Optus goes lighter on animals in new ‘It’s possible’ ad
A digitised woman wearing only a petticoat, wandering through dark city streets searching for her lover, is the centre piece for a new brand campaign for Optus.
The idea behind the ad is that Optus brings people closer through its technology.
Though human beings dominate the ad, the telco has not turned its back on animals. A fish, an octopus, a dog, a kangaroo and a rhino make an appearance in the ad.
The yellow cube in the ad represents the Optus network, which transports the girl from Shanghai to her lover in Canowindra, New South Wales.
The agency behind the campaign was M&C Saatchi, which retained the business after a marathon 10-month review in March.
Gavin Williams, head of segment marketing said: “The message of our new brand campaign is a very simple one – we share in what matters most to you. From connecting you with the people you love, to getting the hottest phone before anyone else, it’s possible with Optus.”
M&C Saatchi ECD Ben Welsh said: “The commercial’s narrative is ‘boy meets girl’ but with a magical digital twist to help push reappraisal of Optus.”
Credits:
- Client: Optus
- Agency: M&C Saatchi
- Executive Creative Director: Ben Welsh
- Creative Director: Andy Flemming
- Creative Director: Shane Gibson
- Head of Strategy: Colin Jowell
- Senior Producer: Loren August
- Managing Partner: Christine Gardner
- Account director: James Rendel
- Production Company: Goodoil Films
- Director: Michael Wong
- Executive Producer: Juliet Bishop
- Post Production: Fuel VFX
- VFX Supervisor: Steve Anderson
- VFX Producer: Erica Ford
- Art Director: Brendan Savage
They cant get my coverage right and i live 8 kms for Melbourne CBD…..let alone ASIA
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i can still feel you…. but i cant hear you due to really bad reception!!!!!
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There’s apparently a lot of blokes in Canowindra picking up talented ladies in Shanghai.
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I live in North Sydney (not too far from Optus’ old HQ) and always have problems getting properly signal strength
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Soooo romantic.
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Feels young and for a Telco refreshingly feminine.
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That rhino is so unnecessary and a very tenuous link back to the original brand campaign
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Terrible.
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Ruined by the rhino.
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That had everything in it, except a point.
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Gorgeous ad, and brave for Optus, but agree the Rhino in the end spolis the mood and seems clumsy.
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big, big ad. Nice to see as Aussie TV full of crap.
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That’s actually quite epic.
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Will there be a making of where we get to see the Rhino rigging up the yellow box?
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WTF…The Rhino?
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Why does every Telstra ad look the same. I can’t tell one from another.
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The rhino actually made you away it was optus, if you weren’t paying total attention, ie were a normal viewer. Where was the octopus?
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What a pile of old horse sh*t.
Telecommunications giant in “we can help you stay in touch” insight breakthrough.
And the rhino?
WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?
This is very possibly the worst, most self-induylgent pile of crap I have ever seen. A damning proof point in the collapse of australian creativity.
Oh, my dear god….
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So it’s an ad for Optus. We’ll that’s a relief. I thought I was hallucinating after too much absynthe…
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Lovely film – the post is gorgeous. But it’s got a bit of the Baz Luhrman’s about it. OTT.
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the rhino was my favourite bit
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The Rhino was a key part of the story. The girl ran off with the boy leaving the rhino as the gilted lover.
Its a Edward-Jacob thing my girlfriend tells me.
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This reminds me so much of Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner. The theme, lighting, mood, everything.
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Her running action after getting up off the floor makes her look like a bogan racing off to the toilet after passing out drunk.
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Looks like an Asian ad, the cheesy romance and lots of flashy graphics. The Rhino pulls it back from that nicely and reminds you its Optus I reckon.
