Dulux create bespoke ad series for ITV's Dancing on Ice

Dulux and media agency MediaCom have put together a ground-breaking deal which involves commercial partnerships with both ITV and The Sun newspaper. The aim is to get the British public enthused about the power of decorative change.

Viewers of ITV's hit show Dancing on Ice were treated to a bespoke series of three 60 second Dulux ads which aired across the programme's commercial breaks and name-checked the host show. The first spot set the scene, with Claire Sweeney pointing out that not many people are moving house at the moment and that a good alternative is to spruce up the home we already live in, without spending a fortune:

"Whilst you're watching Dancing on Ice, we're going to get on with some painting". 

Clare was joined by Big Brother winner Craig Philips as they applied the Dulux and raced to transform a house by the end of the show. Viewers were updated with their progress during each of the breaks.

The ads were not actually live, but their "what happens next" narrative form made them feel very much part of the live viewing experience and made a strong connection with the show: definitely a good example of brands getting closer to content.

However, the three "stunt" spots were just the start of this campaign and will be followed by a dedicated VOD channel on ITV.com and Friends Reunited, as well as "skinning" on the ITV Player and a dedicated video channel behind ITV's 24/7 interactive service.

The campaign was negotiated by Ben Louis at ITV and Roz Hinds at MediaCom.

The Sun will be working with Dulux to paint and rejuvenate community projects throughout 2009. 'Paint for Change' will showcase 33 projects in 11 geographical regions.

Readers will vote online at the sun.co.uk for the project that they believe is most worthy. The winning projects will be visited by the 'Power Painters' in a co-branded tour bus. Press coverage of each winner will be featured on-line. The strategy was developed by News International.

"Dulux wants to stimulate the decorative category by reminding people that small decorative changes can have a big impact.  We hope this innovative and genuinely through-the-line campaign will enable us to inspire and help people to change their surroundings. We want to challenge every householder by asking them 'What would you change?'"

Matt Day, Marketing Director, Dulux

"Both ITV and News International demonstrated a real understanding of our objectives and the synergies between their proposals made them the natural choice for this partnership activity.  MediaCom believes that partnerships such as these represent a key pillar for communication for our clients during this Age of Dialogue and we are excited and inspired by these collaborations."

Roz Hinds, Associate Director, MediaCom

Links

The Dulux website showcased on air …
www.whatwouldyouchange.co.uk

All the latest action from the rink …
http://www.itv.com/Entertainment/reality/dancingonice/

 

 

 

Dulux and Dancing on Ice

Dulux joined forces with ITV and The Sun newspaper for the launch of a campaign encouraging people to decorate their homes. Of particular interest to TV planners were three 60-second 'stunt' ads which aired during the commercial breaks of the hit show Dancing on Ice: the creative was bespoke to the programme and the play-out of the ads formed a three part story for viewers. But that's just the start of this innovative campaign. You can watch the ad sequence and find out more here.