SINGAPORE: Virgin Mobile launches in Singapore on October 12, with
Richard Branson set to abseil down a building as part of its "The Great
Escape" campaign.
Virgin has shunned TV and print in the campaign, arguing that both
mediums are expensive.
A major exception is that Virgin will have a music TV programme on
Channel 5 called Upwardly Mobile.
Virgin is using radio and outdoor extensively. "We're using 'reality
marketing', which means we want to reach the consumer when they are out
and about," said regional brand director Jonny Lang.
Virgin's debut coincides with a price war sparked by Singapore
Telecommunications.
Despite its stake in Virgin, SingTel is treating it as a rival and is
offering a 50 per cent price cut. With Singapore's high mobile phone
penetration rate, Virgin has to convince locals to switch from one of
the three established players to its service.
It aims to woo people by highlighting competitors' restrictions, while
arguing that its service does not bind customers to yearly
contracts.
Tequila created the Virgin ads, which include cheeky one-liners such as
"We're here but we have no plans". "We want to position Virgin around
the notion of freedom. It's about the freedom to choose and allowing
consumers to escape from being trapped," Lang added.
