TV Spot Debuts; Company Hopes to Score Big With Viewers
JACKSON, Miss. - Jan. 31, 2005 - Wireless carrier Cellular South plans to debut a new commercial during Super Bowl XXXIX on Feb. 6, taking advantage of the year's most watched television event.
This marks the fifth year the company has captured attention through a local and regional ad buy within the national advertising blitz of the Super Bowl.
"The Super Bowl's phenomenal ratings - not just nationally but in all of our local markets - makes it the place to be," said Jana Latour, Cellular South director of advertising and marketing. "The timing also makes it a perfect venue for us to introduce our new campaigns every year.
"The spot we're showing during the Super Bowl is the first rollout of Cellular South's 2005 branding campaign. The television ad celebrates the wonderful array of things there are to talk about - where you have the freedom to use your wireless phone without having to think about it. That's exactly why Cellular South provides hassle-free rate plans, nationwide digital coverage, and a world-class voice and data network so customers can communicate as much as they want, wherever they want."
The advertising campaign, featuring Cellular South's flat-rate plans, will unfold throughout 2005. Mediums will include newspapers, outdoor boards, in-store promotions, direct mail and magazines.
The spots will air during the game on Fox Network affiliates in the Memphis, Jackson, Columbus/Tupelo, Hattiesburg/Laurel, Brookhaven/McComb/Natchez, Biloxi/Gulfport, and Mobile/Pensacola tv markets. This year's game in Jacksonville, Fla., pits the Philadelphia Eagles against the New England Patriots, with kickoff set for 5:30 p.m.
Super Bowl advertising in recent years has attracted both media and viewer attention, as many companies utilize the large audiences to roll out new spots. This year's contest is expected to attract more than 145 million viewers in the United States.
Cellular South's ad, titled Around Us, features a series of dreamy vignettes over a music bed. The imagery ranges from haunting and exquisite (a little league team transfixed by a fawn delicately traversing their playing field) to the unsettling and the just plain weird (a man crossing a busy intersection with a giant flower pot over his head). Together, the scenes create a montage of moments where something happens, be it wondrous or wacky, that strikes a chord within to tell someone.
The voiceover concludes, "The world is full of things to talk about. Which is why we give you the freedom to talk about all of them."
"Consumers want the freedom to use their phones without worrying about when and how much they are using them. That's why we developed our flat rate unlimited calling, long distance and text messaging plans," said Latour. "Cellular South offers so many possibilities and products to help people connect and talk with others that they feel empowered to talk about anything-from the ordinary to the extraordinary-any time they choose. With our flat rates, there are no worries and you can call anyone, any time the urge strikes. And that is the key message to viewers in our markets who will be watching the game."
About Cellular South
The company is one of the largest privately held wireless providers in the U.S. and is licensed to provide wireless service - to a total population of more than five million people - on its network stretching from the Memphis Metropolitan Area, throughout all of Mississippi, along Coastal Alabama and the Florida Panhandle through Destin/Seaside. For more information, contact Cellular South at 1-877-CSOUTH1 or visit cellularsouth.com.
Contact:
Tanya Rankin, Cellular South (601) 974-7134 trankin@cellularsouth.com
