LONDON: With the phased switch from analogue to digital TV scheduled to start this autumn in Whitehaven, north-west England, Digital UK will next month launch local and national marketing activity designed to motivate the 22.8% of UK homes that have yet to make the switch to dTV.
According to the latest data from communications regulator Ofcom, 77.2% of all UK homes now have some form of dTV, up from 73.3% in the third quarter of 2006 [WARC News: 15-Mar-07].
The first phase of the campaign, featuring the project's branded robot Digit Al (pictured) and created by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, will run April though June with a media mix that includes TV and radio ads, sponsorship and schools' education packs linked to the National Curriculum.
Crucially, there will also be a Whitehaven-centric drive to allay local consumer concerns and educate its 25,000 viewers about the switchover process.
Says Digital UK ceo Ford Ennals: "Switchover has been years in the planning and with today's announcement it becomes a reality. Today, for the first time, we can provide details of exactly how the process will be carried out not just in Whitehaven but across the UK."
Government-endorsed Digital UK is owned and funded by Britain's public-service broadcasters and multiplex operators.
Data sourced from multiple origins; additional content by WARC staff
