Virgin Radio creates live event and content package for Gillette

by Daniel Farey-Jones , Brand Republic 19-Mar-08, 10:30

LONDON - Virgin Radio has put together a package for Gillette, which works a live event featuring football greats Matt Le Tissier and Gary Mabbutt into on-air ads and online content.

The event, taking place next Tuesday at Virgin's studios, will be a discussion about the evolution of football, hosted by Virgin DJ Russ Williams and also featuring Ray Wilkins.

Virgin has been encouraging listeners to register their details on its dedicated Gillette-branded microsite to win one of 15 places in the audience.

Virgin is planning to record the event to generate content for a series of on-air advertorial spots and for a video and podcast, which will be downloadable from its website.

The on-air programming will run daily until the end of the domestic football season.

Nick Hewat, sales director at Virgin, said this kind of innovation was crucial to attract big name brands to commercial radio and encouraged the rest of the industry to follow Virgin's example.

Hewat said: "By creating the campaign, we have taken the concept of integrated campaigns one step further.

"It is vital that the industry as a whole begins to do the same, if we are to keep attracting the biggest brands to radio advertising."

The campaign has been brokered by Gillette's media agency Starcom.