Sky have announced a £1M SME support scheme to help small businesses access television advertising as they look to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.  

Sky Media have announced the launch of a new SME support scheme, the SME100, a £1 million fund that will provide 100 businesses with TV advertising campaigns via Sky’s AdSmart technology.

Sky are particularly looking for businesses who think they have gone the extra mile in supporting the national COVID effort or have adapted their business in the face of recent adversity. The fund will help the chosen businesses access the power of TV advertising at a moment when the world is at home watching.  The entry process couldn’t be simpler, the online application form can be found here and takes a couple of minutes to complete.

What you need to know:

For anyone not familiar, AdSmart is an innovative approach to TV advertising which levels the playing field for businesses small and large. What was once a major investment for big brands, has now made accessible and effective for all, and around 70% of all advertisers using AdSmart are new to TV advertising.

The campaigns will be delivered via AdSmart from Sky (across Sky and Virgin Media homes) and focuses on the audiences that matter most to them. The AdSmart technology means a brand can reach households by postcode area, within a designated distance of their businesss, or by household make-up or lifestyle attributes that best suit their service. In only targeting audiences that matter to their business, brands can be assured that their advertising will be relevant, accessible and drive business results.

Terms &Conditions for applying:

• SME100 is open to SMEs that have been running for at least one year in the UK with up to 50 full time employees. Businesses can nominate themselves or be put forward by their own customers or in your case, their MPs.

• The business nominated must have been trading for 12 months or more

• The business must also be a new to TV advertiser (or not on TV within the last 12 months)

• The business must be prepared to finance and produce a 30” TV ad (which Sky will support by introducing local creative agencies)

• Creative execution of the ads will be supported by local creative agencies and through an exclusive partnership with Shutterstock. Shutterstock will assist the 100 businesses by providing complimentary access to high-quality images, video and music to aid the creative process and effectively tell their story with engaging content. In doing so, the SME100 and Shutterstock will enable local creative agencies to produce broadcast-ready, 30 second ads remotely and cost-effectively and will bring further investment into local and smaller creative industries.