Virgin Mobile's "A Fair Go For All" Campaign Entry # 6

After taking a closer look at Virgin Mobile's IMC campaign "A Fair Go For All". I have come to the conclusion that it does a fantastic job of creating brand awareness. It is original in concept and continues to evolve its messages as the campaign's life-cycle ages. The IMC tools featured in this campaign include; TV commercials, interactive media through the stand-alone website, the internet as a platform for free advertising on YouTube and print media through newspapers and magazines.


The message is consistent throughout these channels of communication and presents a united front for Virgin Mobile Australia. Message Integration has enabled Virgin to promote it's mobile brand through verbal and visual consistency through the familiar (royal red) colours on all platforms of advertising, the famous virgin logo and the common image of the campaign's protagonist, Robin Da Hood. All in all, I believe that the "A Fair Go For All" IMC campaign is effective in the promotion of the brand. However, if Virgin wishes to continue their success in efforts to further persuade consumers of their brand, they need to continue to improve and develop their informative messages relating to actual consumer products and services.
(Picture courtesy of Jenlist.com.au)

Reference List:
Text Book Readings
Belch, Belch, Kerr, Powell, 2009, Advertising and Promotion, McGraw Hill Australia Pty Ltd.
                                                 - Chapter 2: IMC: How Marketing Communication Changed, Pages 43-51.
                                                 - Chapter 9: Message Strategy and Execution, Pages 270-278.
Web Documents
2011, RobinDaHood Interactive Stand-Alone Website, viewed August 2-24 2011 
<http://www.robindahood.com.au>
2011, Virgin Mobile Australia Official Website, viewed August 2-24 2011
<http://www.virginmobile.com.au>
2011, YouTube, VirginMobileAus, viewed August 2-24 2011 
<http://www.youtube.com/user/VirginMobileAus?blend=7&ob=5#p/c/0/xas7J7L5y6A>
2011, The Newspaper Works, Robin Da Hood Comes To Press, viewed August 2-24 2011 
<http://www.thenewspaperworks.com.au/go/news/robin-da-hood-comes-to-press>
2011, The Newspaper Works, Robin Da Hood Rolls Over, viewed August 2-24 2011 
<http://www.thenewspaperworks.com.au/go/news/robin-da-hood-rolls-over>

Virgin Mobile's "A Fair Go For All" Campaign Entry # 5

Print Media is another tool that marketers use to deliver marketing messages to their target audience. Print media refers to the paid form of advertising that features in newspapers and magazines, usually in predetermined spaces made available by the editor of the publication. Advertisements in newspapers and magazines are not a new concept but they are effective at gaining the attention of consumers and providing them with information. Virgin Mobile's "a fair go for all" campaign features many advertisements on a smaller scale with only a few words and limited image space (more to encourage recall of the brand). Two main print media advertisements, both of which were printed in full colour and spanned the entire page are the ones I will be focusing on in this blog. 

The first print advertisement features the protagonist Robin Da Hood sending consumers a humorous message that Virgin Mobile was going to compete against the other major telco companies through the slogan "I'm getting medieval on the assess of unfairness". This advertisement is focused on brand promotion.
(Picture courtesy of NewspaperWorks.com.au)

The second print advertisement is a little different in that the message is more related to the actual service provided by Virgin Mobile. The overall message still retains the feel of brand promotion, but lets consumers know that mobile phone credit can be rolled over from the previous month to the next. 

(Picture courtesy of NewspaperWorks.com.au)

The role of these print media advertisements is to promote and reinforce the brand name of Virgin Mobile whilst providing consumers with limited knowledge about actual products and services they provide. It further demonstrates the IMC strategy of the overall brand in delivering consistent messages through the display of familiar colour (royal red) and the face of the campaign Robin himself.

References:
The Newspaper Works            - http://www.thenewspaperworks.com.au

Virgin Mobile's "A Fair Go For All" Campaign Entry # 4

In the previous blog I touched upon Virgin Mobile's use of the very popular media streaming website called YouTube. YouTube is a massive library of footage uploaded by millions of users around the world and it has become a valuable medium for marketers as an IMC campaign tool. Virgin Mobile has uploaded all of their campaign content on their channel (VirginMobileAus) and one of their clips featured on YouTube's homepage as a "Trend" on July 18. This indicated that a significant number of people were viewing the content which in turn was creating free additional awareness for the brand.


Although Robin Da Hood TV spots are concerned with promoting and creating awareness of the brand name, consumers may need more convincing that Virgin is the brand for them. To further persuade consumers, content was streamed live to YouTube of the popular festival "Splendour In The Grass" sponsored by Virgin Mobile. This means that fans of bands such as Coldplay, The Vines and Kaiser Chiefs can watch them play for free on Virgin Mobile's YouTube channel.


Virgin's use of YouTube to promote their brand has been successful however, it is not the only reason the mobile company uses the media streaming site. Virgin Mobile also uses YouTube as an informational tool to educate consumers on upcoming products and services while assisting existing customers with FAQ type videos hosted by Virgin representatives Max and Lewis. I believe that the combined efforts of the interactive media from Virgin Mobile's websites and YouTube channel resonate a consistent and unified front on the marketing message from Virgin Mobile. 


References:
Virgin Mobile YouTube            - http://www.youtube.com/user/VirginMobileAus?blend=7&ob=5#p/a

Virgin Mobile's "A Fair Go For All" Campaign Entry # 3

Virgin Mobile's "A Fair Go For All" campaign includes interactive media through the use of the internet in its efforts for brand building. These interactive mediums include Virgin Mobile's official Australian website, a stand-alone website dedicated to the campaign and a YouTube channel (more on the YouTube channel in the next blog). 


