Have you seen Usain Bolt return in BBH Virgin Media ads?

Are you in the UK right now? Have you seen the new BBH Virgin Media ads featuring Jamaican Sprinter, Usain Bolt? If you haven't, then I guess you need to check out the ads on YouTube.

The six-time Olympic champion finds himself sharing his superfast broadband connection with some unlikely housemates and a trio of cute but cunning gadget rascals in Virgin Media's latest ad campaign. First airing on primetime ITV during Mr Selfridge on Sunday, 1st February, the ads celebrate the power of Virgin Media’s superior fibre optic network, which provides the UK’s best widely available broadband for streaming.

In the new ad, Usain is joined by various animal archetypes which exhibit the different ways people consume entertainment and stay connected using Virgin Media’s broadband services. The ad campaign sees the return of Ed the Sofa Bear and Ally the Night Owl and the introduction of new characters – Chloe the Chatterparrot and three cheeky racoons known as the Broadbandits. Each character makes the most of Virgin Media’s powerful network as they all go online at the same time to do the things they enjoy.

In the first ad, called ‘Broadbandits’, Usain is streaming the latest Netflix release on a tablet while surrounded by three young racoons. His screen is deftly swiped by a racoon who wants to watch Rio 2, then the other racoons pinch his phone and laptop. A voiceover explains broadband from Virgin Media stays superfast, even when everyone in the home is connected. Usain grabs the TiVo® remote to the dismay of the racoons who turn to look at him. He says “Don’t even think about it!” before sitting back to stream Netflix on TV.

In the second ad, called ‘Full House’, Usain heads to his living room to play a game online. He finds the sofa is already occupied by Ed the Sofa Bear, watching TV. Meanwhile Ally the Night Owl, who is streaming a box set on her tablet, and Chloe the Chatterparrot, busily Skyping a friend, are in the other rooms. When Usain finally finds a quiet spot in the loft he starts to play a game on his tablet, but is interrupted by a disapproving Ally, who makes him turn the volume down.                                


Richard Larcombe, Director of Brand and Marketing at Virgin Media, said: “As Usain finds out in our latest campaign, customers are using more connected devices around the home than ever before. As our superfast broadband is powered by the UK’s best widely available network for streaming, it enables customers to enjoy the things they love online seamlessly – even when lots of devices are being used at the same time. So the only thing they need to worry about is whether their own Broadbandits have run off with their gadgets.”

Media worth "multi-million pounds ad campaign which was created by BBH, with media planning handled by Fifty6, will also run in cinema, display, online search, social media Video on Demand, print and out of home.

With advertisers and agencies overdosing on content we’re going to see lots more of this.

The future is unfolding... Hope African advertising agencies are watching out for this. 

Image credit: Virgin Media