time for small brands or advertisers with small budgets to get on TV,” he said, citing creative and media buying costs as affordable for all budgets.