FX Star
TalkTalk
Issue 41 | December 2016
Agency
CHI&Partners
Creative Team
Executive Creative Director Jonathan Burley Creative Partner Micky Tudor Creative Director Jim Bolton Creative Ben Da Costa Art Director John Sunter CEO Nick Howarth CSO Neil Goodlad Planners Simon Ringshall Katherine Barnett Business Director Tom McCoy Account Director Freddie Eaves
Production Team
Executive Producer David Jones Producer Andy Roberts Executive Digital Director Stuart Holton Digital Producer Gary Serradinho Creative Producer Ruby Hill Digital Production MPC Creative Music Company Wake the Town Audio Scramble Soho Limited
Other Credits
Client Managing Director Tristia Harrison Marketing Director David Parslow Head of Brand Mark Moloney Brand Managers Andrew Mitchell Creative Director & Head of Brand Paul Godfrey
Date
September 2016
Background
TalkTalk had sponsored the UK's hit TV show "The X Factor" for ten years. Its user-generated idents campaigns had become very popular.
Idea
Using TalkTalk's 'FX Star' app, fans were invited to create the idents themselves and win the opportunity to be on prime-time TV. At home, they could make short videos of themselves lip-syncing along to their favourite tracks.
The app, downloadable from Google Play and the App Store, had three music tracks they could choose from and five fun filters such as 'Apple Head', 'Party Paint', 'Comic Book', 'Glam Rock', 'Teddy Boys' or 'Flower Power'.
Up to four people could feature in the same music video.
The best videos submitted would then be selected to air on TV during The X Factor ad breaks.
Results
Not known
Our Thoughts
There is a school of thought which suggests that user-generated content is on the way out because it's just too much effort for punters.
And it's true that there have been a few UGC flops recently. One campaign invited people to make a video about what they would do if they won a million. Fewer than thirty people could be bothered. More would have given it a go if a million had been on offer as a prize.
And that's the thing, people will generate content for you provided there is some return on their investment of time and talent. Appearing on national television on a Saturday evening in front of an audience of seven million or thereabouts, well that gives you bragging rights for months to come.
Here is a sponsor showing a broadcaster how to use digital to create a stronger bond with their offline viewers.