Hi °C | Lo °C THREE has unleashed a creative new advertising campaign encouraging O2 and Vodafone customers to switch to Three. The ads which at first glance read "O2 eat kittens" and "Vodafone kick pigeons", are designed to highlight the "benefits" to be gained by switching to Three.
The six-week campaign is something of a departure for Irish marketing, which has traditionally avoided "going negative" on competitors.
Three's chief commercial officer Elaine Carey wanted a campaign that would "stop people in their tracks".
"We wanted people to question whether or not they are getting the best value from their current mobile operator, and highlight that by switching to Three they can get more value all round."
The €1.2m campaign which went live across multiple platforms this week, includes what Three call some "very innovative" home page takeovers and "disruptive" digital formats as well as standard direct response banners.
The latest adverts which fits in with Three's 'challenger' brand ethos, is the first creative campaign to come from the mobile network's new creative force 'Boys and Girls'. The Dublin based agency took over from McCann Erickson earlier this year.
Spartacus calls for a Carlsberg
CARLSBERG has unveiled their new TV advertisement, and there is a sword and sandals theme to it.
'Spartacus', is inspired by the 1960's film of the same name, and is set in an ultra-modern skyscraper office where hundreds of people are working in an orderly and mundane environment.
The film starts when the intimidating boss of the company enters the room in a fit of rage, demanding to find the culprit of an office prank. Leading the way, the hero 'Spartacus' stands up and identifies himself as the prankster, but his fellow colleagues decide to stand up for their mate and join him until the majority of the vast room are standing up in force to take the heat.
'Spartacus' ends with the team of workmates heading to the bar for a "well-deserved" pint of Carlsberg- underlining the brand's positioning, That calls for a Carlsberg.
Speaking about the new ad, Julie Allman, Senior Brand Manager at Carlsberg, said: "We're delighted with our new TV ad 'Spartacus' which will hopefully excite the Carlsberg drinker and reiterate solidarity amongst friends, something which is embedded in the brand ethos.
Data crunching way forward for retail
BIG data can help reboot the struggling retail sector and create new jobs, according to EMC, the IT multinational that employs more than 3,000 people in Ireland.
As stores struggle with sapped consumer demand, EMC believes big data analytics holds the prospect of recovery in the retail sector.
"It may not happen overnight but the potential is there for the retail sector to scale through big data analytics," said Jason Ward, EMC's Country Manager. "Already in the US, major retailers are routinely collating social network information, blog content and analyst research – as well as demographics – in order to identify crucial trends," he said.
According to the EMC-sponsored IDC Digital Universe study, the proliferation of devices such as PCs and smartphones, increased internet access in emerging markets, and the growth in data from machines such as surveillance cameras or smart meters has contributed to the doubling of the amount of digital information in the world in the past two years.
"Big data is the new oil – and it will soon be part of every sector of the global economy," said Mr Ward.
Irish Independent
