Boost Mobile creates its own zombie apocalypse
Youth-focused telco brand Boost Mobile has launched an ambitious branded entertainment project featuring its stars doing battle with zombies.
Creative agency The Monkeys is behind the series of short films set in a zombie apocalypse. The launch of the series coincides with the cinema launch of Brad Pitt zombie movie World War Z.
Three short videos and a trailer were created by the agency with the creative line “stay living” to promote Boost Mobile’s $40 unlimited prepaid plans. The trailer has already had almost 200,000 views on YouTube.
The story follows the lives of several young Australian who try to go about their daily business during a zombie outbreak. The stories focus on a cricket-bat wielding rollerskating lesbian, an office girl with two makeshift swords, and dirtbike-riding archer.
According to the announcement from Boost, the four heroes featured in the short films represent the brand’s customers, using their mobile phones to stick together and ‘stay living’. The zombies in the films are nothing more than trapped mindless slaves to conformity, representing those stuck in an endless routine, Boost said.
The films were directed by The Glue Society’s Matt Devine and the campaign will extend to online, point-of-sale and TV.
This is not the first time Boost Mobile has used non-traditional creative strategies in a campaign, having orchestrated a film of a skydiver updating his Facebook page back in 2010. The Glue Society and The Monkeys have also teamed up in the past for some creative marketing including a kung-fu/sci-fi drag race in November last year.
Micah Walker, executive creative director at The Monkeys, said: “Boost is a brand that ultimately believes in freedom and non-conformity. And with this campaign, we really wanted to engage the audience with a series of offers that played to that belief, and did so in an unexpected way.”
“This idea of ‘Stay Living’ is obviously a point of view on the world, but rather than hold a mirror up to reflect reality we wanted to wrap it all up in a story that was entertaining and unconventional. Standing against a world of zombies just made sense.”
As part of a targeted blogger outreach strategy, the films feature three popular bloggers including Kimmi Smiles, a zombie-loving 21 year-old who has almost 168,000 subscribers to her YouTube channel, and Louna Maroun, a vlogger with more than 50,000 followers.
Creative credits:
- Boost CEO: Paul O’Neile
- General Manager: Business Development – Anthony Torr
- Customer Experience Manager: Tina Cleary
- Agency: The Monkeys
- Chief Creative officer: Justin Drape
- Executive Creative Director: Micah Walker
- Digital Creative Director: Jay Gelardi
- Art Director: Oksana Valentelis
- Copywriter: Henry Kember
- Head of Broadcast Production: Thea Carone
- Broadcast Producer: Jade Wannell
- Executive Planning Director: Fabio Buresti
- Channel Planner: Mat Rawnsley
- Senior Engagement Planner: Rachel Maughan
- Social Media Strategist: Matt Abet
- Director of Client Services: Dan Beaumont
- Content Director: Gini Sinclair
- Content Manager: Anthony Campagna
- Production Company: Revolver
- Director – The Glue Society: Matt Devine
- Executive Producer/Managing Director: Michael Ritchie
- Producer: Adrian Shapiro
- Editing: Dan Lee / Editors
- VFX Supervisor: Nicholas Ponzoni, Fin Design
- Composers & Sound Design: Nylon
- Saffron & Jen Film: Nicky Routledge
- Ben Film: Christopher Kelaart
- Mary Film: Son Of Kick
- PR Agency: Magnum PR
- Print Credits:
- Photographer: Ingvar Kenne
- Photo production: The Pool Collective
- Retouching: Outpost
- Art Buyer: Meghan Petersen
- Designer: John-Scott McClure
Really nice work.
Nice to see some client commitment to branded content too. Hope it grows in to a longer series.
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It is a nice piece of branded content, and this quality work should be recognised.
I’m just over the whole Zombie thing however. Even with lesbians.
Not sure if roller skates are a great idea in a supermarket that’s been trashed and is over run by zeds…my two cents…
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Looking good. Would really like to know how this is being carried through as a wider campaign. Chance of an update article?
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No doubt about it – bang on target market, high production values, extreme campaign-ability (sic). Would love to hear a follow-up in 3 months time with results – do kids switch? Or do mummy and daddy make the decision?
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Love it. Inspiring stuff… a brave client and a brave agency equals brilliance.
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Great minds and all that…….
http://www.bestadsontv.com/ad/.....-Be-Scared
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Great work, terrific craft – well done to everyone involved.
The job here is half done and I’d love to know what the seeding/distribution strategy is for getting these in front of the Boost potential customer base.
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Love this!
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