Sky ups rivalry in pay TV market with ‘most digitally innovative campaign ever’
Sky has launched its ‘most innovative digital campaign yet’, using Twitter Moments, sequential outdoor targeting and new mobile display tools to promote its premium Sky Q service and chase digitally-savvy consumers.
The campaign, which launches tomorrow (12 February) and was produced by creative agency Brothers & Sisters, consists of multiple 60-second spots to promote its new ‘Sky Q’ service. The set-top box, which went on sale this week, allows customers to switch device mid-programme and also has more storage and Facebook and Twitter built in.
The ads illustrate how Sky Q allows TV viewing to move between devices, which is described by the company as ‘fluid viewing’. In one of the ads, the film ‘Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron’ is seen exploding from one screen and embarking on a journey around the home in the form of droplets, before splashing and reforming on another screen.
The media campaign, which is Sky’s biggest ever, will be delivered across multiple channels including TV, radio, cinema and print, as well as digital and social.
Digital firsts
According to Sky, the digital campaign includes ‘a number of firsts’ for both the industry and the brand. Sky is using new formats such as Twitter Moments and Facebook Canvas Ads, as well as a variety of display techniques which seek to maximise the impact of the creative on mobile and tablet devices.
Stephen van Rooyen, the brand’s chief marketing, sales and digital officer, told Marketing Week that while the brand has previously used different digital formats to land its campaigns, this one is the most innovative so far.
He explained: “This is the most innovate as far as digital goes, as we’re using new formats, partnering with Twitter and Facebook, showing the consecutive ads and deploying new techniques like gyroscope, which are things we haven’t done before.
They match up with what we’re trying to achieve with the brand, which is to position Sky Q within the pay premium market and target consumers who spend huge amounts of time on digital platforms.”
All digital activity is planned to ensure the messages of the campaign are joined up sequentially to form a fluid story. Examples include website banners talking to one another or content crossing over from one banner to the other on the same webpage, while users of the All4 On Demand platform will see ads in specific sequences.
Making the most of social
Sky has partnered with Facebook and Twitter on the campaign to make use of the newest ad formats available.
Van Rooyen said that partnering with both social media platforms was a logical step as they “have huge audiences” and were keen to invest time exploring Sky’s goals.
“We’ve become close to them as organisations, because they have spent a lot of time exploring our objectives and helping us identify target audiences. So it’s been quite an efficient way of spending our money.”
Stephen van Rooyen, chief marketing, sales and digital officer, Sky
Sky will use Facebook Canvas ads for the first time. This involves a full screen take-over on Facebook’s mobile platform. This is a new social format, with Sky one of the first advertisers to run it.
Sky is also partnering with Twitter by showing its ads within the ‘Twitter Moments’ page and on Twitter Scratch Reel, which will reveal the ad to the audience once they scratch away at the image on screen.
Outdoor targeting using location data
As well as using TV, digital and social, Sky is running a sequential targeted campaign across digital outdoor screens in London. By using location data layered with audience mapping data, the brand is able to deliver the creative through an automated system according to the location, time of day and the route people are travelling.
The system will choose the best ad to appear at outdoor locations such as London Waterloo station based on which ads people may have already seen on their journey in.
According to van Rooyen, the brand was keen to make mobile a dominant part of the campaign by using a variety of new mobile display tools. Besides using Gyroscope functionality, which responds when users move their tablet or mobile, the brand is also implementing new Celtra formats – meaning the ad swells initially when it appears on mobile and tablet screens to maximise cut through.
“For certain campaigns, using that form of technology to its fullest capability is really powerful. Advertisers are always looking for cut through and to drive understanding of the product at a faster rate, and best way to do that is by having higher engagement,” he commented.
