UK broadcaster Five has appointed digital engagement agency Siren as its mobile partner for sponsorship activation. Five has identified mobile as a key tool for demonstrating the value of television sponsorship to engage viewers in a dialogue with sponsors brands and is taking steps to make mobile central to its sponsorship strategy, alongside its existing red-button and online services.
Siren will develop branded mobile content packages to be included in Fives major sponsorship proposals. Campaigns for Peugeot (Five Films) and Norwich Union (Five Property) will be the first campaigns on Five to harness the power of mobile to create a direct dialogue with viewers.
All mobile services will be developed by Siren in-house. These will range from simple text interaction for competitions or brochure requests, through to bespoke services and integration with sponsor databases for store location or verified lead generation. All Five advertising and sponsorship services will be activated via the 66555 shortcode.
Fives move comes in the face of the increasing amount of advertising spend migrating from TV to the Internet. It is part of a strategy to educate brands and sponsors on the demonstrable benefits of embracing interactive sponsorship packages, as opposed to traditional passive brand association.
With the sophisticated levels of measurement available with online and mobile advertising, broadcasters can no longer expect the passive association with a programme to be justification enough for brands to purchase sponsorship packages says Siren COO Mark Brandon. Rather, value and measurement must be derived from the digital and technological resources which are now available.
Five is a forward thinking broadcaster and we are delighted to be appointed as its mobile sponsorship partner. By using mobile to activate its sponsorship packages, Five will be able to deliver tangible benefits to its sponsors, while increasing the likelihood of that sponsorship deal being renewed.
For Five, Interactive Controller Paul Thornton-Jones adds:
Sirens agency approach enables us to offer bespoke mobile packages to meet the needs and objectives of our clients. We want our sponsors to come back to us not simply because they benefit from the association with our programme portfolio, but also because we deliver measurable benefits, which exceed those traditionally associated with TV sponsorship.