By Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, Media

By Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, Media Editor


In a new definition of a publicity stunt, Channel 4 and Honda have turned to a team of skydivers to tackle the problem of viewers tuning out of traditional television advertising.


On Thursday night the broadcaster was due to devote an entire 3m 20sec break in the middle of Come Dine With Me, its dinner party programme, to a live sky diving jump in which 19 stuntmen spelt out the carmaker’s brand name.



Billed as the first live advertisement in modern times, the campaign is the latest attempt by advertisers and broadcasters to find alternatives to the 30-second spot.


The development of digital video recorders such as Sky+ and Tivo, which allow ads to be skipped, has forced advertising agencies and channels’ sales teams to collaborate on more innovative attempts to keep the viewer’s attention.


“We wanted to create something unmissable,” said Andy Barnes, the broadcaster’s sales director.
“This concept breaks the boundaries of the perceived confines of TV advertising,” he added, highlighting a Channel 4 campaign called “innovating the break”.


The campaign follows initiatives such as LG’s Scarlet campaign in which the television manufacturer ran advertisements appearing to trail a glamorous new television show, which turned out to be a promotion for the design features of its “hot new series” of screens.


Thursday night’s live advertisement, while designed to demonstrate the enduring power of television advertising, was backed up by a complex multimedia and public relations campaign.


The campaign’s developers – including Channel 4’s in-house creative team, Wieden + Kennedy, Starcom, Collective and Hicklin Slade & Partners – spent more than a month pushing the Honda slogan of “difficult is worth doing” before Thursday night’s slot.


A poster campaign, a series of unbranded television “teaser” advertisements and a website, have been backed up by digital advertising and a drive to get press coverage.
All are building up to a traditional 30-second advertising campaign, starting on June 1, said Ian Armstrong, marketing manager of Honda UK.


“The 30-second ad is alive and well,” Mr Barnes said, pointing to BARB data released this week which showed that commercial television had enjoyed its best April in five years.


For Honda, however, the elements surrounding the core 30-second campaign are designed to generate the intangible buzz of word-of-mouth marketing, Mr Barnes added.


Thursday night’s sky-dive would almost certainly “go on YouTube of its own accord”, Mr Armstrong predicted.
“Commercially that’s a fantastic result as it means our marketing investment becomes more efficient because consumers are doing our marketing for us.”

Результаты (африкаанс) 1:

Deur Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, Media Redakteur In 'n nuwe definisie van 'n publisiteit stunt, Channel 4 en Honda het omgedraai om 'n span van springers om die probleem van kykers tuning uit tradisionele televisie-advertensies aan te pak. Op Donderdag nag het die uitsaaier te wyte was aan wy 'n hele 3m 20sec onderbreking in die middel van Kom Dine With Me, sy dinee program, 'n lewendige lug duik spring waarin 19 waaghalse uitgespel merk die motorvervaardiger se. Billed as die eerste live advertensie in die moderne tye, die veldtog is die nuutste poging deur adverteerders en uitsaaiers om alternatiewe vir die 30-tweede plek te vind. Die ontwikkeling van digitale video-opnemers soos Sky + en Tivo, wat toelaat dat advertensies oorgeslaan het advertensie-agentskappe en kanale 'verkope spanne gedwing om saam te werk op meer innoverende pogings om die kyker se aandag te hou. "Ons wou iets gemis skep," sê Andy Barnes, die uitsaaier se direkteur van verkope. "Hierdie konsep breek die grense van die vermeende grense van TV-advertensies," het hy bygevoeg, met die klem n Channel 4 veldtog genoem "innoverend die breek ". Die veldtog volg inisiatiewe soos Scarlet veldtog LG se waarin die televisie vervaardiger gehardloop advertensies verskyn op 'n glansryke nuwe TV show, wat blyk om 'n bevordering vir die ontwerp-elemente van die wees Trail" warm nuwe reeks "skerms. Donderdag nag se live advertensie, terwyl ontwerp om die blywende krag van televisie-advertensies te demonstreer, is gerugsteun deur 'n komplekse multimedia en openbare betrekkinge-veldtog. Die veldtog se ontwikkelaars - insluitende Channel 4 se in-huis kreatiewe span, Wieden + Kennedy, StarCom, kollektiewe en Hicklin Slade & Partners -. het meer as 'n maand stoot die Honda slagspreuk van "moeilike is die moeite werd" voordat slot Donderdagaand se A plakkaat-veldtog, 'n reeks van unbranded televisie "teaser" advertensies en 'n webwerf, is gerugsteun deur digitale advertensies en 'n ry te pers dekking kry. Almal is die opbou van 'n tradisionele 30-sekonde advertensie-veldtog, begin op 1 Junie, sê Ian Armstrong, bemarkingsbestuurder van Honda Verenigde Koninkryk. "Die 30-sekonde advertensie is gesond en wel," sê mnr Barnes en wys na Barb data vrygestel van hierdie week wat getoon het dat kommersiële televisie geniet het sy beste April in vyf jaar. Vir Honda, maar die elemente rondom die kern 30-sekonde-veldtog is ontwerp om die ontasbare buzz van mond-tot-mond-bemarking genereer , mnr Barnes bygevoeg. lug-duik Donderdagaand se sou amper seker "gaan op YouTube van sy eie beweging," het mnr Armstrong voorspel. "kommersieel dit is 'n fantastiese resultaat as dit beteken ons bemarking belegging raak meer doeltreffende omdat verbruikers doen ons bemarking vir ons . "