Freetime and Avantgarde People reach out to MK shoppers
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Avantgarde UK created an interactive brand experience for Freetime, the smart TV Guide from Freesat, at thecentre:mk celebrating all the brilliant things to see and do in Milton Keynes.
Freesat, the subscription free satellite TV service, appointed Avantgarde UK and its in-house bespoke staffing division, Avantgarde People, to help raise brand awareness of its Freetime TV Service through regional experiential activity. The activity at thecentre:mk in Milton Keynes, invited consumers to discover what type of ‘Freetimer’ they were through taking part in a fun and engaging Facebook-style quiz with the chance to win a fantastic 42” Panasonic Viera Freetime TV. Based on their quiz results, shoppers could discover new local activities and hobbies to suit their interests and personality types, encouraging them to make the most of their free time in Milton Keynes. Shoppers were then given a fun and quirky badge depicting what type of freetimer they were – including ‘Culture Clubber, ‘Joiner-Inner’ and ‘Thrill Seeker’ – with their individual quiz results and activity recommendations emailed to them post the activity to remind them of their experience.
In addition to the quiz activity, shoppers could see for themselves the benefits and features of Freetime through taking part in interactive product demos, as well as take up the activity’s promotional offer of up to 25% off set top boxes in store at John Lewis in thecentre:mk.
Research carried out by Freesat ahead of the live event activity revealed that the majority of residents in Milton Keynes would love to spend their free time trying new things and even pick this as a priority over earning more money, however, they feel as though they don’t have the time to discover what is on and therefore tend to stick to what they know.
Jennifer Elworthy, head of marketing at Freesat says ‘There’s so much going on in Milton Keynes for residents to get involved with – from belly dancing to African drumming, and water sports to wine tasting – it’s just about having the time to discover them. With our event, we wanted to celebrate all that Milton Keynes has to offer and help residents discover new things to do with their free time. It tied in really nicely with our Freetime service which allows busy viewers the chance to watch, pause, rewind and record at the touch of a button in their own time, therefore never having to worry about missing their favourite shows and spending more time going out.”
Much more than just a demo and sales stand, the activity featured handpicked and specifically trained brand ambassadors from Avantgarde UK’s promotional staffing arm, Avantgarde People, to ensure the stand engaged with shoppers in a fun, engaging and community-led way – this was key to the experience. As well as being fully trained on the brand and product, Avantgarde People’s staff met with local activities and communities pre-event to gain firsthand experience of what was on offer in the area so as to talk knowledgably to shoppers.
Jennifer Elworthy says, ‘Having engaging and product savvy brand ambassadors helped us engage with consumers in a deeper, more meaningful way.’
Stuart Bradbury from Avantgarde UK adds, ‘We are thrilled with the results from the recent Freetime activity in Milton Keynes. It goes to show how a genuinely great product, coupled with the right creative execution and staffing, can generate real buzz and deliver solid results. It’s also been a great success for Avantgarde People, our newly launched staffing arm. In sourcing and managing our own staff we can ensure the brand is represented in the right way and can help add even more value for our clients.’
