The government has signalled the launch of a concerted campaign to persuade consumers to switch to digital TV by hiring the industry's leading design agency to come up with a "logo" for the campaign for people to upgrade their TV sets.
It has asked the company behind BBC2 and Channel 4's distinctive logos to come up with an emblem to boost awareness of the government's plans to turn off the analogue TV transmission network.
The phasing out of the traditional analogue signal could start in as little as two years, and the government is keen to get its message across to persuade the so-called digital refuseniks of the need to reconsider.
At the end of last year, just half the UK population had access to digital TV, with the rest still reliant on analogue, and the government risks huge political fallout if it switches off the analogue service before everyone has changed over.
The Department of Trade and Industry confirmed today it had hired agency Lambie Nairn to come up with an emblem for the switchover campaign.
"We need a logo to make people a bit more aware of the plan to switch over to digital," said a spokesman. "We have hired Lambie Nairn to come up with a brand identity and are looking at a lot of other things around that."
If the government gets its policy wrong, it could end up forking out to pay for upgraded sets in millions of homes.
It took 21 years for the country to switch from the old 405 line TVs to the newer 625 lines, which were first introduced in 1969.
Although the DTI refused to say exactly how the logo would be used, experts say it could be plastered over electrical goods such as digital TV sets and set-top boxes.
It could also be used as the basis for a publicity campaign, which would have to be launched in the run-up to switching off the analogue system, to persuade consumers to invest in digital technology.
The culture secretary, Tessa Jowell, has consistently stated that the analogue signal will be switched off at some point between 2006 and 2010 if a number of conditions were met, including 95% of households having digital receivers.
But she has faced criticism, including from the Ofcom chief executive, Stephen Carter, for refusing to be more specific on how and when switchover would occur.
Although more than half of all homes now have digital TV, recent research for the DTI showed many of those remaining had little interest in converting to satellite, cable or the free-to-air alternative, Freeview.
Ms Jowell admitted last month that the research showing 13% of the UK public do not have television and do not intend to get it "shows there is still a challenge for us all in persuading people that digital TV is right for them".
But she said the challenge applied to the television industry and consumer groups as well as the government
It has asked the company behind BBC2 and Channel 4's distinctive logos to come up with an emblem to boost awareness of the government's plans to turn off the analogue TV transmission network.
The phasing out of the traditional analogue signal could start in as little as two years, and the government is keen to get its message across to persuade the so-called digital refuseniks of the need to reconsider.
At the end of last year, just half the UK population had access to digital TV, with the rest still reliant on analogue, and the government risks huge political fallout if it switches off the analogue service before everyone has changed over.
The Department of Trade and Industry confirmed today it had hired agency Lambie Nairn to come up with an emblem for the switchover campaign.
"We need a logo to make people a bit more aware of the plan to switch over to digital," said a spokesman. "We have hired Lambie Nairn to come up with a brand identity and are looking at a lot of other things around that."
If the government gets its policy wrong, it could end up forking out to pay for upgraded sets in millions of homes.
It took 21 years for the country to switch from the old 405 line TVs to the newer 625 lines, which were first introduced in 1969.
Although the DTI refused to say exactly how the logo would be used, experts say it could be plastered over electrical goods such as digital TV sets and set-top boxes.
It could also be used as the basis for a publicity campaign, which would have to be launched in the run-up to switching off the analogue system, to persuade consumers to invest in digital technology.
The culture secretary, Tessa Jowell, has consistently stated that the analogue signal will be switched off at some point between 2006 and 2010 if a number of conditions were met, including 95% of households having digital receivers.
But she has faced criticism, including from the Ofcom chief executive, Stephen Carter, for refusing to be more specific on how and when switchover would occur.
Although more than half of all homes now have digital TV, recent research for the DTI showed many of those remaining had little interest in converting to satellite, cable or the free-to-air alternative, Freeview.
Ms Jowell admitted last month that the research showing 13% of the UK public do not have television and do not intend to get it "shows there is still a challenge for us all in persuading people that digital TV is right for them".
But she said the challenge applied to the television industry and consumer groups as well as the government
