SATELLITE & CABLE: Animal Planet drops paws and claws for a humourous campaign

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.

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