Nova is putting the Vodafone network to the test in an Australian first, which will see the station use Vodafone's 4G network to broadcast its national Kate, Tim & Marty drive show.
Starting this morning and rolling out over the next six weeks, Nova's drive show will be broadcast to the five capital cities from 4pm to 6pm using the telco's network, as part of a marketing campaign highlighting the reliability of its coverage.
The promotion, created by media agency Bohemia and Nova's in-house creative team, Create, will also see Vodafone sponsor the drive show's Quick Draw online mobile game. The station also created the Quick Draw bus which will be on the ground in every capital city with promotional activities.
In addition, the bus will be used by the Nova breakfast team with traffic reports being broadcast from it, using the Vodafone network.
The Nova promotion forms part of a wider campaign by Vodafone, launched last month, to promote its network as an alternative in the Australian market.
Vodafone chief marketing officer Loo Fun Chee says the telco has invested billions of dollars in improving its network over recent years and that the campaign is an innovative way to allow Australians to experience it.
“Our campaign which is currently in market includes TV, digital and outdoor advertising but this isn’t just about us saying how good our network is, we want to prove it,” Chee says.
“It’s a huge vote of confidence in the Vodafone 4G network that Australia’s most listened to drive show is trusting us with its broadcast.
“We want Australians to know that they do have an alternative when it comes to their mobile provider, and we're willing to show them that they don’t have to settle.”
Nova Entertainment head of creative services Andy Milne told AdNews the campaign is an example of the creative capability of Nova's Create team, which was launched several years ago to as part of the company's rebrand from a radio station to an entrainment company.
“This campaign has touched every single part of our business,” Milne says. “Create is an all in one unit within the business where we are constantly coming up with entertainment solutions for business problems.
“We treat every brief we get as insights and ideas first and then work out what product it's going to live on,” Milne says. “So yes, radio is a core business and radio will ultimately form a part of the solution, but the approach creatively is always 'what is the business problem' and 'how do we tackle that creatively?'"
Milne says key to the campaign is authenticity, which comes from integrating it within one of its shows.
“The most effective vehicle we have in radio is our talent, so we thought we'll anchor it in the drive show; it's national, it has 1.5 million listeners nationally and the other little bonus is Kate Ritchie is a Vodafone customer," Milne says.
"She's an advocate of the Vodafone network so [we thought, we'll let her] be the voice of it”.
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.