The furniture retailer will promote its association with the soap through press, outdoor and in-store activity as well as interactive and mobile. It has also rebranded some of its trucks with a fresh look that includes the Coronation Street sign.
Helen Vinken, head of marketing at Harveys, said it is sponsoring the show to achieve stand-out in the highly congested furniture market. 'We are aiming to become the UK's favourite furniture store and promote the fact that we sell products such as dining and bedroom furniture as well as sofas.'
Unlike Cadbury, the previous sponsor of Coronation Street, Harveys will extend the broadcast sponsorship into the interactive and mobile arenas; it is launching a branded WAP site and will host games and competitions on ITV's interactive TV service. It will also use the Friends Reunited database to promote special offers throughout the year.
The sponsorship idents were developed by Proximity London, with media planning and buying handled by Starcom MediaVest Plus. The sponsorship deal was overseen by Gary Knight, brand partnership director of ITV.
According to Vinken, the sponsorship will not divert funds from other above-the-line activity. Harveys' latest ad campaign breaks today (Wednesday).
.jpg)
.jpg)