BT takes new line to win over critics

BT is to launch a series of "touchy-feely" advertisements, made by the Labour Party's favourite advertising agency St Luke's, to sell its £70bn restructuring to a cynical investment community.

BT is to launch a series of "touchy-feely" advertisements, made by the Labour Party's favourite advertising agency St Luke's, to sell its £70bn restructuring to a cynical investment community.

The campaign is to be built around the slogan: "We're all changing. We don't want to do it without you." The plan is to curry favour with customers, investors, politicians and regulators who have criticised BT's chief executive, Sir Peter Bonfield, over recent months because of the collapse of the telecoms giant's share price and the slow pace of its response to the changing competitive environment.

The £10m campaign will run alongside the current BT adverts, which feature ET, the film character created by Steven Spielberg.

These adverts, made by BBDO Abbott Mead Vickers, have been heavily criticised within BT and the advertising industry.

BT is currently decidingwhether to pay Mr Spielberg to extend its rights to use the character until 2002, when an updated version of the original film is going to be released.

This new advertising push follows the announcement earlier this month that BT would be splitting into five companies and would sell 25 per cent of at least two if its operations.