James Chambers Retail, Marketing Manager
With such an exciting year ahead, you might think that Freeview has been resting on its laurels in 2011.
Nothing could be further from the truth. In these uncertain times, Freeview has again shown itself to be a winning option for digital TV. And with so many ways to enjoy the best TV the UK has to offer including ‘+’ recorders, HD and increasingly Freeview equipment with Smart functionality, things are looking rosy for the future.
So what have been the key successes in 2011? Once again, we’ve had a great year in switchover regions with over 70% of remaining analogue viewers choosing Freeview as their preferred digital TV option. We’ve also seen levels of awareness and consequently demand for premium Freeview +HD products increasing, with sales bucking the trend in CE.
We’ve also had some notable successes with our advertising campaigns around big TV events – Rugby World Cup, Royal Wedding. Indeed our Royal Wedding HD campaign was voted one of the best ads of the year by ITV viewers. And we’re currently rolling out our new brand look based on the current ‘balloons’ campaign – its aim being to make Freeview a viable alternative to pay.
Do have a look at our Indies POS ordering site where we’ve got loads of new bits of store dressing you can order. Go to www.freeview.co.uk/marketing and click on the Independent retailer POS order form link.
Onwards to 2012 – an incredible year awaits. With lots of moments to celebrate and gather round the telly, expect to see the Freeview balloons reappear in a series of advertisements highlighting the best way to watch these – Freeview HD, Freeview + and other exciting developments.
2012 also sees the end of switchover, with the final regions switching; Meridian, London, Tyne Tees and Ulster. We’ll be doing our bit to raise Freeview’s profile in these regions and help to stimulate demand for products. And, as people’s wallets tighten, we’re beginning to see a trend of customers cancelling their pay TV subscriptions and look to more affordable ways to watch their favourite TV.
These present some excellent opportunities for Indies to capitalise on in 2012.
A final word on Smart TV. 2011 has seen this technology coming of age and no doubt there will be lots of innovations coming our way in 2012. We know that this is what our customers want, particularly BBC iPlayer, so we’re aiming to help promote these features and bolster the Freeview offer as a whole.
