CityFibre asks ‘does your broadband suck?’ in new ad campaign

Wholesale fibre firm CityFibre has launched a new ad campaign designed to get consumers to switch to its network via its partner ISPs, such as TalkTalk, Three, Vodafone and Zen.

It’s the first TV advertising spot CityFibre has deployed, and will run on Sky AdSmart and YouTube, targeted towards areas where it has coverage. There will be a series of social, digital audio and OOH (Out Of Home) ads promoting the network to consumers as well.

They’ve called the TV spot ‘Does your broadband suck?’, and we’re told it ‘captures the sheer elation and joy experienced by an unsuspecting man as he unlocks the torrent of internet benefits that can be enjoyed on the CityFibre network.’

CityFibre is a wholesale broadband company, which provides connectivity to consumer facing brands such as Vodafone, TalkTalk and Zen who resell it on to consumers. When asked for clarity as to the intentions of marketing directly to consumers, we were told: ‘CityFibre does not have a direct to consumer offering, but the ad is to promote the broader network and the range of Internet Service Providers that consumers can choose from to access the full fibre broadband in their area.’

The plan seems to be to drive traffic to the CityFibre website so potential customers can enter their postcodes and then be bounced to a local serving ISP, where one exists.

“For too long we’ve put up with broadband that has sucked the life out of using the internet,” said Dan Ramsay, Chief Marketing Officer at CityFibre. “With CityFibre’s full fibre network, it’s time to uncork the potential of what better connectivity can do for all of us. Acting as a launchpad, our network will completely transform the way we work, how we consume media, and keep us better connected with friends and family.”

Dramatic stuff – but that’s marketing for you. As well as the ‘sheer elation and joy’ the ad depicts, there could also be a risk of mild confusion in the mind of the average punter, who may not be as keenly aware of the wholesale provider/ISP dynamic as those within the industry are.

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