Skinny enlists new ‘famous name’ from Shortland Street

AUCKLAND, Today: PHD and Drum have given Skinny’s playful Famous Names campaign a new twist with a first-of-its-kind integration into NZ’s longest-running soap, Shortland Street.

The agencies worked with the NZ telco to “once again raise the bar for media creativity”, by making Skinny the first brand to integrate bespoke content into the set – and the series – of the iconic TV show.

Skinny brand partner Hunter Haines said: “Proving our brand promise that we will do anything to keep prices low and customers happy, Skinny’s Chris Warner from Kaukapakapa has taken the spotlight, starring in three different content executions filmed on the Shortland Street set.

“Each execution appears as the last-in-break ad in select episodes on TV, so fans and viewers think they’re back into the throes of their favourite drama – when in fact it’s a cleverly placed message from their favourite telco.

“The opportunity to extend and elevate our Famous Names brand platform into the set of Shortland Street, plus be the first Kiwi brand to create such an integration with the show, was a no-brainer.

“The partnership is an extension of Skinny’s Famous Names campaign that initially ran in 2018.”

“To complement the integration and drive deeper engagement with viewers as part of the partnership, there are three social executions also live giving viewers the chance to win epic Skinny prizes.”

PHD creative integration lead Amanda Palenski said: “TVNZ and SPP truly came to the party on delivering brilliant integration for Skinny. They perfectly understood the brief and really pushed the boundaries for us, resulting in some real content magic for Skinny.”

Drum managing partner Aimee Nicholls said: “We have been refining our media partnership capabilities for many years now and this work is a fantastic example of best practice integration in this space.

“It has been a true collaboration between all involved, and perfectly combines and brings to life the tone of the brand and partner in an engaging and entertaining way.”

The partnership is an extension of Skinny’s Famous Names campaign that initially ran in 2018.

The Colenso campaign starred Michael Jordan from Kelston, Clint Eastwood from Pukekohe and Julia Roberts from Tauranga, and new executions were recently launched with other celebrity namesakes like Katy Perry from Te Atatū and Louis Hamilton from Rotorua.

CREDITS

Client: Skinny
Media: PHD
PR & Content: Drum
Media Partner: South Pacific Pictures, TVNZ

About Drum
Drum (originally Spark PR & Activate), established in 2000 as a part of PHD Group NZ. is a full-service marketing communications agency with expertise in public relations, content creation, social media marketing, experiential and activations, brand partnerships, sports marketing, sponsorships and media partnerships.

• drumagency.co.nz

About PHD
PHD is a global communications planning and media buying agency network that delivers business-focused strategic thinking and creativity for some of the world’s leading brands.

• phdmedia.com