The concept
 Stemming from the belief that the only limit to those who love binge viewing their favourite television series and movies is sleep, the French pay-TV operator Canal+ launched an innovative campaign to advertise its “all you can watch” VOD service – CanalPlay. The platform offers a large portfolio of content available anytime, anywhere on most devices, for €7 a month and is equally available to non-subscribers of Canal+. With the help of creative agency Buzzman, Canal+ came up with the idea to create a unique coffee brand – Insomny – that would promote their VOD service as well as attract new subscribers.
 Joining forces with the best coffee makers in France, Canal+ managed to create a high quality, exclusive blend of coffee beans from India, Brazil and Burundi offering a unique flavour and strength. Ten thousand bags with the slogan “Why sleep when you can watch series non-stop?” were put on sale on a dedicated website and at selected shops in three different forms – coffee beans, ground coffee and Nespresso compatible capsules, all of them featuring the CanalPlay logo.
 The concept helped promote CanalPlay by including a promotional code with each bag of coffee purchased providing the buyer with a two-month free trial access to CanalPlay. Viewers paid either €4.99 or €5.99 for the coffee, and received the VOD service for two months, making it more appealing when compared to the standard rate of €7/month. Unless it was cancelled, the subscription was automatically renewed.
 In order to drum up interest around the campaign release, free kits with Insomny coffee and an explanation of the concept were offered to representatives of the press. Due to unprecedented press coverage and social network buzz the Insomny campaign managed to reach 13.2 million people in 81 different countries with little investment in paid media.
Why does this matter to egta members?
Dynamic and successful ideas for B2C campaigns are always valuable for broadcasters. The results of the Insomny campaign show that by adapting to the way in which people watch their content a broadcaster can create a successful campaign that builds upon these new trends, appeals to viewers and potential customers. The CanalPlay platform is in line with other initiatives launched by egta members in different countries that aim to strengthen the market position of broadcasters in anticipation of the arrival of other VOD services such as Netflix.
This creative campaign idea and its companion product managed, thanks to a new focus on binge viewing, to deliver a major brand promotion, raise brand awareness and most importantly gain new subscribers. Insomny Coffee was sold out within a few weeks, proving that the combination of a unique product and a special offer is a winning one.
|
