Truphone launches £1m international campaign targeting businesses

Truphone, the global mobile operator, is launching a £1m international campaign to promote its Truphone Local Anywhere package to businesses and frequent travellers.

The campaign, which has been created by creative communications agency, The Bank, and media agency, the7stars, will demonstrate how the mobile package offers local rates and local numbers on one SIM.

It has been specifically targeted to businesses and consumers that communicate frequently on an international basis and will launch in London this week with TV, outdoor and press advertising featuring the line ‘Turn global communications on its head’. This will be shortly followed with a US version of the campaign idea. 

The UK TV commercial opens on a typical New York City street scene and features a hotel sign reading ‘Local Anywhere’; street signs saying ‘No Roaming’ and a bar called ‘Stay Connected’. Simarlarly, on the London street, signs such as ‘Post No Bills’, ‘Rate Watchers’ and ‘To Let – No Contracts’ are shown. 

In print ads, London scenes from the TV work will run in US media, with New York scenes in UK media to reflect the international appeal of both cities.Press ads are planned to appear in a mixture of transatlantic in-flight magazines and business-to-business and consumer titles, whilst TV advertising will be shown on business relevant TV channels – all specifically targeted at the international community.

The outdoor element of the campaign will use a mixture of backlit traditional and digital screens within Heathrow airport to target international travellers. The product will be available to buy on BA, Virgin, South Africa Airways, Easyjet and BMI flights. A fleet of Truphone liveried taxis running between London and Heathrow will continue the message.

Ian Pond, chief marketing officer at Truphone, says: “Truphone Local Anywhere is a huge launch for us, with enormous potential and something that really fills a gap in the market. It’s an innovative product that really changes the rules and that we know will appeal to people with an international lifestyle on both sides of the Atlantic, and eventually in many more countries.”

Will Phipps, head of planning at the7stars, adds: “When launching a product like this, it matters enormously that targeting is clever enough to reach the right people – and with Truphone Local Anywhere making its debut on both sides of the Atlantic we’ve produced an incredibly hard working and creative media plan that will see the brand make its mark on the right people in exactly the right place.”