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Lush ad. Beautiful. Clever transition from the old to the new creative. Well done M&C Saatchi
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a rhino…WTF were they thinking, either stick with the animals or move away from them altogether don’t sit on the fence
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@Rhino fan that makes no sense at all – if the ad looks “Asian” and “cheesy” why make it in the first place for the Australian market? Using the rhino to save it is a futile exercise
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I get it…but it doesn’t tell me anything unique or special about Optus as a brand. All the telcos have had some version of ‘we connect you’ over the years. Its a very difficult thing for telcos to differentiate themselves beyond pricing in this market. I appreciate the production qualities, and I actually like the use of the rhino to remind people who the ad is for and play into the fantasy and the dream from a story perspective….but it doesn’t do it for me on a brand level.
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Was the Octopus really there as way of connection to the prior campaign?? I watched the ad 4 times before I saw it (sad, I know), & clearly just looks like an asian restaurant sign & clearly isn’t in the same style as the animals they’ve previously used (nor is the kanga).
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You know, this actually makes sense if you think it’s not a giant bed of snow that she wakes up on but a giant bed of cocaine.
Optus condoning drug use. Yes, it’s possible.
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Telcos are like banks … everybody hates them and their aim is to make as much as possible out of you with minimum cost to them.Why they even bother to advertise with this sort of mumbo jumbo remains a mystery. If I want arty farty I’ll go to a Lars von Trier movie and that won’t make any sense either.
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a telco who brings people together, genius!
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Wow, that’s a big range of need state to cover – from the deeply personal to the completely materialistic and superficial. A Telco can convey that in a 30″ TVC? Fck me hard, but I didn’t get any of that from what I viewed.
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The problem I have is that the Octopuss does not have the correct amount of legs/tenticals – Optus you should know better than that !!!
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Wow that is horrible, beautifully crafted but utterly pointless.
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Hey … I get the Asia and rhino link. Due to the demand for rhinoceros horn from Asian markets these magnificent animals are somewhere between endangered and extinct.
Not a marketing link I would want. Pssst … use your Optus phone to acquire some cheap rhino horn and we’ll personally teleport it to Canowindra.
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The story does sort of ‘click’ at the end but requires the viewer to watch the whole thing intently…..a big ask! I think it’ll wash over people like the Telstra re-brand. Reminds me of the Melbourne ad from a few years ago – the difference being the relevance of a wayward blonde. Agree the rhino is such a tenuous tie back to animal creative strategy. Such an academic approach to advertising. It’ll be interesting to see how they follow it up – network guarantee perhaps? 😉
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Can’t see how you retained the client with work like that? Self indulgent, over-crafted crap. As an Optus loyal, you have just managed to put me off the brand by treating me like a moron.
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What on earth was that?! Way too complicated…..
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Gorgeous ad. Shame about the bloody rhino.
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Funny Kerry Morrison timing her complaint with the launch of the brand ad. It’s ironic that she was fired for bullying and is claiming being bullied. Can’t wait to see the list of cross Telco witnesses that show up in court in support of Optus.
Cwazy
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… Kerry makes AJ look like a saint.
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It amazes me how people like Kerry Morrison get jobs in the first place. She was marched from her last two gigs and apparently named as the reason for the resignation of dozens of people at Optus.
Good luck Optus in your fight for Justice!!
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Is this the point at which Optus finally stops representing its customers as animals? We know they treat their customers like animals, but admitting that through their advertising has been careless to say the least.
One assumes that hotties in negligees are the next species du jour in their campaign.
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Amusing how Optus has gone all brand-like in their campaigns and Telstra is now all retail. Have they swapped CMO’s?
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Loved the token Rhino!
It”s a pity the Rhino wasn’t romantically involved with the bloke at the end.
It would have made it less ordinary and more memorable.
Nx
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@Nigel – do you mean a bit of rhino horn?
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You do know that most of the people watching adverts…arent in “the industry” and they dont spend 10 times as long dissecting an advert as they do, watching it.
From the random TV watchers ive spoken to, they seem to quite like it.
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Random TV watchers also like Hyundai Excel’s, Warnie’s hair plugs, Michael Hill Jewellers, Fourex Gold, the Kardashian’s and flying with Tiger. Optus is a natural fit for them.
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Nope, long distance relationships are never a good idea. Kinda like this ad really..
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can someone pullllleease get a new marketing head in optus
this stuff sucks
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