Virgin Media recruits Navy Seal for new ad campaign

Virgin Media's latest ad campaign introduces gamer, Nick the Navy Seal, as its newest animal archetype. First airing on primetime ITV on Friday 13th March, the ad celebrates the power of Virgin Media's superior fibre optic network which provides the UK’s best widely available broadband for streaming1.

In the ad, called Navy Seal, Nick is sitting on the sofa in a darkened living room illuminated only by the light coming from the TV set. Completely engrossed in his clandestine mission to bring down the enemy, we hear shooting and explosions from the TV and fellow gamers talking through the seal’s headset.

A voice over explains that for Navy Seals like Nick, speeds are essential to allow gamers to download new games quicker which is why they opt for Virgin Media’s superfast broadband. And of course every second counts when you’re not being a dad as Nick is interrupted from his mission by the return of his family. His young daughter joins him on the sofa and the voiceover exclaims ‘Sabotage!’ while Nick and his wife exchange a knowing look.

Nick the Navy Seal, joins familiar characters Ed the Sofa Bear, Ally the Night Owl, the Broadbanditsand Chloe the Chatterparrot who have previously featured in Virgin Media’s ad campaign. Each animal archetype exhibits the different ways people consume entertainment and stay connected using Virgin Media’s unrivalled broadband.

Virgin Media customers can enjoy broadband speeds of up to 152Mb, twice as fast as any other major provider, with Virgin Media’s ‘Big Kahuna’ bundle from £39 a month for 12 months2. This also includes the highly acclaimed TiVo® with more than 230 TV channels with 40 in HD, including BT Sport, more channels on the go than any other provider, as well as a home phone, and service and repairs included at no extra cost. All Virgin Media TiVo customers can also access Virgin TV Anywhere for free from their iOS or Android device allowing them to stream 103 channels live over WiFi.

The bundles offer unprecedented flexibility and value to consumers all under-pinned by Virgin Media’s market-leading fibre optic network. Details of the full range of Virgin Media Big Bundles can be found here: www.virginmedia.com

The ad campaign was created by BBH, with media planning handled by Manning Gottlieb OMD, and will also run in cinema, display, online search, social media Video on Demand, print and out of home.

Notes to editors

1 The high quality video streaming Virgin Media customers enjoy is made possible by our network’s ability to support the highest streaming rates with low packet loss and latency. This ability has been proven in independent testing by Ofcom, details of which can be found on Ofcom’s website. More information is also available here.

2 Currently available on an 18 month contract from £39 for the first 12 months, then from £49 thereafter, now with Netflix included for six months.

The creative leads for the campaigns:

Director: Big Red Button

Creative Directors: Tom Drew and Uche Ezugwu, BBH

Creative Team: Doug Fridlund & Mikael Alcock, BBH

Production Company: Moxie Pictures