Viacom Teams With Starcom For Landmark Heinz Deal
Viacom’s new cross-platform media division, Viacom Plus, has secured a ground-breaking £3.5 million campaign to advertise Heinz’s new frozen snack brand across its media and retail properties.
The campaign is significant as it marks a media first with Viacom Plus developing both the media strategy and creative, as well as running the campaign on its various platforms.
The Heinz deal is the first campaign from Viacom Plus, which launched in June to provide a “one stop agency approach” as an alternative to separate creative and media points.
The deal, which was negotiated by Starcom, will see Viacom Plus launch the new Heinz “Bite Me” frozen snack food range across its media and retail portfolio. The deal marks the first time a media owner and media strategists have worked together through all parts of the communications process on an initiative of this scale.
Viacom’s in-house creative team has formulated 26 ads for the new products, in the style of an animated soap opera entitled The Adventures Of The Bite Me Crew. Each ad is specially targeted at the youth audience, reflecting their lifestyles and habits.
From August 8 the “Adventures of the Bite Me Crew” will appear across half of Viacom’s TV properties, with ads on MTV and Nickelodeon, outdoor ads on bus sides and Underground posters and retail promotions at Blockbuster video and in cinemas. The campaign will also include a SMS campaign and a special website presence.
Commenting on the campaign, Andy Roberts, executive buying director at Starcom Motive, said: “We are delighted to have provided the first Viacom plus client. This initiative marks the birth of a new generation of cross media deals. One in which a media owner stretches their communication asset bank to the limits, demonstrating outstanding creativity and flexibility. Ultimately this delivers tremendous value to our client and secures Viacom a lucrative income stream.”
Daniel Salem, commercial director of Viacom Plus, added: “This creative-led media solution is tailored specifically to reach teenagers at every level of their lives. Heinz has a campaign that goes well beyond spot advertising to engage a youth audience at a much deeper level.”
Viacom Outdoor: 020 7482 3000 www.viacom.com
Recent Outdoor Stories from NewsLine Maiden Secures £20m Outdoor Contract For Manchester Viacom Outdoor To Capitalise On International Sales Alban Launches UK’s Second Largest Outdoor Buying Point
Subscribers can access ten years of NewsLine articles by clicking the Search button to the left