`Yle´s Digi-TV Project Project Manager Tuire Nuolivirta

March 2008

Corporate Communications and Marketing

Digital switchover – Promotion and Marketing Efforts at Yle

Project Manager, Tuire Nuolivirta

March 2008

Background

Yle´s Digital TV –project and its Control Group were established in November 2005.

The main target of the project was to ensure that the digital swichover will be applied according to the aims, not harming Yle Brand and in the given time by 31st of August 2007 all over the country.

In Spring 2006 the company’s strategy was based on customer-orientedness, multimedia technology and on placing content production at the heart of everything Yle does.

The strategy formed the basis for the new organisation. The organisational reform was designed principally to strengthen Yle’s

capasity to provide its audiences with a more diverse and flexible service.

Yle television channels were profiled to be customer-orientated.

Corporate Communications and Marketing March 2008

Marketing and Branding Efforts in a nutshell

Marketing and Branding Efforts lasted more than two years.

They were very much based on promoting Yle´s channels and brogrammes.

Yle Brand and programme spots were cross promotied heavily in every Yle’s TV Channels.

The slogans Yle used were ”More Content” and

”A Family of Five Star Channels”

Corporate Communications and Marketing March 2008

Internal Communication

Internal Communicationfor Yle’s own staff

Information Campaigns

Digi Seminars

Current issues and news

Corporate Communications and Marketing March 2008

Guiding Principles

For Audience In depth information about

Digital Switchover What it offers > quality

programming What it requires from the

audience > digi box or digital television

Practical guidence for the audience > how to manage with new technical equipments

Efficient personal counselling was essential – phone service was not enough, particularly in coverage area issues.

Corporate Communications and Marketing March 2008

Guidance

Project trained about forty inhouse technical people to become ”Digital Godfarthers” in several areas of Finland and many more external ones, including also young people.

Training included a massive material package, produced by the project

Training was followed by participation in numerous bigger and smaller events around the country as ”Digital Godfarthers”.

In addition the project produced web sites full of information and guidance.

Corporate Communications and Marketing March 2008

Marketing and Branding

Campaigns and events Monthly News Letters for

digibox providers and Cable Operators consisting Information about Yle´s Digital Channels and the Key Programmes in order to speed up digital device business.

Simo’s Digi Channel > Informative and entertaining digi spots, which were run in all Yles´s tv channels

Digi ABS > a series of short programmes, spotlight on ordinary people´s digi questions.

Yle and the commune of Pihtipudas > campaign lasted well over two years and followed how the inhabitants of the commune prepared for digital switchover > lot of tv and radio programmes, several big events, training of local Godfarthers, good co-operation with the local newspaper > lot of writing etc.

National Digi Day,31th of August, 2006

A two hour long Digi Chat on net followed by a direct radio programme ”Ask about Digi TV”

Corporate Communications and Marketing March 2008

Marketing and Branding

Digi Channel YLE Teema celebrated its five year anniversary in Tampere, August 2006 > big event in the market place, Channel presented its autumn programmes with celebreties, a lot of digi information available for the audience.

YLE’s Mediabus had a long tour around Finland, visiting schools and delivering digi info.

Digi Week 1, 2006 consisting of radio and television contact programmes > ”Ask about Digi”

A Five day long Media event, where Yle introduced its television channels as a Family of Five Star Channels”, made three television programmes among the audience as well as transmitted them.

The Antenna Day, Spring 2007 Focus on antennas > how to tackle with

them. Again lot of radio programmes, news and information in radio and tv.

National Digi Week 2, in August, 2007, just before the Switchover > focus on quality programming and digi

information on tv channels and in radio.

Corporate Communications and Marketing March 2008

Marketing and Branding

Digi Stop > big events around the country ending up in the city of Hämeenlinna just before the Digital Swichover.

TV captions > two weeks before the switchover Yle

informed the audience regurlary about the becoming Swichover.

An other TV caption was run on TV two weeks after the switchover informing those who had neither digi box nor digital tv that digital swichover has been carried out and the screen will keep black because of that.

For further information, please get in touch with

tuire.nuolivirta@yle.fi + 358 40 547 2732

Corporate Communications and Marketing March 2008