Channel 5 is again courting controversy this week with an ad that
plays on the sexuality of the trade and industry secretary, Peter
Mandelson.
The channel is running a national print campaign showing the chancellor,
Gordon Brown, chatting to Mandelson about the Copenhagen v Chelsea
fixture on Thursday. The ad focuses on the player, Brian Laudrup, who is
in the process of moving to Copenhagen.
In the first picture, Brown asks Mandelson: ’Do you fancy Laudrup for
tonight?’, to which Mandelson replies: ’Yes, I think he should get an
outing.’
A teaser ad features the line: ’Will another left-winger come out
tonight?’.
The ad is the latest in a series of controversial campaigns created by
Channel 5’s agency, Walsh Trott Chick Smith, based around topical news
stories. When BSkyB announced plans to buy Manchester United, Channel 5
ran a spoof radio and print campaign featuring an aggressive Australian
boss and his English lackey to promote its football coverage. It also
caused a storm with an ad depicting the Newcastle player, David Batty,
in stockings and high heels, and with perimeter boards placed at a
recent Blackburn Rovers match telling BBC viewers to switch to Channel
5’s coverage of a Liverpool match.
Jim Hytner, Channel 5’s marketing director, said: ’All marketing can do
is build a reputation with customers. That can’t be done with bland
marketing. When you are not the brand leader you have to think harder
and work harder and that is what Walsh Trott is doing for us.’
