Telstra calls in the plumber
Telstra has ditched the disembodied head of Alexander Graham Bell for its follow-up campaign to promote its T-Hub device.
The new Waterworks campaign, also from Three Drunk Monkeys, features a girl recounting the story of a family plumbing emergency.
The T-Hub campaign launched in April with a comedy Alexander Graham Bell talking up the in-home device in a series of executions. An ad featuring Bell enjoying Keyboard Cat drew complaints to the Advertising Standards Board.
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large.
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Is that meant to be funny?
Is it so difficult for advertisers to present a problem – and then a solution using the product?
How about FOCUSING on how the product works so viewers can gain an understanding and appreciation of the technology?
That would be far better than hinting at it’s capabilities…
“Oh, so it does facebook… and apparently you can’t call someone while on facebook, and it has a contacts thing, and a speaker phone…”
Also, I would much have preferred to see the mother direct the water spray at her unhelpful internet-absorbed son.
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Excellent that Telstra managed to get Vicky Pollard as their brand spokesman. In case you donl;t know who I mean: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzUniIMIuGU
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Hard to work out if these are worse than the previous disembodied head ads.
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Fail. This does nothing to endear me to the product. I am still left wondering “what is the point of the T-Hub – it doesn’t do anything my computer/mobile phone can’t”. Wouldn’t they be better off just explaining what it does, and how it does it differently/better to what we’ve already got?
And I think there’s a problem with the name – T-hub sounds too techie for oldies and too wanky for younger people. Fail again.
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Pretty clear and concise. Nice work.
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Great response to a tough brief I reckon. Good job monkeys
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I quite liked these and suspect they will put a smile on the face of many mums and dads (the target!).
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Hi Peter North, my old acting buddy.
Tough brief, you say?
Doesn’t look so hard to me.
And believe me, I know HARD.
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I reckon they’re good ads.
Non-industry … two points …
Firstly, bullsh!t you’re not in “the industry”. Why / How are you here?
Secondly, what does your iphone do that your computer can’t? What does your ipad do that your computer can’t? What would happen if you went a day without your phone? Nothing. That’s not the point.
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Vast improvement on the incomprehensible launch ads
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Good work monkeys
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I like ’em. Interesting executional technique.
Monkey magic.
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i think this is a case of a big client hiring the cool new agency around town, letting them be creative until the shite head in a jar was a massive confusing fail, then eventually having them do an un-creative ad at the direction of the client…….so in a nutshell no point in hiring the cool new agency around town in the first place.
gotta love this jiz….i mean biz
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That was Alexander Graham Bell? I thought it was Santa Claus…no wonder it didn’t make sense to me. Seriously, how many people know that was Alexander?
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I think he introduced himself in the first ad, Arran…
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella
Dislike the 1st, like the 2nd.
Like, you know, like, whatever.
Why can’t kids communicate properly anymore?
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As soon as Telstra releases a new advertisement, the porn star bloggers come gushing out of the wood work. Why? Who are you? Opt, Voda, a rival agency or the cast of Debby does Dallas??? Unfortunately your comments are wasted, as your credibility remains only on the adult channel. Was the Thub advertised on the adult channel?
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Alexander Graham Bell didn’t even invent the telephone, he stole the patent frpm some Italian inventor and claimed the credit for himself.
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fair comment Rocco……..Siffredi?
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Having Bell’s head in the glass jar reminded me of the film “The Man with Two Brains”.
The whole strategy of using “T” as the brand was to appear cool like Apple with their “i” – iPod, THub, iPhone, TBox etc. Can’t tell the difference. 🙂
That said, this new campaign is likely based on post campaign consumer feedback that said “WTF was that Santa in the jar all about, and what was that Hub thing again? Alexander who? What is that anyway? What’s a THub?”
Hence, back to basics.
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