Panasonic is to sponsor Christmas on ITV after signing a pounds
500,000 deal with the ITV sales house, Carlton.
The deal, negotiated with Carlton by Panasonic’s media agency, Universal
McCann, will attach the brand to three or four programmes a day between
21 and 27 December - a crucial sales period for the electrical goods
industry.
McCann-Erickson has created six sponsorship sequences which make wry
observations about a family over the Christmas period. Although
Panasonic is unable to show its products, it refers to them by
association through the sketches. One sequence implies the benefits of a
Panasonic vacuum cleaner by showing a Christmas tree which has shed its
pine needles. Someone is heard hoovering them up, but the mother of the
family then slams a door, causing the tree to shed more needles.
Andy Thompson, deputy head of sponsorship at Carlton said: ’We’ve never
had a sponsorship deal over Christmas before, nor has any other
broadcaster. Sponsorship works best when tied in with an occasion with
the correct creative execution.’ He added that ITV was in discussion
with other advertisers about sponsoring events such as Hallowe’en,
Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day.
Russell Simpkins, the general manager for Panasonic UK, said: ’The
credits reflect ’Christmas with the family’ and our strategy is for the
humorous treatment to add to the viewer’s enjoyment.’
The ’showcase’ deal follows other broad-based attachments including
those between Doritos and ITV movie premieres and Midland Bank and ITV
drama series.
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