ITV hires iris to create digital ad campaign for Austen season

by Gareth Jones, Marketing 05-Mar-07, 14:40

LONDON - ITV is stepping up its digital marketing activity with the appointment of iris to develop an online ad campaign to promote its forthcoming Jane Austen season of programmes.

The UK's largest commercial broadcaster has selected iris to develop a ‘flirtmail' interactive game that allows female internet users to find the Jane Austen hero to whom they are most suited.

If the campaign proves successful, ITV will add iris to a list of preferred digital agencies that it uses promote key programmes in its schedule. ITV also works on a project-by-project basis with M&C Saatchi's digital arm Play.

The appointment of iris comes just months after ITV abandoned the idea of creating a roster of digital agencies to work alongside its counterparts M&C Saatchi and MindShare (Marketing 13 December).

The Jane Austen online campaign will run across a number of high-traffic female lifestyle websites, including handbag.com and hellomagazine.com. Iris has also developed an ITV-branded microsite featuring trailers, behind the scenes footage and a competition to win a Jane Austen-themed weekend break in Bath.

The Jane Austen digital drive forms part of a wider integrated campaign, created by Saatchi & Saatchi, comprising print and outdoor activity. A supporting TV and cinema push has been developed by in-house by ITV Creative.