Orange UK Strengthens its Film Partnership Strategy for 2013

• Orange UK reviews partnership strategy and positions film as central to its brand partnership focus for next year
• Orange Wednesdays, Orange BAFTA and Orange Gold Spots all signed for 2013 with additional opportunities currently under consideration 

London, UK – 22 May 2012 – Orange today announced that following a strategic review of its UK sponsorship portfolio, it has chosen to position film as central to its brand focus for next year, and reaffirmed its commitment to the sector, signing sponsorship partners including BAFTA. Orange is also reviewing additional opportunities designed to enhance its offering in film.

Independent research has shown that film resonates highly with smartphone users, both across consumer and business segments, and Orange already has an established association with the sector in the UK. This includes its hugely popular, award winning Orange Wednesdays 2-4-1 cinema ticket offer which since launch has developed a 73% awareness amongst 16-64 year olds in the UK. The offer has also been extended to Orange’s home broadband customers as well as to include 2-4-1 main meals at Pizza Express in recent years.

Orange has become an established brand among movie goes at the cinema having held the rights to the most valuable pre-film advertising slot in UK cinemas immediately prior to a film, the Gold Spots, for the past 12 years. Orange Gold Spots have become renowned in their own right with celebrity movie tie-ins with films such as The Muppets and most recently The Expendables 2.

Orange is also the current headline sponsor of the British Academy Film Awards, and through this partnership has its own Orange Wednesdays Rising Star Award - the only award to be voted for by the public that is presented at the ceremony.

Contractual agreements have been signed to continue the Orange Wednesdays initiative, as well as the Orange BAFTA and Orange’s cinema Gold Spots series through 2013, with additional sponsorship opportunities both in and out of film across consumer and business segments, currently under review.

Spencer McHugh, Director of Brand, Orange UK said: “We believe our long standing association with film is a great way to help us communicate our brand in the UK, and I’m pleased to confirm it will play a central role in our brand marketing activity in 2013. Following a strategic review, we will also be assessing several additional new partnership and media opportunities which could help us to highlight our brand in 2013 to consumers and business customers alike.”

As a result of the new focus, 2012 marks the final year for several of Orange’s UK longstanding partnerships as the brand continues the evolution of its UK sponsorship programme.

This includes, Women’s Prize for Fiction, which it has partnered with for 17 highly successful years and has been one of the most acclaimed arts sponsorships in the UK.

Orange’s five year partnership with the RockCorps Collective will also cease at the end of this year. During the life of its rewarding partnership, 200,000 hours of community work have been delivered for over 300 charity partners. Orange has also been instrumental in helping the organisation host a series of celebration concerts with top-billing artists including Lady GaGa, Snoop Dogg, Primal Scream and Diddy, as well as the largest all-volunteer concert at Wembley Arena. Orange RockCorps was also the proud winner of the Prime Minister’s Big Society Award in 2011.

Finally, 2012 is set to be the last year that Orange will be the headline partner of the National Business Awards, a sponsorship it has held for the past 11 years. Orange has played a key role in helping support the national annual awards ceremony and championing the success of businesses in the UK.

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About Orange UK

Orange is the key brand of the France Telecom Group, one of the world's leading telecommunications operators. With almost 131 million customers, the Orange brand now covers Internet, television and mobile services in the majority of countries where the Group operates.

In the UK, Orange provides high quality GSM coverage to 99% of the UK population, and 3G coverage to more than 93%.

Orange and any other Orange product or service names included in this material are trade marks of Orange Brand Services Limited.

On July 1 2010, the company became part of Everything Everywhere, one company that runs two of Britain's most famous brands - Orange UK and T-Mobile UK - with plans to transform the industry by giving customers instant access to everything, everywhere, offering them the best value, best choice and best network coverage in the country. Everything Everywhere Limited is the UK’s biggest communications company, with a combined customer base of almost 28 million people and more than 720 retail stores across the country. Everything Everywhere Limited is registered at Hatfield Business Park, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL10 9BW under the registered company number 02382161.

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