Marconi Clicks TV Ads, Hits Sponsor Track

Brandweek, Jan 17, 2000 by Terry Lefton

Marconi, a European networking systems company whose name is more commonly associated with the inventor of wireless telegraphy than the Internet, wants to establish its brand in the U.S. with a series of sports sponsorships and a $5 million-plus TV campaign.

While the company which recently changed its name from General Electric, has enough North American business to support 45,000 employees, a branding exercise is needed to help it stand out from such competitors as Cisco, Lucent and Nortel, said Ron McKenzie, svp-corporate marketing.

A TV campaign from Athorn, Clark & Partners, New York, starts in February with buys on business nets CNBC, CNN, Headline News and the Discovery Channel, along with various sporting events. Print ads will appear in Forbes, The Economist, Business Week and The Wall Street Journal.

Without revealing details of the new creative, McKenzie said it would carry the theme of customer intimacy illustrating how Marconi can help people "achieve their finest hour." Three consecutive double spreads in the WSJ and The Financial Times introduced the tagline "Your finest hour" in December.

Meanwhile, the company is delving into sports sponsorship in the U.S., signing a four-year deal to sponsor the new Pennsylvania Classic PGA Tour, which will alternate between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. In the Western end of the Keystone State, Marconi will be title sponsor, and when in the Philadelphia area, it will be a presenting sponsor. The deal includes media on ESPN.

Already a title sponsor of the Cleveland Grand Prix, Marconi has added a primary sponsorship with Benetton Racing's Fl car, which includes signage on the car and driver uniform. The deal gives Marconi an on-site technology platform and is expected to be leveraged in future advertising efforts.