ITV ad campaign to promote arts strand

ITV is to launch a print advertising campaign to promote its new factual arts strand Perspectives, as part of the broadcaster's renewed push on arts programming.

According to Campaign Live, the first ad focuses on Looking for Lowry, a new documentary presented by Sir Ian McKellen on the life and legacy of acclaimed Manchester painter L.S. Lowry.

The ad features a grimy factory wall reminiscent of the many scenes painted by Lowry, with stencilled writing proclaiming "ugly is in the eye of the beholder", as well as various other messages. Looking for Lowry will air on ITV1 this Sunday.

More print ads will be launched to promote other films from the Perspectives strand, including Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber's Pre-Raphaelites, Pitman fronted by Robson Green and New Orleans with Hugh Laurie.

Created by the BBH agency, the ads will appear in The Sunday Times, The Times, The Observer, The Guardian and FT Weekend.

ITV has faced criticism for its arts coverage ever since its decision to axe The South Bank Show in 2009, ending the arts programme's 31-year run on terrestrial TV.

In July last year, former South Bank Show presenter Lord Melvyn Bragg hit out at ITV's commissioning strategy, claiming that the broadcaster had been "taken over by slide rules and suits".

At the time, Lord Bragg said: "People who don't know how to design a boat are being asked to design a boat and then other people have to sail in it. I think they are wrong, wrong and wrong.

"They look at these statistics and they think that's what it adds up to. They are so wrong and they will find out that they are wrong and I hope it's not too late."

Lord Bragg later revived The South Bank Show on pay-TV broadcaster Sky Arts.