Proprietary research revealed that the availability of a TV on-the-go feature is a key consideration that factors significantly in the ultimate purchase decision for a broadband provider.

Customers were simply not aware of Virgin’s “TV Anywhere” offering. They did not realize the feature was already embedded in the bundle they had purchased and they merely had to download the app to activate it.

Since there was no product launch, or inherent news value, the direct marketing campaign needed a breakthrough and ownable execution to educate customers in an entertaining way about benefits, to build brand loyalty that would minimize churn.

To cut through price resistance and stop the churn, customers needed to know that Virgin Media’s TV Anywhere had something for everyone, whatever their entertainment consumption style.

Building on Virgin Media’s equity as an entertainment brand, the campaign tapped into its whimsical, multi-million pound TV advertising campaign, featuring iconic animal archetypes.

The direct marketing piece featured cardboard cutout masks of each animal, highlighting a different feature of Virgin Media’s broadband services. The flip side asked customers to pick whether they were a:

o Sofa bear who hibernates in front of the TV.

o Show squirrels who hoards their favourite shows.

o Night owl who binges on just one more episode.

Whatever the animal or self-identified behavior, Virgin Media’s TV Anywhere served up entertainment they could enjoy their way. The message went viral as customers joined in the fun, posting images of the archetypal masks with messages on social media.

With 35,000 pieces of colorful collateral, direct marketing brought the playful advertising archetypes to life. The campaign resonated with viewers emotionally and in a highly-engaging way, and highlighted a feature consumers did not realize they had.

Overall satisfaction with the brand and awareness of the service increased from 15.5% to 17.5% in customers who downloaded the IOS app and from 11.2% to 14% in customers who downloaded the Android app.