118 118 (UK) - Advertising

Advertising

118 118's advertising features two men with droopy mustaches, wearing items of clothing with 118 and two parallel red stripes on it. They have appeared in various forms, including 'mad professors' with crazy grey hair. In their current incarnation they are engaged in various athletic pursuits including cricket, running and table tennis.

The 118 118 advertising was originally launched using the two men dressed as athletic runners. Used with the catchphrase "Got Your Number!", the runners' characters featured in a high-profile advertising (created by British marketing agency WCRS) and PR campaign (created by Brazil) before deregulation in August 2003. This slogan has fallen into disuse by the marketing department of 118 118 because of the expansion of service beyond directory enquiries alone, but the slogan has lived on in the minds of the public. The use of the runners' characters is particularly noted for the legal action threatened by 1970s record-breaking runner David Bedford. 118 118 responded to this by stating that their inspiration was partly the late American runner Steve Prefontaine. Bedford subsequently briefly worked for 118 500, a rival directory enquiries service provided by BT.

Subsequently they have appeared in a range of guises, including spoof detectives, as the company expanded on its range of services. During this period, although generally forgotten by the public, the slogan used was "We're here to help!", a different focus driven by the expansion of products offered.

In February 2006 a new advertising campaign was launched in which the runners appeared in advertisements in the style of the television show The A-Team, using the A-Team theme tune with the number 118 sung over the music. 118 118 was also the sponsor of Channel 4's showing of the American television series Lost. Despite the series moving to Sky One, the sponsorship continued. The first series featured the pair as amateur actors rehearsing in an empty hall, the second series featured them as psychiatrists, and the third and fourth has shown them as stranded on a remote island.

As Sky One obtained the rights to the series from Channel 4, 118 118 began to sponsor Prison Break on five - using the same 'psychiatrist' clips used for Lost. However, these will change in the near future to brand new clips which feature the boys 'lost' on their very own island and using 118 118 services to help them.

From March 2007, 118 118 began to sponsor ITV1 Movies. A daily cartoon strip advertising the service also ran, from 2008 to 2010, in Metro, a free newspaper. In Italy, the sister directory 892 892 launched a new TV campaign using a very similar style character duo as in the UK. Two men dressed in skin-tight red lycra with the number "892" on each of their chests are seen in various stages of their life as they inspire people across the land to become disco dancers - whilst publicising the 892 892 number.

In early 2009 Ray Parker Junior appeared alongside the droopy mustache men singing a 118 specific version of the Ghostbusters theme tune, at one point featuring the 118 men in place of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from the film. Alongside the advert an online game was produced where users could upload their own photos to replace the faces of the 118 118 men and dance alongside Ray Parker Junior to the Ghostbusters theme tune. In late 2009, the runners were animated, specifically promoting food and drink establishments available for booking via 118 118. In 2010 this campaign was dropped in favour of comedic scenarios.