The new campaign designed by Grey London, will reflect the increasingly mature and sophisticated nature of Internet consumers. It will focus on how AOL 9.0 which is the latest version of AOL's online service will give people the power to get what they want from the exciting and dynamic world of the Internet.

The first stage of the campaign breaks today with television and print introducing the first of four new characters, who begin to realise their hopes through AOL 9.0 and the Internet. Each of the four embodies a particular kind of Internet user. In the first wave of TV advertising we meet Steve, a young man for whom everyday life is just too slow. The only time in his life that his demand for speed is met is when he's online with AOL Broadband. He wishes the rest of his world worked the same way.

In May and June three further characters will be introduced with TV, print, outdoor, online and radio executions all planned. AOL UK marketing VP Sharon Lang was quoted in an official release saying, "This campaign marks an exciting progression for the AOL brand in the UK to fully portray the depth and diversity of products we offer. With more than half of UK households connected to the Web and total time spent online soaring, we wanted to create a campaign that showed how the Internet has reached beyond the virtual world to present real opportunities in people's lives."

Grey London chairman and executive creative director Dave Alberts added, "Early advertising from AOL quite rightly identified that people needed educating as to what the Internet could do for them. The market has moved on enormously since then. We can now talk about the benefits of being online to a much more sophisticated audience who ultimately use the Internet as an extension of themselves."