Listen to this article:Last month, Meanwhile, a creative agency that is based in MediaCityUK in Salford, Greater Manchester, launched a new set of short video idents for Tombola, the online bingo site. The idents were created to mark the start of Tombola’s new sponsorship of The Only Way Is Essex (TOWIE), which is the longest-running television series in the UK.
An ident, which is short for “identification”, is a short video shown on television that links a sponsor to a program. Usually, they will air before, after, or during a commercial break and they are designed to build brand recognition. In this campaign, Tombola’s idents will introduce viewers to the sponsor and reinforce its brand identity.
This isn’t the first time Tombola has turned heads with playful advertising—last year, Tombola launched a funny musical bingo ad that struck a chord with players and non-players alike, blending light-hearted humour with catchy tunes.
Unsurprisingly, Meanwhile has combined the fun language of bingo calls with the playful “nouveau cockney” style of TOWIE. The idents humorously feature bingo balls in various states of getting “vajazzled”, applying lipstick, or layering on foundation in a manner that will be instantly recognisable to fans of the show.
Meanwhile worked with the boutique German animation studio FOREAL to bring the bingo scenes to life. The films are currently being shown on ITVBe, the home of TOWIE, and it is also possible to watch them on Tombola’s YouTube channel.
Ahead of the launch, Meanwhile account director Mona Rowley-Rock said:
“We wanted to make idents like no other, and the sort of thing that could only be by tombola, which is so important to maximise the impact and really cement the Open for Fun campaign in the minds of our audience. The work is entertaining too, because to us advertising really doesn’t have to feel like advertising.”
Megan Varley, campaign executive at Tombola, added:
“These idents are a great opportunity for us to connect with the TOWIE audience and have a lot of fun with bingo lingo, while showing off our exclusive range of low stake bingo games. We’re really proud of the result and are thrilled to see them go live.”
The new idents build on Tombola’s “Open for Fun” campaign, which launched in September last year. It was the first work that Meanwhile completed for the brand after winning a competitive pitch in March 2024.
The campaign debuted with a two-minute film built around an original track written by The Midnight Beast and performed by stand-up Jo Griffin. Directed by Big Red Button through Blink, with sound design by Factory and post-production by Rascal, the advert attracted a great deal of attention with its bright colours and catchy music.
At the time, Tim Jones, CCO at Meanwhile, said of the campaign:
“This is such an exciting point in the evolution of the brand, and it’s been a privilege to work so closely with the tombola team on this project. We set out to disrupt and change the market and I think we will. We have a clear direction and campaign vehicle, and these are exciting times for us all as we hope it becomes ingrained in popular culture.”
Dawn-Elizabeth Howe, Head of Brand and Planning at Tombola, added:
“We are thrilled to see the ‘open for fun’ campaign launch, as it will enable us to create a real point of difference and showcase our brand’s originality in such a busy sector. The work is full of fun, fresh, and unexpected. Plus it comes with the added pleasure of a song you just won’t be able to get out of your head!”
Since September 2024, the campaign has been running on broadcast, video on demand, out-of-home, and audio channels. Meanwhile began working with Tombola after winning the pitch in 2024 and sought to find a way to make Tombola stand out within the online bingo industry.
Founded in 2022 by BAFTA-winning former BBC Creative directors James Cross and Tim Jones, along with former Chapter managing director Al Marchant, Meanwhile has a reputation for being a reliable and creative partner. Its client list includes names such as Travel Supermarket, Comic Relief, Chester Zoo, Coventry Building Society, Parkrun, Liverpool FC, Netflix, and Barnardo’s.
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