Advertisers tap Edinburgh Fringe for new creative talent
Over 70 brands including John Lewis, Thomson, BT and KFC have briefed Global Radio's creative team to tap into emerging talents from this year's Edinburgh Fringe Festival and cut radio spots live on the scene of the month-long festival, as the broadcaster - whose stations include Xfm, Capital FM and Classic FM - aims to spot some of the arts and comedy circuits' finest emerging stars.
© Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society
Global Radio has received up to 70 briefs from brands and media buyers to identify emerging talent at the festival - famed for displaying rising showbiz stars, most notably on the comedy circuit - approach them to develop creative ideas, and then cut ad demos in a pop-up studio, all while the festival continues in the Scottish capital. The broadcaster will front the production costs, with those deemed likely to be a success by the advertisers themselves then scheduled to appear as on-air messaging.
Dubbed The EdFest Sessions, the activity will run until 23 August, with the broadcaster claiming it will help advertisers to better tap into the creative atmosphere and talent on display at the proceedings, which garner attention from audiences all over the world, and follows a successful trial last year when 23 advertisers participated - producing over 60 ads that went on to air live on radio.
Stuart Mays, director of commercial strategy at Global, said: “Last year’s EdFest programme was incredibly well received by both clients and agencies. We produced entertaining, often amusing, and in many cases very distinctive content that really pushed the boundaries of the creative process."
Elsewhere, Global Radio is also promoting its dax audio exchange, which sells digital ad slots on behalf of its individual station brands, as well as a host of third parties including rival broadcasters, such as Bauer Media’s Absolute Radio, as well as music streaming service providers including Deezer and Ministry of Sound, among media-buying outfits.
After initially launching last year, dax has partnered with a number of buying outfits, most notably WPP’s ad tech unit Xaxis, with its Xaxis Audio offering. Mays told The Drum the dax servicwe was a good method of encouraging brand advertisers - eager to take advantage of the efficiencies of programmatic, but wary of the potential pitfalls – to participate in automated trading, as it can provide reassurances over aspects such as brand safety.
Image above is used with the permission of © Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society