Animal Planet has rolled out a US$1.5 million regional
branding campaign to promote the channel's proposition - quality
entertainment with fur.
A series of six on-air promos, jointly created and produced with the
UK-based design company English and Pocket, dropped paws and claws for a
more fun look at animals.
Through animation, the Animal Planet logo evolves into a variety of
animals and insects, from a bull to a butterfly, fish, dog and
chimpanzee, and feature movements which are characteristic of each
species.
The logo becomes central to the channel's visual identity.
The TVCs are running on Discovery and Animal Planet, and the network
will explore promotional opportunities on terrestrial and other
satellite television as well, said creative director Phil Kitcher.
Coming up with a communications solution for the whole region was a
difficult task: Mr Kitcher pointed out that Asian countries, with their
diverse cultural backgrounds, saw various animals in different
light.
"The new brand campaign's witty and compelling visual communicates
Animal Planet's proposition clearly, while keeping the spirit of
entertainment with fur intact," said Ms Lesley Campbell, marketing and
communications director of Discovery Channel and Animal Planet.
"The new brand identity establishes that Animal Planet has everything a
general entertainment network offers, but with an animal twist."
The quirky execution of the different on-air promos define the tone of
Animal Planet - a network where viewers often encounter the unusual and
bizarre.
The branding campaign will run between one and one-a-half years to two
years before it moves to the next phase of development, according to Ms
Campbell.
A major branding challenge for Animal Planet is that the channel's name
itself has created the general impression that it is basically a
documentary network.
To further drive home its positioning as an entertainment network, the
channel's print campaign, developed by Saatchi & Saatchi Singapore,
showed animals in human context and vice-versa.
In one execution, a monkey sits in a courtroom, depicting the
hilariously wild moments in Judge Wapner's Animal Court.
According to Ms Campbell, the network will work on more programming
adjustment for specific markets, and involve local distributors in
collaborative efforts.
New programmes for this year include: Animal Planet Awards, X Creatures,
and The Animalympics, with content ranging from comedy, drama,
documentaries and TV series.
With distribution in 6.5 million homes, Animal Planet has signed a deal
with TV Times in Taiwan, allowing it to add another two to three million
subscribers in 2000.
In Malaysia, Animal Planet has signed an agreement with Astro to
distribute the network on its educational TV, Channel 28.
Animal Planet will continue with joint efforts on the ground, working
with non-government organisations like Worldwide Fund for Nature, Asian
Conservation Awareness Programme, Society for the Prevention of Cruelty
to Animals and the Singapore Zoological Gardens, to look into
conservation and animal-related issues.
