Super Bolt Lights Up the Bolt Signal for Virgin Media
Virgin Media’s latest ad in its ‘Switch to Super’ campaign aired simultaneously across all five of ITV’s main channels on Saturday evening as part of Proudly Presents – a first for the broadcaster.
The new ad, which continues the portrayal of Usain Bolt as a superhero and is the first to focus on Virgin Media’s recently announced Intelligent WiFi service for its customers, had its UK TV premiere as part of ITV’s Proudly Presents initiative, with the new advert launched with a bespoke and innovative introduction.
At 20:30 on Saturday, millions of TV viewers watching any of ITV’s five main channels (ITV main channel, ITV2, ITV3, ITV4 and ITVBe) as well as UTV and STV, experienced a short spoof takeover of their TV due to a simulated ‘WiFi issue’ which will then be followed by Virgin Media’s new 60-second advert.
This is the first time that ITV’s Proudly Presents has roadblocked a single advert across all of its channels at the same time. Previously the Proudly Presents format has been reserved for a single channel delivery.
The advert itself – created by BBH London – shows SuperBolt at his top-secret hideout experiencing a crisis as one of his favourite gadgets, his Bolt Signal, isn’t working. This is due to problematic WiFi but Virgin Media’s Intelligent WiFi saves the day by automatically fixing his WiFi issues for him.
For the first time, Virgin Media’s advert will have audio description enabled. This is part of its continued commitment to transform the experience of disabled people.
After the premiere of the advert on ITV, Virgin Media’s Switch to Super campaign will continue to feature across TV channels for eight weeks. This will be supported by a wider marketing campaign across print, radio and digital platforms as well as Virgin Media’s social media channels.
Cilesta Van Doorn, brand director at Virgin Media, said: “This is a significant moment for Virgin Media as our amazing new SuperBolt advert features across all of ITV’s main channels simultaneously for the first time as part of Proudly Presents. The ad is the next chapter in SuperBolt’s journey and sees him struck by connectivity conundrums before our Intelligent WiFi steps in and saves the day – just like it will for our customers.”
Mark Trinder, sales director at ITV said: “Our Proudly Presents format gives brands an attention grabbing introduction and has been used to launch some of the biggest advertising campaigns of recent years. But, this is the first time we have run such a partnership across the ITV family of channels. The creative execution, which highlights Virgin Media's Intelligent WiFi, naturally lends itself to a roadblock moment and relies on each individual ITV channel personality. It’s a great example of how ITV can deliver real standout and context for brands.”
