Orange and why film?

Orange have spent a lot of money in bringing themselves into the film industry, however they do not produce films but they do support the audience of many.
Orange have done many adverts that were based on a film pitch - for example, the A-Team (Orange).
Also before a cinema screening, they now have a mobile phone warning clip before each film to remind viewers to switch off their phones but Orange have cleverly interpreted this because it is there market but also it is a form of advertisement for them. They also offer 2-for-1 deals on occasions such as their 'Orange Wednesday' deal which basically means 'if you go to the cinema on a wednesday to watch a movie then you can invite your friend for free'. Then to support this idea, they also have a 2-for-1 Pizza Express deal on a Wednesday, so if you buy a meal you get another free. Then they have also teamed up with iTunes to offer a 'Movie to Go' to all Orange customers every thursday by downloading it off the iTunes store supported by Apple. Then finally, for the past 14 years Orange have teamed up with the BAFTA'S (The British Academy of Film and Television Arts), they help sponsor the event but also they sponsor a very important award called the 'Rising Star' which is the award that is given to a newcomer within the industry. It has always been an award of which the members of the public could vote but since the takeover, votes are only counted if they are a mobile/broadband customer with Orange.

Their is a possibility that Orange went into this market, one of which is that Orange has been know for bad customer service for their products and services within the telecom industry. So the only way Orange could find a way to show that they cared about their customers would be by aiming their marketing campaigns and deals to the 'Film lovers'. Orange had started these deals because they wanted to be customer friendly, by offering such deals to help their Orange customers. They then also want to be cutting edge and youthful. Overall, the Orange brand just wants to get out that cross-media branding.

Orange had targeted film specifically because it is a huge market, it may be a smaller than the gaming market but they say films are more widely watched around the world than games played. Orange would see that film audiences were 'aspirational'. They also targeted the BAFTAS because it is a widely recognisable event, it contains many celebrities that are looking all dressed up for the cameras. Even  many who don't like films just watch the event down to the fact that the celebrities are wearing 'red carpet dresses' or 'tuxedos'. Orange are guaranteed publicity on this timed event because the brand is all over the place, especially on the famous boards where the celebrities pose. This is where Orange get good publicity because when the viewers look at the celebrities they also see the sponsors of which is Orange, scattered everywhere amongst the white board. This sort of event creates opportunity for press junkets and event journalism, this will help promote Oranges brand because it could be published in magazines and newspapers from journalists. Finally, they chose the 'Rising Star' award because this is the award given to anyone who is new to the film industry. If they receive the award and then receive many more in the future, it will relate back to when they won their first award which was sponsored by Orange, so that is a reason why they chose that specific award.

Overall, their is a reason why they chose film because it is a huge market that is accessible to many and so advertising Orange would be suitable due to the fact they want to feel as a business, that they are customer friendly but also its brand image will be more widely recognised within the UK from their campaigns.