PCCW uses TV to tout clarity edge

The campaign plays up feelings and emotions that words are able to convey across geography and boundaries to demonstrate PCCW's claim to superior line clarity. PCCW chose to capitalise on the service's benefits after an independent study by a Hong Kong university last year found its line quality to be far superior than rivals in clarity and connection speed.

"When you hear someone speak, the words, the pauses have a certain feeling - it's not just about hearing the syllables, but the emotional content they convey, which is a demonstrable benefit of PCCW's IDD product,

said Anant Deboor, planning director at J. Walter Thompson, which developed the campaign.

Hence the creative proposition - '0060 delivers true emotions' - based on inhouse studies showing that superior line clarity is critical to the "impact of words being communicated", according to JWT's group account director Stella Lau.

The 40 and 35-second executions are made up of vignettes showcasing a range of emotions - from joy to anger and despair - all brought to life with BoyZone's 1999 hit Words as the soundtrack. The supporting print campaign serves to drive home the point that consumers should consider superior line clarity over price in choosing their IDD operator. As such, only half the featured visual is in focus in the print ads. "The TVC provides the halo to what the brand stands for, with the more tactical print execution offering a supporting pillar,

said Anant.

With close to 150 licensed operators, Hong Kong's long-distance market has been saturated with offers since it was deregulated in the late 90s.

Anant said most of the advertising had trained consumers to look for special offers.

In what is becoming a growing trend, incumbent agency JWT had to pitch for the project in a four-way contest against Grant Advertising, and PCCW's two other agencies - McCann-Erickson and Euro RSCG.