Current TV taps AKQA for media buying

Al Gore's documentary network Current TV has selected digital-marketing agency AKQA for its online media buying and planning services.

The new campaign will be a digital-focused endeavor that aims to give the user-generated television station and Web site more exposure.

"The plan is for an awareness-based campaign at the end of the year," said Scott Symonds, AKQA's executive media director. "Current is all about users making and engaging in the content and providing a distribution channel, with a very Web 2.0 sensibility. So we intend to try to spread the word on digital channels like MySpace, Digg, Flickr, Bit Torrent and maybe even Lime Wire. There are the sites where their audience is."

The agency's first push focused on the annual Bonaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee, to increase awareness of Current TV's premium content.

The campaign targeted an 18-to-34-year-old audience that is affluent and educated.

The initial campaign in June ran across music sites such as All Music, JamBase, MySpace Music and Pitchfork.

Subsequent pushes will be made to attract both national and international users as Current TV has signed deals with both Virgin Media and BSkyB.