The rationale is that the multi-million sponsorship of Deal or No Deal will further help promote and raise the awareness of The Phone Book from BT’s Classified Directory, a full colour directory which provides comprehensive and up-to-date local contact information, making businesses more accessible to their local target market, and helping consumers find the products and services they want, whether they know their name or not.
The sponsorship, which starts on May 1, 2006, will run initially for one year, and will continue with the “Find it with The Phone Book from BT” theme, seen in the recent Phone Book TV advertising campaign. The sponsorship breaks will show how members of the family, seen in the ads, use The Phone Book to move their lives on, by finding solutions to everyday problems, quickly and easily.
The breaks will illustrate the comprehensive nature of The Phone Book’s Classified Directory which helps consumers find a wide variety of products and services from the everyday; plumbers, roofing services and repairs and household insurance, to the more specialist; pest and vermin control, and recycling services.
Deal or No Deal has become one of the biggest TV hits of recent times, enjoying a rapidly growing audience and winning the Royal Television Society’s Daytime Programme award. Deal or No Deal has seen the popularity of Noel Edmonds soar following his return to television after a long absence from the UK’s screens.
Mike Hopkins, General Manager Marketing, The Phone Book from BT said “The Phone Book’s sponsorship of Deal or No Deal is fantastic news for us, as it gives us the opportunity to communicate our message, in an entertaining and engaging way, in front of the 3.6 million people or more who tune in every day to watch and enjoy the excitement of this great new game show.
“Our significant investment in sponsorship of this kind also shows our real commitment to raising the awareness of The Phone Books Classified directory, which in turn will help generate more leads and business for our important advertiser customers”
David Charlesworth, Head of Sponsorship at Channel 4 added: “We are delighted that BT has done its own “deal” with Channel 4 for Deal or No Deal and that we have the opportunity to work with a well known, household brand.
“The size and profile of the audience will make a significant contribution to the awareness of The Phone Book. And our audience will benefit from knowing exactly how to find the information they need, which will in turn help prevent them missing even a moment of Deal or No Deal!”