The stand-alone website (http://www.robindahood.com.au) features a flash based interactive layout that allows the viewer to search for information regarding the campaign with ease. The site is loaded with pictures and whimsical quotes from the protagonist Robin Da Hood, which makes for an interesting read. I believe that this website is directed towards further building Virgin Mobile's brand. At the top of the stand-alone website there are links to other websites of consumer interest including Virgin Mobile's  official Australian website.The official website (http://www.virginmobile.com.au) contains images of Robin Da Hood, along with many other remnants of the IMC campaign such as the royal red colour that is synonymous with Virgin. This further emphasises the consistency of messages in which IMC programs aim to promote. While the official website seems similar in many ways to the stand-alone website, it is much more informative in regards to products/services that the business provides. In my opinion, this website is the most effective when it comes to delivering information regarding actual products and promotions. The added interaction of the website gives the opportunity to the consumer to find out information that concern's their individual needs and wants. 


The more I dive into the aspects of this IMC effort, the more it becomes apparent that Virgin Mobile is focusing on "Message Integration". (Belch, 2009) states that Message Integration refers to an effort for an organisation to achieve verbal and visual consistency, it is done through integrating a company logo (Virgin), specific shades of colour (royal red), a common image (in this case Robin Da Hood), a consistent message (a fair go for all) and a shared personality (light-heartedness and humour). It appears that Virgin Mobile's general IMC plan is to make consumers aware of the Virgin brand through mass media efforts such as TV commercials and print media so that they will actively seek more information regarding the actual products and services made available through interactive media such as their websites.


References:
RobinDaHood Stand-Alone       - http://www.robindahood.com.au
Virgin Mobile Australia           - http://www.virginmobile.com.au

Virgin Mobile's "A Fair Go For All" Campaign Entry # 2

The string of TV commercials produced by Virgin Mobile do a fantastic job at gaining the attention of the consumer and keeping the consumer interested in the advertisement long enough to convey the marketing message of "A Fair Go For All". The comedy aspect to their TV commercials is brilliant and in my opinion Robin Da Hood (at the risk of being politically incorrect) is the best "boganesque" hero Australia has seen in decades.


I begin to wonder though what role the TV advertisements are meant to play in the IMC campaign. The TV advertisements themselves are effective at gaining and holding the consumer's attention, but is Virgin Mobile using this attention to the best of their ability to promote their products and services? Or is this campaign aimed at promoting the overall brand? The more I see these TV advertisements I find myself thinking that this is more like a mini-series sponsored by Virgin Mobile, rather than an actual informative message. For those of you who have not yet been exposed to a typical Robin Da Hood television advertisement, there are links to four of their most well known Robin Da Hood TV adverts on the right hand side. Typically, after about 20 seconds to a minute of the scene, a short message of conveying Virgin Mobile's fight against unfairness pops up. 


Now I don't know about you, but I am not overly convinced that the TV advertisements actually do an effective job at informing consumers about their offers, perhaps that is not what Virgin Mobile intends to do with their air-time. This seems to be more of a brand building effort by Virgin, rather than an actual promotion of products/services like many other telecommunications companies. If these advertisements carry out the purpose of creating awareness of the brand, it definitely works. It's different, memorable and while it doesn't give you a breakdown of offers on mobile phone products and services, it does entice you to go check out a Virgin Mobile store next time you are wandering around the shopping centre. 

Virgin Mobile's "A Fair Go For All" Campaign Entry # 1

It seems to be a growing rarity when an advertisement leaves you curious, leaves you wanting more. Virgin Mobile's latest campaign does just that. Virgin's new "A Fair Go For All" campaign is the latest IMC campaign from Richard Branson's bunch and with a raw sense of comedy these marketing messages make are ones to look out for next time you are watching TV, browsing the newspaper or even surfing YouTube. 

Before I go any further I should take a minute to explain what IMC is. Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) is a strategic process used to plan, develop, execute and evaluate persuasive brand communication programs over time (Don Schultz). Basically what that means, is that IMC is an approach that many organisations use to send a consistent message to the public regarding either the organisations image and/or specific products or services in which they provide.

The campaign includes half a dozen hilarious TV spots that air mainly during prime-time, a dedicated stand alone website (http://www.robindahood.com.au) which features different types of interactive media for those of us who are computer savvy, an effort through the YouTube community to reach out to the audiences that don't get exposed to the messages through traditional approaches and print coverage in the form of newspaper and magazine advertisements.

Created and developed in partnership with Virgin Mobile and MPG Media, "Publicis Mojo" (responsible for the recent "Hahn Super Dry" TV advertisement) have created a very memorable and entertaining set of messages. The concept is a parody based on the legendary tale of Robin Hood who steals from the rich and gives to the poor. The character in this campaign "Robin Da Hood", 'liberates people from unhappiness and unfairness' by bringing them 'choice and merriness'. A clever slogan that delivers a clear marketing message to consumers.

These series of marketing messages come about after a recent study indicating that Australian consumers have become increasingly dissatisfied with the larget teco companies  for being "ripped-off". Virgin Mobile's campaign is cleverly constructed to make the consumer feel "liberated" through their sense of humour and by giving "a fair go for all" on all things mobile phones.

The campaign launched on July 3 and is set to run for the foreseeable future. 

References:
AdNews Archive                    - http://www.adnews.com.au/campaign/a-fair-go-for-all
RobinDaHood Stand-Alone      - http://www.robindahood.com.au