DC08-148 April 30, 2008
BT Business ad sees dragon slain by The Gremlins
Dragons’ Den and American Inventor star Peter Jones is set to star in the new BT Business
multi-million pound advertising campaign alongside 1980’s anti-heroes, The Gremlins.
The TV ad features the business guru struggling with IT problems created by The Gremlins. The multi-millionaire entrepreneur is seen working late in his office alone. Little does he know that The Gremlins have started to attack his computer and office. Peter is seen struggling to get his computer to work and comes across bare wires that look as if they have been chewed.
With no IT support available, he tries to discover why his computer is malfunctioning only for The Gremlins in their inimitable way to attack the whole office leading to an IT meltdown with paper and sparks flying, and even the odd Gremlin swinging from the ceiling fan. The ad ends with a dejected and defeated Peter slumped on his desk.
Anyone who has ever suffered IT problems and lost work when no support is available will understand Peter’s frustration. The campaign announces the fact that BT Business offers 24-hour IT and Communications support for all business customers, to help them do what they do best. The ad, which airs on TV for the first time on Monday May 5, follows last year’s successful Gordon Ramsay ads.
The new campaign with The Gremlins, which were licensed from Warner Bros., was created by advertising agency Swarm. It will feature on TV as well on print, poster and online and will run for eight weeks.
Peter Jones said: “As an entrepreneur working with many small businesses and start-ups, I know how catastrophic it can be when IT problems strike. It is vital for any company to have the necessary support around the clock, but especially for companies who don’t have the benefit of IT departments and experts on-site all the time.”
“BT Business understands that, when looking for partners and suppliers, SMEs want flexibility and they also want somebody that is as passionate about their business as they are.”
Mick Hegarty, marketing director of BT Business, said: “Everyone loves The Gremlins from the films but we know there is nothing worse than gremlins attacking your IT system and damaging your work. This is why we offer 24-hour IT and Communications support because you never know when those IT gremlins will strike.”
BT Business, part of BT’s Retail division, provides a range of services to the UK’s 4.3 million small and medium sized businesses, covering fixed-line, mobile and broadband telecoms and IT solutions and services. It has revenues of £2.2 billion and constitutes 12 per cent of BT Group’s revenue. Last year the division acquired two of the UK’s foremost IT services companies, Lynx Technology and Basilica Computing to enhance its capability in the IT solutions area.
Visit: bt.com/business for more information.
Images of Peter Jones and The Gremlins can be downloaded from http://imagelibrary.btplc.com.
Notes to editors
• Special effects company Artem created 20 Gremlins for the ad.
• It took a crew of 34 specialist technicians and over 2,500 man hours to produce the different component parts required to bring the mischievous creatures to life.
• More than 100 litres of liquid latex and 75 litres of soft foam went into the bodies; hundreds of teeth had to be made and each set of eyeballs painstakingly hand painted.
• A separate crew was working simultaneously on the internal mechanisms to make them easy to operate for the puppeteers and give them distinctive “Gremlin™” expression and movement.
• The shoot required 28 puppeteers and technicians to operate the Gremlins who each developed their own character
• The ad airs on TV for the first time on Monday May 5. The ad will be available to view online from Wednesday April 30, 2008.
