Foxtel has launched a new multi-channel brand campaign starring actor Sam Neill. The campaign is designed to highlight Foxtel’s continuing evolution as a premium entertainment experience, more recently revolutionised with streamed content on demand and offering an unrivalled line up of integrated apps all in one place.
At present Foxtel can be found in nearly 2 million households. The subscription TV platform saw a 30% increase in on demand viewing in 2021 and since its launch last year, has now shipped more than 100,000 units of the iQ5 streaming set top that features a plug and play set-up with no cable or satellite installation required.
Michael Nearhos, Foxtel’s new executive director of marketing, said: “Foxtel was once seen as a dinosaur but we’ve evolved. This campaign faces misperceptions and plays heavily into nostalgia by putting the old and the new Foxtel side-by-side to show Australians the powerful difference. We wanted to challenge the thinking of entertainment lovers of all ages out there in a bold way. And we want to do it in a human, relatable way, with a touch of wit. You can teach an old dog new tricks.
“We’re thrilled to work with Sam Neill to bring this campaign to life. He’s globally recognised and much loved by Aussie fans. He also seldomly does brand work like this. Having the opportunity to work with him speaks volumes about the truth behind our continuing evolution as a brand and as a trusted entertainment provider to our nearly 2 million customers across the country.”
The Foxtel premium entertainment experience now allows customers to stream up to 50,000 hours of Live and On Demand content, brought about by investments in technology and streaming aggregation capability, evolution of the UI and a highly personalised, smart navigation experience, as well as even more ultra HD 4K entertainment and sport content.
The Foxtel IQ experience also includes embedded voice control technology within the remote, and this year will see the brand distribute 500,000 complimentary voice remotes to loyal customers to enhance their viewing potential.
The campaign will be led by a 30 second hero TVC featuring Sam Neill as the star, reprising his role in Jurassic Park. More spots will be released over coming months.
The screens media strategy and channel selection includes TV, Cinema, digital TV and BVOD. It aims to deliver both reach and engagement with the target audience, to drive reappraisal of Foxtel and demonstrating that the new entertainment experience connects customers to worlds of entertainment, effortlessly.
Sam Neill in Foxtel’s new brand campaign
A multi-format OOH campaign will deliver reach and impact, with large format digital billboards in key sites around Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, supported by street furniture panels to drive reach and frequency. A high impact transit campaign will extend coverage utilising bus side panels and innovative tram wraps.
Partnering with Foxtel parent News Corp, the campaign utilises a mix of high-impact digital formats including Home Page Takeovers, Digital Video and Premium Native articles, as well as press in the major mastheads.
Facebook/Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat form part of a multi-platform social campaign to deliver mass reach and consideration.
The campaign strategy and creative was entirely conceived, developed and produced by the Foxtel Marketing and Fox Creative teams, with support from Beautiful State for the shoot and Mindshare for media.
The new brand campaign follows the news of Sam Neill taking a leading role in the upcoming Foxtel Original series, The Twelve, scheduled to premiere later this year.
The Twelve tells the story of 12 jurors, ordinary Australians, with struggles of their own, who must decide the case of a woman accused of killing a child. The 10-part crime drama series is currently in production in Sydney.
FOXTEL BRAND CAMPAIGN CREDITS
FOXTEL
Michael Nearhos – Executive Director of Marketing
Guy Sawrey-Cookson – Group Creative Director
Jo Bladen – Director of Brand & Content Marketing
Amber Elliott – Head of Brand Marketing
Mitchell Jones – Brand & Product Manager
Rhys Gower – Head of Media
Jared Bedford – Creative Director
Gareth Pask, Andrew Griffiths – Creative Delivery
Tim Bugahiar – Copywriter
Radge Ratsaphong, Dylan Fryer – Art Directors
Jamie Carberry, Mark Sayer – Design
Oz Cekiz – Producer
Stephen Cardelli – Editor
Michael Bramley – Head of Social
Justin Fok – Digital Content Producer
Matt Roberts – Senior Creative Artworker
BEAUTIFUL STATE
Nick Robertson, Director
Dan Ardilley – DOP
Kim Kirby – Executive Producer
MINDSHARE
Lee Dobbins – Client Partner
Guiallme David – Investment Director
Lauren Bray – Strategy Director
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