The campaign represents the brand's first business work to run on television and takes an unusually humorous approach to promoting business products and services.
Creative, by Mother, features a satirical character called the Hard-nosed Businessman, who has a titanium nose and is obsessed with business. Five executions show him acting tyrannically; as well as terrorising employees in the office, he orders his son around on holiday - making him build sandcastles in the shape of office equipment, for example.
Each spot showcases a product or service from the Orange business portfolio, such as mobile e-mail and international roaming capabilities. The strapline is 'Bright Business'.
While Orange is the top consumer mobile brand in the UK, in the business market it lags behind Vodafone, with a market share of about 28% compared with Vodafone's share of about 40%, according to Orange.
It has more than one million business customers and clients including the RAC, Shell and Transco. Cynthia Gordon, marketing director for Orange Business Solutions UK, said: "We just needed to shout about our proposition.
The Hard-nosed Businessman is designed to influence the whole business market in a disruptive way, to make people realise we have a strong proposition for business."
The TV ads break on ITV, Channel 4, Five and Sky on March 20, running for six weeks. They form part of a year-long integrated campaign that also comprises radio, press, online, outdoor and ambient media.
The ads represent the first major creative campaign from Mother for Orange.
The agency was hired by Orange vice-president of brand marketing Jeremy Dale last autumn (Marketing, October 24). A consumer campaign will follow.
Orange, which is owned by France Telecom, last week reported earnings of 5.15bn euros (£3.56bn) for 2002, slightly ahead of forecasts.
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