OSN creates new identity to match its profile

Dubai It's time to carve out an own identity. The premium pay-TV broadcaster OSN is doing just that and, in the process, is intent on sending out a strong signal to its subscriber base and the wider market.

A new campaign — conceived by Impact BBDO and accompanied by the tagline ‘If only life was as magical as OSN' — is just breaking regionwide which takes some of the instantly recognisable characters from Hollywood potboilers superimposed on regional backdrops. The rebranding itself was done in-house by OSN.

"We are reinforcing that we are a big brand bringing the best of Hollywood movies [and at the same time] be locally sensitive and relevant," said Bethany Bunnell, creative marketing director.

"In the past a lot was about the content. We want to reinforce the idea that it [content] is combined with technology — that's where the sweet spot, the magic happens.

"Some of the competitors claim to have HD [High Definition], but they are SD that they are converting. We have Dolby, we have true HD. So, it's about the experience and not just the content."

Connecting

Running through April, the campaign will play out in print, television and outdoor media as well as go for ambient campaign possibilities. The intention is to connect with subscribers, present and future ones, as part of their lives, according to Bunnell.

It was just about three years ago that the rival pay-TV operators Orbit and Showtime decided to merge operations and present a unified face to subscribers. Thus, the Orbit Showtime Network came into being and symbolised by its acronym.

"Showtime had different programming packages compared to Orbit," said Bunnell. "We wanted to create a new chapter and establish ourselves as OSN and have the legacy of neither Orbit or Showtime. OSN is its own entity. It has evolved.

"A year-and-a-half ago, there was still the legacy names being used for some of the channels and which have changed. Last March we stopped using Orbit Showtime Network and establish OSN as its own entity. Part of that was to have our potential and current subscribers really evaluate what OSN was about.

The new nomenclature is there throughout the channels and the branding and the purpose of OSN is to establish a high quality, big TV experience." And, obviously, to get more subscribers to tune in.

Timeline: OSN brand identity