O&M will front Open’s #20m October launch

Open, the interactive TV service backed by BSkyB, BT, HSBCard and

Matsushita is using a TV, press and poster campaign through Ogilvy &

Mather to promote its #20 million October launch.

The campaign kicks off on 15 September and will try to explain what the

service can do to attract customers.

Vignettes are used to illustrate the service’s options. It begins with

the question: ’What does it mean to be Open?’ A woman in the middle of a

field picks an apple from a tree and puts it in her shopping

trolley.

A voiceover explains: ’Open means you’re free to go shopping whenever

you like.’

The statement, ’Open means you’re free to count your money while others

are counting sheep’, is illustrated by a man looking at a nest of golden

eggs in his pyjamas.

James Ackerman, Open’s chief executive, said: ’Our aim is to establish

Open as the leading provider of interactive TV for UK consumers. With

this campaign we are leading the way for the whole market.’

The campaign was art directed by Kelvin Tillinghast and written by Dave

Williams. The commercials were directed by Carl Prechezer through Rose

Hackney Barber; the press ads and posters were shot by Henrik

Knudsen.

Richard Pinder, managing director of O&M, said: ’This has involved a lot

more than just advertising. The technology was always dictated but the

brand was unrealised. We have created it to match what consumers

actually need.’

Media planning and buying is through MindShare and the TV branding ad

will run for just over two weeks, with the product ads breaking on 5

October. Press work will break mid-October and the poster campaign

launches on 1 October.

This article was first published on Campaign