Metro owner in drive to promote own website

The aim is to promote the website as a fun and irreverent destination under the banner “Grab some METime”. The publisher wants the marketing to help Metro.co.uk stand out from other newspaper sites and increase customer loyalty and visits.

Abi Slater, head of marketing for Metro, says Metro.co.uk is a completely different proposition to the newspaper because it is in competition with other digital destinations offering news and entertainment. “We know that the newspaper owns the mornings but the website is about giving people more ’Metro moments’ throughout the week,” she says.

The campaign has been devised by Quiet Storm and features two spoof anchormen called Donnie Fox and Bill Craze. The characters will be developed via scripted videos that will appear on the website and on a “METime” YouTube channel.

The concept will be launched with a Metro cover wrap and two-week press campaign. A microsite has been developed to highlight some of the best content available from Metro.co.uk and there will be full use of social media channels to engage users.

Slater adds that the campaign will maintain the publishers’ “City Clickers” strategy, which drove a redesign of the site last year. Metro defines City Clickers as 18- to 44-year-old urban internet users in full employment and single who are looking for information about entertainment on offer.