Live ad grabs attention in rugby break

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A live ad for directory enquiries service 11850 was watched by more than half a million Irish viewers when it aired in the break of a high profile rugby match on RTE Two.

11850 wanted to demonstrate the "nifty" nature of its service with a similarly styled ad, so reserved the full 90-second half-time ad break in the TV coverage of Munster vs New Zealand.

During this break it broadcast Ireland’s first live ad, whose content related entirely to the action that had just been watched by 16% of Ireland’s population.

The ad, 50% of which was written during the first half of the game, saw the classic 118 characters discussing the events of the match with humour, discussing, for example, a drop goal that had helped contribute to the very close score line.

As well as broadcasting on RTE Two, the live ad was simulcast on www.RTE.ie and RTE Radio One. It reached around 10,000 radio listeners and tens of thousands of additional viewers of RTE's live online stream.

PHD has stressed the ad was cost-effective despite taking over the entire commercial break, saying the key to the campaign’s success was the negotiation of a cross media platform deal with RTW and 11850.

By grabbing the spotlight across three different mediums with this one-off ad, 11850 ensured it would achieve cut-through in a cluttered market.

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