Digital UK Launches Switchover Information Campaign
Digital UK, the body leading digital switchover in the UK, is launching a national information campaign to promote the switchover, which starts in just under one month’s time.
The switch to digital begins in Whitehaven, Cumbria on October 17, before rolling out across the entire country region-by-region over the next few years, finishing in 2012.
The £8 million campaign is the latest phase of Digital UK’s national information programme. Since the first promotions launched in summer 2006, Digital UK says that awareness of switchover has increased by over a third, to more than eight-in-ten adults.
But with only 16% able to say when their region will convert, the new campaign emphasises that people will switch at different times according to where they live.
The adverts also encourage people to visit digitaluk.co.uk, where a new postcode checker (launching September 19) will provide detailed information about when they will switch and what digital services and channels they are likely to receive.
Using national and regional television, radio, press and online, the campaign features the switchover robot character Digit Al travelling around the country and helping people to prepare.
According to Digital UK, nearly eight out of ten homes in the Whitehaven area have already got digital television or have bought Freeview boxes to convert their analogue sets.
Ford Ennals, Chief Executive of Digital UK, said: “In Whitehaven, where switchover starts next month, 100% of people are aware of the process, and people understand when it will happen. With this campaign we want to achieve similar levels of understanding throughout the UK.
“We also want people to understand that the process happens transmitter by transmitter, over dozens of dates in the coming years. So we now have a postcode checker that can tell people the year it will happen for them.”
The television advert is produced by AMV BBDO and features the classic Harry Nilsson track Everybody’s Talkin’, a nod to the topicality of switchover as Whitehaven prepares to become the first area in the UK to experience the process. Comedy actor Matt Lucas (Little Britain) will resume his role as the voice of Digit Al in the radio adverts.
The Digital UK campaign follows the launch of a Freeview ad campaign in Cumbria using “local heroes” to promote the service ahead of the switch (see Freeview Launches ‘Local Hero’ Ad Campaign).
Ofcom and Digital UK published a survey in August which revealed that half of all UK households have already converted all their TVs to digital (see Half Of All UK Households Have Converted To Digital).
Digital UK: www.digitaluk.co.uk