EDF unveils major European London 2012 campaign

By Matthew Chapman, marketingmagazine.co.uk, Tuesday, 26 June 2012 08:30AM

EDF, the owner of UK subsidiary EDF Energy, is launching a multimillion-pound London 2012 campaign across Europe to highlight its role in ‘powering’ the Olympics.

EDF: using cyclist Victoria Pendleton for ad campaign

The TV campaign for the event’s official electricity supplier will use the strapline ‘Helping London 2012 shine brighter. EDF powering the Games’. It will be accompanied by a major outdoor push.

The humorous execution features cycling gold medallist Victoria Pendleton and shows EDF engineers with little sporting ability ‘testing’
Games venues.

The campaign, created by Paris-based CLM BBDO, with UK media buying by MPG Media Contacts, will run on the Continent from 6 July before its UK debut during the Games. The 12-week heavyweight outdoor push breaks this week. It will target international visitors via ad ‘takeovers’ of London City Airport and King’s Cross St Pancras railway station. Other major transport hubs, including Waterloo and Westminster stations, will also display the ads.

EDF claims the activity at Westminster will be the ‘largest brand presence’ in the Tube station’s history, with ads on the Jubilee line platform aimed at consumers travelling to the Olympic Park in Stratford, East London. It will focus on 36 athletes from ‘Team EDF’, including Pendleton and swimmer Eleanor Simmonds.

Gareth Wynn, London 2012 programme director at EDF, said the positioning of ads at transport hubs is designed to ensure that those attending the Games ‘leave in the knowledge that EDF is proud to be powering London 2012’.

EDF Energy is already running separate athletics-themed TV ads, which feature its ‘orange blob’ brand character and promote its rewards scheme.

This article was first published on marketingmagazine.co.uk