Prince William and Kate Middleton weren’t the only celebrity couple to tie the knot during April. Also marching up the aisle were Adam and Jane, the fictional couple who have been an ever-present in BT’s advertising since 2005 (the creative work handled by ad agency AMV BBDO). 

BT launched its Adam and Jane wedding ad during ITV1’s Britain’s Got Talent on April 23. During the course of its run, the company expects 28 million people to see it. In addition, however, BT is also generating a strong wave of exposure and engagement through its broad-based PR activity. 

Viewers’ direct interaction 

Various factors have helped drive the PR halo around the ad. The first, of course, is the timing of the ad. Just six days before the Royal Wedding, BT tapped into the positive vibe that exists around matrimony at the moment, referring to its campaign as “the second biggest wedding of the year”. 

No less important is the way viewers have been invited to interact directly with the campaign. Like the Nescafe Gold Blend couple before them, Adam and Jane’s unfolding story of family life has allowed BT to develop a deeper level of engagement (pardon the pun) with viewers than a typical ad would do. This was demonstrated in August last year, when 1.6 million people voted on whether Jane would be expecting a baby. Not surprisingly, BT decided to take the same approach with the wedding ad, inviting viewers to vote on key elements of the fantasy wedding celebration. 

Votes for dress, car, first dance 

All told, this generated 480,000 votes via Facebook and text. According to BT, 69,000 people opted for the classic white vintage Suzanne Neville wedding dress, 128,000 people voted for a Bentley as the wedding car and a significant majority chose Loving You by Minnie Riperton as their preferred choice for the first dance. Commenting on the ad, David James, marketing director BT Retail, said: “Over the course of the campaign, the Facebook fan base has grown hugely and the wedding has been the subject of much debate online and in the media with lovers and haters.”  

Interest from mainstream media 

From a PR perspective this last point is critical. By persisting with its Adam and Jane story-line, BT has managed to create interest among mainstream media outlets such as The Sun, Daily Mail and Hello, showing how ads can drive strong PR. 

BT didn’t rely entirely on the appeal of the Adam and Joe wedding storyline to hook people in. Tens of thousands of fans also entered a prize draw to win the opportunity to attend the wedding as guests (ie as extras in the ad). Winners appeared in shots such as the groom’s speech and first dance.  Furthermore, BT added a competition that gave one couple the chance to win a luxury Bahamas holiday. 

Wedding research 

BT’s offair activity didn’t stop there either. Perhaps inspired by the media buzz around the Will and Kate wedding, BT conducted research into how the UK feels about wedding traditions. It found that: 65% still feel a bride should wear something old, borrowed and blue, while 49% believe the bride should walk down the aisle in a white dress. 84% of people think speeches are essential, while 89% think every couple who get married should have a wedding cake. These numbers gave BT another asset to develop its PR back story.