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Media centre /
Press releaseSIR ALAN SUGAR RETURNS TO SCREENS FOR NEW NS&I ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN - JOINED BY BOB GELDOF, STEPHEN HAWKING AND GERMAINE GREER03 June 2008NS&I (National Savings and Investments), the government-backed savings and investments organisation, today launches its new national TV advertising campaign. Fronted by four iconic personalities, the TV commercial will exemplify the benefits of one of the UK’s longest-established savings organisations to British savers. The three personalities to appear alongside Sir Alan Sugar, chosen for their impartiality and recognised for their authority, outspokenness and integrity, include Bob Geldof KBE, regarded as highly influential in the media industry and as a widely publicised campaigner; Professor Stephen Hawking, a globally commended theoretical physicist; and Professor Germaine Greer, writer and journalist also widely regarded as one of the most significant feminist voices of our time. They will appear alongside Sir Alan Sugar, the successful entrepreneur and popular TV personality widely recognised as a straight-talking expert on business matters, in a commercial which will begin screening following the Channel 4 news at 7.35pm on Wednesday 4 June 2008. Tim Mack, NS&I’s Head of Marketing and Communications, said “In our communications to customers we aim to be straightforward, to cut through the financial uncertainty and promote the benefits and heritage of NS&I, helping people to save. We are delighted that people of this calibre have agreed to take part, as they reflect the NS&I brand values of integrity and straightforwardness.” The questions asked in the advertising are the sort of questions customers might ask. The answers given by Sir Alan Sugar encapsulate NS&I’s unique overall offering to its customers, including 100% security backing from the Treasury. NS&I’s Sales Director John Prout added, “The commercial highlights how easy it is for customers to find out about our products –online, by phone, at the Post Office and now through some WHSmith stores.” The campaign was written by Dave Trott and art directed by Gordon Smith from CST. ENDS About NS&INS&I is one of the UK’s largest financial providers with over 27 million customers and over £83 billion invested. It is best known for Premium Bonds but also offers Savings Certificates, Direct ISA, Guaranteed Equity Bonds and Children’s Bonus Bonds in its range. All products offer 100% security, because we are backed by HM Treasury. About Sir Alan SugarSir Alan Sugar is the founder and Chairman of Amstrad, former Chairman of Tottenham Hotspur and appears on the TV show The Apprentice. In 2000, Sir Alan was knighted for his services to business and he holds two honorary Doctorates of Science degrees, awarded by City University and Brunel University. He is a philanthropist for a number of charities including Great Ormond Street Hospital and Jewish Care. He has now been recruited to the government's Business Council for Britain where he is an advisor to Gordon Brown on issues affecting enterprise, business and the long term productivity and competitiveness of the economy. About Professor Germaine GreerGermaine Greer was born in Melbourne and educated in Australia and at Cambridge University. Her first book, The Female Eunuch (1969) remains one of the most influential texts of the feminist movement. Germaine Greer has had a distinguished academic career in Britain and the USA. She makes regular appearances in print and other media as a broadcaster, journalist, columnist and reviewer. Since 1988 she has been Director (and financier) of Stump Cross Books, a publishing house specialising in lesser-known works by early women writers. About Bob Geldof KBEBob Geldof, KBE, started out in his public career as a musician, forming the Boomtown Rats, before moving on to his humanitarian and political activist work in Africa. In 1984 he created Band Aid to raise funds to bring relief to the Ethiopian famine and went on in 1985 to stage the Live Aid concerts to add additional support. In 2005 he staged the Live 8 concerts around the world to bring the political focus of the G8 to the ongoing needs of Africa. Geldof is an established entrepreneur having founded Planet TV (The Big Breakfast, Survivor, etc), Deckchair.com, Ten Alps and a number of other successful ventures. Geldof has received many awards for his fund-raising and political work, including a knighthood in 1986. About Professor Stephen HawkingProfessor Stephen Hawking was born in Oxford in 1942, exactly 300 years after the death of Galileo. He studied physics at Oxford University and went on to pursue his graduate studies at Cambridge. In his early twenties he was diagnosed as having Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, known in the UK as Motor Neurone Disease. He holds Newton’s chair as Lucasian Professor of Mathematics. He is the author of many books, and a prolific contributor to all areas of gravitational physics, in particular the origin and evolution of the universe. Best known for his work on Black Holes and for his popular best-seller, ‘A Brief History of Time’. In 2006 he was awarded the Copley Medal. Notes to Editors 1. Screen grabs and copies of the advertisement are available on request. The advert can also be viewed on www.nsandi.com from tomorrow, 04 June 2008. 2. Further information on NS&I, including press releases and product information, is available on the website at www.nsandi.com. You can also contact the NS&I media team. 3. Subscribe to the NS&I RSS newsfeed. Simply copy and paste this link www.nsandi.com/mediacentre.xml into your RSS reader to receive regular news alerts from NS&I. 4. Interviews are available with Tim Mack, Head of Marketing and Communications and John Prout, Sales Director.
Media team The numbers below are for media use only. Customers wishing to contact NS&I can find details here.
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