Sky wanted to create as much noise as possible around the launch of Sky Atlantic; to make Sky customers feel they were getting something brilliant at no extra cost and for non-Sky customers to recognise that the channel’s quality content was worth paying for. We needed a simple idea that built excitement around the launch of Sky Atlantic which could also frame content. We cast Dustin Hoffman as the star of the advertising. Dustin had never been used in UK TV advertising before and was therefore surprising and arresting, and his A-list Hollywood stature reflected the quality of the channel offering. Within three months of launch 16 million viewers had tuned into Sky Atlantic, and Sky subscribers considered Sky Atlantic their most valued channel on the Sky platform after Sky 1 and Sky Movies.