FOXTEL Unveils New Brand Strategy Starring Sam Neill

FOXTEL today launched a bold new multi-channel brand campaign starring iconic international actor, Sam Neill, to highlight Foxtel’s continuing evolution as a premium entertainment experience, now revolutionised with streamed content on demand and offering an unrivalled line up of integrated apps all in one place.

With a 25-year history in Australian homes, FOXTEL has completely transformed the viewing experience becoming a premium streaming aggregation solution for nearly two million households today. FOXTEL saw a 30% increase in on demand viewing in 2021 and since its launch last year, has now shipped more than 100,000 units of the iQ5 streaming set top that features a simple plug and play set-up with no cable or satellite installation required.

Michael Nearhos, executive director of marketing, FOXTEL said: “Foxtel was once seen as a dinosaur but we’ve evolved. This campaign faces misperceptions, and plays heavily into nostalgia by putting the old and the new Foxtel side-by-side to show Australians the powerful difference. We wanted to challenge the thinking of entertainment lovers of all ages out there in a bold way. And we want to do it in a human, relatable way, with a touch of wit. You can teach an old dog new tricks.”

“We’re thrilled to work with Sam Neill to bring this campaign to life. He’s globally recognised and much loved by Aussie fans. He also seldomly does brand work like this. Having the opportunity to work with him speaks volumes about the truth behind our continuing evolution as a brand and as a trusted entertainment provider to our nearly 2 million customers across the country.”

The FOXTEL premium entertainment experience of today can stream up to 50,000 hours of Live and On Demand Foxtel content with ease, brought about by significant investments in technology and streaming aggregation capability, evolution of the UI and a highly personalised, smart navigation experience, as well as even more ultra HD 4K entertainment and sport content. The Foxtel IQ experience also includes embedded voice control technology within the remote, and this year will see the brand distribute 500,000 complimentary voice remotes to loyal customers to enhance their viewing potential.

The campaign will be led by a 30-second hero TVC featuring Sam as the star, reprising his role in Jurassic Park. More spots will be released over coming months.

The screens media strategy and channel selection includes TV, Cinema, digital TV and BVOD. It aims to deliver both reach and engagement with the target audience, to drive reappraisal of Foxtel and demonstrating that the new entertainment experience connects customers to worlds of entertainment, effortlessly.

A multi-format OOH campaign will deliver reach and impact, with large format digital billboards in key sites around Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, supported by street furniture panels to drive reach and frequency. A high impact transit campaign will extend coverage utilising bus side panels and innovative tram wraps.

Partnering with News, the campaign utilises a mix of high-impact digital formats including Home Page Takeovers, Digital Video and Premium Native articles, as well as press in the major mastheads.

Facebook/Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat form part of a multi-platform social campaign to deliver mass reach and consideration.

The campaign strategy and creative was entirely concepted, developed and produced by the Foxtel Marketing and Fox Creative teams, with support from Beautiful State for the shoot and Mindshare for media.

The new brand campaign follows the news of Sam Neill taking a leading role in the upcoming FOXTEL Original series, The Twelve, scheduled to premiere later this year. The Twelve tells the story of 12 jurors, ordinary Australians, with struggles of their own, who must decide the case of a woman accused of killing a child. The 10-part crime drama series is currently in production in Sydney.