NOVA Entertainment at the end of last year introduced listeners to Nova 100’s new Melbourne breakfast trio Ben, Liam and Belle, utilising an out-of-home campaign that ran for four weeks to encourage audiences to give the show a "red hot go".
Now, NOVA’s rolling out a full-scale multi-channel campaign for the next three months with further investment planned throughout the year, with the focus on Melbournian Belle introducing Ben and Liam to all the iconic Melbourne moments, locations and activities of her hometown.
AdNews spoke to Ben Harvey, Liam Stapleton and Belle Jackson about shooting the new campaign, what the response has been like so far from listeners to the show and their love for the radio format.
Stapleton said that shooting the suite of TVCs, which will run across TV, cinema, BVOD, digital and social channels, was an enjoyable experience for the trio.
“It felt a little bit like a film shoot – we rocked up and there were actual extras! There was a bit of driving around, but it was lovely and we got to see all the cool spots of Melbourne. In one of the ads, I joke about four seasons in a day and we literally did get four seasons in a day.
Behind the scenes with Ben, Liam and Belle at their TVC shoot at Hotel Esplanade, St Kilda.
“We were brought into the whole process pretty early, so we got to brainstorm some of the concepts for the locations. We also got to throw out some ideas for the script, but the ads are only 15 seconds, so I wouldn't say we've written an Avatar-level script."
Harvey said that despite only being on air for around six weeks, the response from listeners has been extremely positive.
“People have been so nice in terms of welcoming us to the state. With radio sometimes, behind the scenes, producers can be guilty of telling callers ‘say this when you're on the show’ and in the first couple of weeks, people kept saying ‘oh it’s so nice to have you in Melbourne, I love the show' etc, etc.
“Then on-air after about two weeks, Liam stopped someone mid-compliment and said, ‘Who told you to say that?’ and the person said ‘nobody’, because they were genuinely just saying it, so it's been very welcoming.”
Behind the scenes with Ben, Liam and Belle at their TVC shoot at Hotel Esplanade, St Kilda.
Stapleton: “We’re not in the ratings period yet and whatever will come of that will come, but you do get a certain vibe of whether things are going reasonably well or not when you get a response from some of the topics you're talking about.
“Even if people don't say, ‘great work, loving the show’, if they're picking up what you're putting down and getting involved on the phones, that's all you can ask for. The show is purely us just doing what we do and enjoying it, but the vibe has been good and we've been getting a really great response from listeners.”
Stapleton went on to say that he hopes the show can provide an ‘escape’ for the Melbourne listeners in the morning.
“We don't take ourselves too seriously; obviously with breakfast shows, we still have to tackle the big topics sometimes and whatever is happening in the world in the morning, but I would hope it's just a light-hearted show that people can have an easy listen to and hopefully have a laugh on the way to work.”
Behind the scenes with Ben, Liam and Belle at their TVC shoot.
Stapleton and Harvey have been friends and radio co-hosts for a decade, while Jackson has worked with them for half that time, with Stapleton saying their love of the radio format comes from its live nature.
“TV, whenever we've personally been involved with it, is a lot of ‘stop, reset, do that again’ and ‘Alright crowd, get ready for this bit!’, but radio - sometimes to a detriment, because you might slip up when you're not supposed to - is really just happening in the moment.
“I like how the audience is a part of it live as well; you can watch a movie on Netflix or you can watch something on TikTok, but it's pretty cool that most of the time, the best part of our show is people calling in, so it's one of those really immersive things."
Jackson: “I still think of radio as being so beautifully intimate and interactive with people and we are speaking directly to the listener instead of just making something to stick on the TV screen.
“We really do want to speak to Melbourne, wherever they are - in their cars, at work or at home. Getting involved with us and getting to meet them in the moment on the spot is just beautiful."
Behind the scenes with Ben, Liam and Belle at their TVC shoot.
Harvey said that the pair’s experience of previously moving cities, combined with their prior time broadcasting in Melbourne, meant the move was more seamless than expected.
“We had the experience of moving from Adelaide to Sydney when we were much younger, plus the nerves of being on air in Melbourne isn't really there, because we did a breakfast show in Melbourne for three years.
“Actually being in Melbourne itself has been lovely. I’m a big AFL fan, so I feel like I'm in the right state. All the events that come to Melbourne as well are awesome - I've already been to the Sidney Myer Music Bowl about three times – so I’ve been loving it."
Harvey said that the addition of Jackson to the show has elevated it “in the best way possible".
“Having Belle on the show adds another dynamic to it that we didn't have before, which is awesome, because it still lets Liam and I be Liam and I, but it adds that extra person to the conversation, which is another layer of fun."
Stapleton: “Anyone who listened to our show in Adelaide or on the podcast will know Belle was such a big part of it anyway that it hasn't really been that big of a change. Sometimes it can be a case where you rock the boat a little when people join or leave a show, but it's been a really smooth transition.”
Behind the scenes with Ben, Liam and Belle at their TVC shoot.
For Jackson, the campaign (and her co-hosting role more broadly) allowed her to play ‘tour guide’ for the duo of Ben and Liam, showcasing the best bits of Melbourne for them to experience and enjoy.
“They did it for me in Adelaide years ago and it's been so lovely to now turn the tables and show them where I'm from. What comes into the show from that is spectacular, as it's a whole new look on Melbourne.
“They're not trying to pretend that they grew up in Melbourne - we’re very open about the fact that I grew up in Melbourne and the boys didn't - so everything that they're learning and observing as a newcomer to Melbourne is also great for the show, because they can ask questions.
“They can say ‘hey, why do people do that here?’ or ‘what's that mini-Eiffel Tower in the city?’. It's all that stuff that I or any native Melbournian doesn't really think twice about but it's been fantastic.”
She said that the transition from senior producer to on-air co-host has been an interesting one due to having to shift her mindset from being behind the scenes to in front of the microphone.
“I thought it would be like ‘just let go of the producer stuff’ and have fun and really embrace the new role – which I have - but all the back end of things when we have an idea, I still go ‘how are we going to do that and who needs to organise it?’.
“Even watching the phones during the show, I still look at the screen and think, ‘okay, we've got 30 seconds left, are we going to get the right calls?’ and I need to really just let go of it and put trust in our beautiful team members that have taken over.
“It's been fantastic, but it will take some time to transition out of that mindset I think.”
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