Barclaycard hires Green Wing stars to front TV ads

Barclaycard has signed two actors from cult comedy Green Wing to front its upcoming advertising campaign and replace previous face Jennifer Saunders.

Marketing Week exclusively revealed comic Saunders was being dropped by the brand, a year after replacing Friends actress Jennifer Aniston(MW September 28).

Julian Rhind-Tutt and Stephen Mangan, best known for their roles as Dr Mac and Guy in the Channel 4 sitcom, star in two executions that break next Monday in a marketing drive worth more than 6m. The actors are contracted to the credit card brand for 12 months.

Barclaycard’s director of communications, brand and advertising, Gary Twelvetree says the campaign, which underlines the “control” offered by its Flexi-Rate product, required two comic actors, rather than straight-forward comedians.

The campaign promotes Flexi-Rate which reduces the APR for customers who pay off a higher proportion of their balance each month.

The creative has been produced by Bartle Bogle Hegarty, with media planning and buying by Walker Media. Both are Barclaycard owner Barclays’ agencies of record.

Other celebrities that have endorsed the 40-year-old credit card brand include Rowan Atkinson, Dudley Moore, Alan Whicker and Angus Deayton.

The campaign executions, Rodeo and Speed Boat, will both air in 40- and 60-second versions. Ten-second teaser spots, bearing little or no Barclaycard branding, will also air ahead of the longer transmissions.

It will be backed by print, cinema and radio advertising.