Foxtel launches “epic” $10m campaign for slashed subscription price

Rachael Micallef
By Rachael Micallef | 3 November 2014
 

Foxtel will spend $10m between now and Christmas in its”blockbuster” new campaign, promoting its reduced subscription pricing to attract new customers.

Foxtel’s CEO Richard Freudenstein unveiled the overhauled subscription offer in September, announcing entry level pricing would be slashed to $25 per month to halt audience decline. Prices kicked in yesterday (2 November).

The new TVCs, which you can watch below, created by Clemenger BBDO Sydney and CHE Proximity, were launched last night, and parody summer movie blockbusters to convey the scale of the changes.

Hinged on the tag line “It's Foxtel, but not as you know it” the ads use Hollywood “movie voice-over guy” John Carry and stars Foxtel personalities including Bear Grylls, Jennifer Hawkins and Gordon Ramsey to bring home its “epic” message.

Ed Smith, Foxtel sales and marketing director, told AdNews the campaign is its most integrated work ever, and is a “story of three parts” that will play out over the next six months.

The second phase will launch early next year switching the focus to sports, with the third and final phase of the campaign to push Foxtel's triple play offering in the first half of 2015.

Smith wouldn't be drawn on what uplift in new customers the network is expecting from the campaign, other than to say that it's significant.

“The idea is taht we didn't want it to look like Foxtel was on sale. This isn't a six month sale it's an epic shift. We've moved from $49 to $25 – it's epic, it's big. We wanted to hero the price, and so the campaign is big and epic like a blockbuster [movie]," Smith told AdNews.

 

The campaign also includes press, digital, radio, outdoor and direct response, and customer promos made by Foxtel creative to promote the extra content to existing customers.

“Press works great for us, a lot of people are surprised by that, but there's a lot of information to get out about packages and prices,” he added.

At Foxtel's upfront event in Sydney last week Freudenstein said the slashed pricing structure would draw in new audiences but that its content proposition would keep them hooked.

The pay TV company has an exclusive distribution deal with US network HBO which will give Foxtel access its back catalogue to fill new its new box-sets channel services.

Freudenstein confirmed that the box-sets channel would be free to most existing and new subscribing under the new pricing scheme.

Foxtel will roll out the second part of the campaign, promoting its $50 price structure for sports and entertainment channels, in December.

More news below:

Content the redeemer - Foxtel pitches exclusivity

MCN usurps US tech and media

Foxtel takes programmatic in-house

Seven West woos advertisers with integrated upfronts glamour

Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au

Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day. Need a job? Visit adnewsjobs.com.au.

Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au

Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.

Read more about these related brands, agencies and people

comments powered by Disqus