New Yell marketing campaign promotes 'Family' of products with latest James Nesbitt TV ads - 1 March 2005
Yell today signalled the start of a major UK marketing campaign with a new series of TV adverts for the first time using James Nesbitt to simultaneously promote the full Yell ‘family’ of book, phone and Internet consumer products.
The campaign will promote the overall Yell consumer portfolio whilst emphasising each product’s versatilities for finding businesses and services.
Four new TV adverts have been produced to further promote usage and awareness of Yellow Pages, Yell.com and 118 24 7 - all incorporating the simple strapline: “Whatever you want – just Yell.”
They are the central part of an ambitious new integrated marketing campaign which will draw on the TV adverts for consistent messages and images across a range of supportive “through-the-line” media – including outdoor campaigns, radio advertising, direct mail and public relations activity.
All the adverts, running from today, feature actor James Nesbitt once again playing the hugely popular and humorous character of ‘James’ that he has portrayed in previous TV adverts for Yellow Pages and 118 24 7.
The adverts include a 40 second portfolio ad – ‘Bikers’ - cleverly demonstrating all three products, after three men brag wildly over a drink about their respective biking days.
After arranging to meet the following week to recapture their lost youth on the open road, the advert shows them each using a different Yell product to track down biking equipment or discreetly arrange biking lessons. It ends comically with them discovering they are all attending the same remedial bike class.
Three other humorous adverts of 30 seconds each individually showcase how products within the Yell portfolio can be used to find services as diverse as computer lessons, dog training and image consultants.
As well as using the character of ‘James’ to promote the portfolio, the adverts build on the strength, loyalty and ‘Superbrand’ status of the Yellow Pages brand to help further develop and grow the other products.
Ann Francke, Yell’s chief marketing officer in the UK, said: “This latest marketing campaign is our most ambitious - a major investment by Yell that builds on the phenomenal success of our highly memorable James Nesbitt TV adverts. We anticipate the further interest it creates in our products providing a significant boost to our advertisers.
“For the first time, we’re using the ‘James’ character to emphasise the overall Yell family of products under the Yell brand and also underlining the complementary uses of the book, the phone and the Net.
“Our aim is to demonstrate that it doesn’t matter where our users are or what they are looking for, Yell will be able to help them find what they want through one of our products. Our simple, distinctive message is: ‘Whatever you want – just Yell’.”
The new nationwide TV campaign will run on ITV1, Channel 4, Five and satellite TV. The campaign was created by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO and directed by Paul Goldman, through 2am Films. Media planning and buying was undertaken by PHD.
The four TV adverts are:
Bikers (40 seconds) - Yell portfolio
The ‘portfolio’ ad opens in a pub with three friends including James bragging wildly over a drink about their respective biking days. After arranging to meet the following week to recapture their lost youth on the open road, the advert shows them each using a different Yell product to track down biking equipment or discreetly arrange biking lessons. Comically, all three then bump into each other at the same remedial bike class - the ad ending with James careering into a set of plastic chairs.
Image Consultants (30 seconds) - Yellow Pages
James’ friend is worried about his lack of success with the opposite sex. Brutally informing him that his style needs changing, James then leafs through his Yellow Pages directory to help arrange a professional makeover. However, his friend has the last laugh. When the image consultants arrive they decide in their confusion that the scruffy, unshaven James is the one who needs the sartorial advice.
Niece (30 seconds) - Yell.com
James is eager to get on the Information Superhighway and hastily unpacks his new computer ready to access the Internet. However, installation is not as smooth as he would like and he has difficulty switching the screen on. Luckily, his niece – played by the girl who featured in the award-winning James ad ‘Haircut’ (2003) – is on hand to help. She reveals the Yell.com homepage and cheekily suggests her hapless uncle uses it to arrange some computer lessons.
Dog (30 seconds) - 118 24 7
A nervous James is trapped, cowering on the low partition between his kitchen and living room as a Doberman growls menacingly below. With just a phone to hand, James calls 118 24 7 seeking a dog trainer that does home visits. Trying to sound calm, he asks the call advisor to connect him through, rather than his having to come down from his refuge and hunt for a pen and pad. .
