ITV sees Love Island as the future of how it works with brands

In opening her first annual event, Carolyn McCall, chief executive of ITV offered a vision; “Our purpose is to engage and entertain millions of people in the UK every single day. We are proud of our role in the British economy because we grow brands and we help companies succeed and they are particularly proud that ITV shapes society. Our purpose is really strong – it informs and influences everything that we do, including our new strategy; More Than TV.”

She also highlighted the Daily Mile project that ITV had partnered with to encourage primary school pupils to stretch and walk a mile every day as an example of the good the broadcaster could do. It also revealed that from January a campaign would run to encourage food retailers to help children eat more vegetables, with Adam&EveDDB working on an advert to change the eating habits of kids.

She also mentioned the impending launch of the ITV direct to consumer streaming service next year and that the Love Island cast would be involved in a new campaign for the NHS – ITV Bloody Squad, to encourage young people to donate blood, which will also utilise social media as well as run on ITV2.

Commercial chiefs Kelly Williams and Simon Daglish later extolled the success of working with advertisers and ITV’s offering, including it’s largest product placement deal that saw Costa and a Co-Op added to the set of Coronation Street. But it was Love Island that was the focus, and how it was able to leverage partnerships with 11 brands in differing ways during the summer; including a main sponsor, a podcast sponsor and a social media sponsor with brands such as Domino’s, Lucozade, Misguided and Superdrug in their own individual ways.

“We harness emotional connections to deliver business results,” stated Williams. “Love Island has established itself as a part of popular culture and was a display of how ITV plans to work closer with brands. We took a show that was on screen that was about finding lots of partners and we had a brainwave that off-screen we should find lots of partners as well, commercial partners… ITV can make stuff happen and deliver headlines to change your business.”

Another commercial partnership mentioned was the Matalan show that produced exclusively for the retailer featuring its various products that can be purchased in-store.

The pair also celebrated the success of Project 84 which was backed by various elements of the broadcaster and last week successfully saw Prime Minister Theresa May appoint the first minister for suicide prevention.