The Paramount Comedy Channel is launching what it claims is the
UK’s first lesbian television commercial next week in a drive to raise
awareness of the channel and boost audiences for the US sitcoms, Ellen
and Cybill.
The new ad has been created by the HHCL Brasserie and features Rhona
Cameron, the gay TV presenter, extolling the joys of the Ellen comedy
show.
Ellen, one of the most popular comedy series in the US, stars Ellen
DeGeneres.
Both the Ellen character and DeGeneres recently came out as lesbians,
sending shockwaves through Middle America.
Paramount is now playing on this publicity to promote its screening of
Ellen on Friday nights. In the ad Cameron says: ’I love Ellen. She’s
blonde and she plays on the same team as me.’ The commercial also
promotes Cybill, which will air on Friday nights, but since Cybill is
patently heterosexual, Cameron does not quite feel the same way about
her.
The ad breaks on 13 October and will run for eight weeks on most UK
satellite stations, with media buying through Booth Lockett Makin. The
creative work was conceived by the Brasserie project team of Mischa
Alexander and Chris McDonald, directed by Elizabeth Whiston and David
Sheldon and produced by Claire Sadler.
The campaign comes nine months after the relaunch of the Paramount
Channel as the Paramount Comedy Channel, with a new focus on popular
comedy series such as Frasier, Roseanne and Cheers.
Since its February relaunch, the channel’s ratings have risen by around
150 per cent.
According to the marketing director, Dan Brooke, the channel is now
proportionately the youngest and most upmarket of any TV channel in the
UK.
