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Countdown Sponsorship

Love it or hate it? (June 2007)

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LE
Leonardo
I'd like to know what people think of Digital UK's sponsorship of Countdown? Does anyone know what they're actually trying to tell us?
AG
AxG
The Countdown to Digital Switchover. Easy.
JA
Jamesypoo
The people in our house think it's because generally the older generation watch Countdown and it's pushing it to them. Just an idea :p
BS
brotherton sands
dragonhhjh posted:
The people in our house think it's because generally the older generation watch Countdown and it's pushing it to them. Just an idea :p


I'm very inclined to agree with that theory.
JR
jrothwell97
It's trying to stop the inevitable angry calls to the BBC helpline from old people denying they ever knew it was happenning.
LE
Leonardo
Seems to make sense.
Do you think they work?
PT
Put The Telly On
Leonardo posted:
Seems to make sense.
Do you think they work?


Do you work for the advertising agency? Just curious.

Personally I think its not a case of them "working", its putting a message across and hopefully people are taking note.
LE
Leonardo
Not an advertising agency but I have something to do with Digital UK out in the regions and I'm just interested to see if there's anyone out there who actually has an opinion about them!
JV
James Vertigan Founding member
When I first saw the sponsorship adverts on Countdown I thought a mistake had been made with the Digit Al character as I had only seen him like this: http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41633000/jpg/_41633940_digital_203.jpg

But it now appears he's had a bit of a makeover, as he now appears on the Digital UK site as he does in the Countdown sponsorship adverts, something like this: http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/cy/how/help-scheme/mainColumnContent/02/image/Al%20big%20hand.JPG
FR
Freeview
London UK posted:
The Countdown to Digital Switchover. Easy.
It's a really good idea having not seen it myself, however it is clever! Anyone got a video?
GS
Gavin Scott Founding member
I'm not sure Digit Al is reinforcing the message you intended.

What's the deal with him? He's an anthropomorphised robot with bug eyes. We see him sitting on the couch watching telly as one of the family, yet the "mother" sticks a pencil in his ear and uses him as an electric sharpener. The expression on his face is one of "why are you doing this to me, mummy?".

It's just a mish-mash of symbolism. I hate to be cynical but it occurs to me that the character was born out of a word-play session, and you brought in Matt Lucas because of how big Little Britain was at the time this was thought up.

Its a bit meh for my taste, sorry.

You're committed now. Now isn't the time to be asking opinions.

I think what will make the switch-off known to the public will be the announcements made my the television channels themselves, in exactly the way BSB did and when analogue satellite channels switched off.

Somber, basic announcements with text with increasing regularity towards the switch off point.
RM
Roger Mellie
Gavin Scott posted:
I'm not sure Digit Al is reinforcing the message you intended.

What's the deal with him? He's an anthropomorphised robot with bug eyes. We see him sitting on the couch watching telly as one of the family, yet the "mother" sticks a pencil in his ear and uses him as an electric sharpener. The expression on his face is one of "why are you doing this to me, mummy?".

I think what will make the switch-off known to the public will be the announcements made my the television channels themselves, in exactly the way BSB did and when analogue satellite channels switched off.

Sombre, basic announcements with text with increasing regularity towards the switch off point.


You have a very valid point here. I think just a simple, straightfoward ad campaign would work better, rather than a gimmicky thing like Digit Al.

Using something like this map might help too:
http://www.rp-networkservices.com/tvforum/uploads/itv_regions_copy1.jpg

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