O2 Long Weekend (Marketing release)

Everyone loves a three-day weekend, and on Thursday 13 July O2 launches an extensive new marketing campaign to support O2 Long Weekends – an innovative new offer providing free calls to any UK mobile or landline every Saturday, Sunday and Monday for life*   Using ‘smile’ as a central message to the campaign, the creative focuses on the new O2 bubble – first introduced as part of O2’s recent brand refresh campaign -causing everyday objects to ‘smile’. Whether it is a park bench, football goal posts or the decking on a pier, O2 customers are reminded through iconic imagery how they could enjoy a long, leisurely weekend and speak to their friends, make plans and catch up on the Monday, all for free.   To build awareness of O2 Long Weekend, extensive TV and outdoor advertising will launch on Friday 14 July with 30 second TV adverts over a four week period and posters in premium commuter locations on the London Underground and key arterial roads.   In order to reinforce the impact of the TV campaign, a print and radio advertising campaign focussed on five consecutive Long Weekends over the summer will provide a call to action to drive footfall into O2 retail stores. Starting the weekend of Saturday 21 July, selected weekend supplements, lifestyle titles and Friday to Monday radio shows will carry the O2 Long Weekend advertising. Complementing the more traditional media strategy, O2 aims to bring to life ‘Free Saturday, Sunday and Monday’ message through innovative experiences or content that will surprise and delight O2 customers. ·        O2 Free experiences are a range of experiences that will help to extend that weekend feeling, even on a Monday morning: Ø      O2 Ice cream van – four fully branded O2 ice cream vans that will target parks, high streets and key locations across the country, giving away 140,000 ice creams over a five week period Ø      Smiley benches – 15 ‘smiley’ park benches as seen in the TV advert placed outside key retail locations Ø      Monday Angel hit squads – To ease commuters back into their week, O2 Angels will give out water with a paper at key commuter spots, offer free taxis to work and even free beach mats for a lunch break in the park ·        O2 Long winning weekends – radio promotions to support O2 Long Weekends   Cath Keers, Marketing Director at O2, comments “For many of our customers, weekends are sacred and the infrequent bank holidays are a rare treat, contrasting starkly with that Monday morning feeling we all know so well. By creating O2 Long Weekends, O2 customers can not only benefit from a simple, great value tariff but the marketing campaign is designed to dramatise the proposition and bring to life the very essence of a long weekend”.   The campaign was created at VCCP (Vallance Carruthers Coleman Priest).