Every now and then, a brief comes along where you need to think outside the box. Marston’s Telecoms presented us with one of those challenges for a recent campaign.
As a telecoms provider, we knew it was important for Marston’s to provide its clients and prospects content explaining key changes in the industry. This was especially important around the biggest shakeup the UK telecoms industry has ever seen.
In 2025 Openreach will switch off all traditional copper telephone lines, known as PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network). It’s a massive move from analogue to digital communications, and it affects everybody. Any business or consumer who hasn’t moved to an alternative service in time will be left without a phone system.
Although important and impacting everyone, the subject still presented a big marketing challenge:
- 2025 is a long way off for even the best of planners
- the subject matter is dry
- there is a lot of technical jargon that can get in the way of the message
However, it is critical that the audience understand what is happening when and that they are empowered to make the changes needed for their business.
Trying to make the subject matter digestible, let alone palatable was a tall order. Content on the topic did exist for people that wanted to find it, but there was nothing out there that made the topic interesting. We know that content only works if the target audience find it of value, essentially, it has to provide knowledge, be useful or entertain. If it can do all at once then all the better.
Given the legacy copper network being switched off has been around for decades, we drew inspiration from the past. Black and white images with captions, in the style seen on many greeting cards provided an ideal solution. This approach enabled us to explain the topic’s main themes and clarify the misconceptions in a humorous and engaging way.
The client was on board, and fully supportive of the concept but mindful that the humour did not alienate today’s audience. We sourced appropriate black and white photography, developed the captions and added art deco / old Hollywood styling to the various campaign elements to create a strong campaign identity.
The concept proved to be the perfect vehicle to bring life to a relatively dry topic. We developed an ebook / guide and FAQs, along with a social media campaign to drive leads for the sales team.
As content experts, we love the challenge of finding memorable ways to connect subject matters with different audiences, so talk to us about your content challenge.
For more information please get in touch by calling 01962 862760 or emailing [email protected].
