With a stated objective of using traditional media in a non-traditional way, Wind Mobile has partnered with commuter paper Metro on a new ad unit dubbed the “Splitter.”
The unit appeared Tuesday in all Toronto editions of the free daily. The ad is a centre double-page spread with a twist: the two pages are cut in half horizontally.
A longtime Metro advertiser, Wind challenged the publication to create a never-before-seen advertising unit that would help it stand out amid a glut of telco ads said head of brand and communication, Radek Krasny. Indeed, both Virgin Mobile and Rogers Wireless had full-page ads running in the same publication.
The third and fourth quarters—encompassing the back-to-school and holiday periods—are key sales drivers for telco companies, accounting for as much as 60% of annual sales, he said.
“We have traditional advertising everywhere, but it’s a question of how we can use traditional media channels in a non-traditional way,” said Krasny.
The Wind Mobile ad appears as a strip running through the middle of the DPS, accompanied by the message “Don’t cut your conversation short.” When readers turn the page, they see a full-page ad bearing the message “Chat ‘til you drop this holiday.”
The advertising unit is part of a multi-media campaign including TV, radio, print, out-of-home, cinema and online. The ads promote Wind’s two new “Unlimited Wish Plans” offering unlimited talk and text; data and low international rates across its network.
The TV, radio, out-of-home, online and cinema campaign is running in major markets in which Wind operates, with a particular emphasis on Alberta, B.C. and Ontario. MacLaren McCann developed the campaign creative, while M2 Universal oversaw media. Mississauga-based Asian Access is handling the campaign’s multicultural components.
Wind’s stated goal is to become the country’s fourth national wireless carrier. The division of Amsterdam-based VimpelCom hit the Canadian market in 2010 and hit the 500,000-subscriber mark in September. It expects to hit the 600,000 mark before the end of the year, said Krasny.
VimpelCom, which operates mobile companies under several brand names including Wind, Beeline, djuice, Mobilink and Leo, has approximately 208 million subscribers in 18 markets around the world.
