Surprise Singer Steals Sky’s Show

Sky

Sky feels... #LikeThisButTelly

4.2

Spider-Man actor Andrew Garfield stars in Sky TV’s latest ad, a whimsical, fantastical train journey full of surprises and special effects (and an unlikely singer). Rather than make claims about the features and benefits of Sky’s TV package, or even boast about the selection available to subscribes, Sky’s ad concentrates on emotion, and what watching Sky feels like.

In a competitive market, with Sky’s giant streaming competitors fighting tooth and nail for every subscriber, you could call it a risky strategy. But don’t forget that Sky has a big advantage: years of name recognition and brand equity in the UK to build positive feeling behind its claim to be doing something special and different. And in a world where the number of new or newly available shows is higher than ever, it’s a better strategy to cut through the glut and concentrate on the emotional benefit of a reliably great TV channel.

Audiences agree, with Sky scoring a strong 4.2-Star Rating here for long term potential growth. Even better though are the sky-high (pun intended) short-term Spike and Brand Fluency scores, both in Exceptional territory. By making a dynamic, unpredictable, ad with strong branding from the beginning, Sky have been able to raise emotional intensity alongside recognition and put themselves in a great spot for short-term subscription growth as well as long-term success.

Is that all down to a celebrity guest star? Not quite. There’s no question that Andrew Garfield does a great job as the star of the ad, talking the viewer through the unlikely happenings on screen, like a packed disco on top of a moving train. But if you take a look at the “Happiness” tab in the Test Your Ad results, which identifies the peak emotional moment in the ad, you’ll find that Garfield is upstaged by his surprise co-star. Yes, a chameleon singing 80s classic “Karma Chameleon” is the breakout hit of Sky’s ad, and what pushes emotional response and intensity up.

For readers of Orlando Wood’s work in Look Out and Lemon, this shouldn’t be a shock. If you’ve read those books you’ll know that some of the best ways to get the valuable attention of the right brain are melodic music, cultural references, animals, and wordplay: all things that help your right brain connect elements and pay attention to context, which makes it likelier you’ll enjoy the ad as well. A chameleon singing “Karma Chameleon” manages to tick all those boxes at once – it’s a stroke of unlikely genius and a real crowd-pleasing moment.

The result is an ad that reminds you the Sky TV brand is exciting, full of variety, and above all fun. And it doesn’t need a list of unfamiliar shows to do it.

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