Campaign Review: ‘Abstract and difficult to grasp’ – Qantas, Telstra, Specsavers

In Campaign Review, Mumbrella invites industry creatives and strategists to offer their views on recent ad campaigns.

Brand: Qantas

Campaign: ‘Australia in the Sky’

Agency: CONVICTS

The verdict: Great potential, but the execution falls short. 

Oliva Fleming, creative director at Half Dome, gave it a 7/10, and said:

I’m not going to lie… I was a little disappointed when I opened this ad and didn’t find a remake of ‘I still call Australia Home’ but it’s great to see Qantas coming out of TVC retirement and tapping into unique Aussie icons, brands, crew and music.

I love the sentiment of infusing Aussie magic into every journey – it’s true that you know home isn’t far away when hearing ‘G’day and welcome’ while getting a cuppa and a Tim Tam on a Qantas flight. But, with a star-studded cast and Baz himself directing, I can’t help but feel the ad is overly ‘safe’ and the execution, while polished and visually impressive, falls short in building a lasting emotional connection with viewers outside of Australia, making the ad feel more like a showcase of national pride rather than an invitation to experience something unique.

Karl Bates, executive planning director at Enigma, gave it a 3/10, and said: 

Flying long haul ain’t what it used to be.

Having done two return trips with family to Europe recently, the travel part of it is nothing to look forward to. It’s hard work. For that reason, the promise of experiencing ‘Australia in the Sky’ has great potential to tackle any US based travellers’ apprehension to give the long-haul trip Down Under a go. Especially if the resulting comms were to tap into the rich vein of emotional storytelling we know and love from Qantas.

Not so with this campaign. Whilst the insight/idea has potential, the execution is off. This feels like a functional shopping list of way too familiar product reasons to believe, hyperbolised via predictable travel related imagery. There is no Qantas storyline, this is pure product demo. Even the ever-present Qantas flight attendant uniforms and dulcet tones of the Hemsworth voiceover fail to make this look or feel distinctively or proudly Qantas. Not sure what US audiences will do in response to this? Be more aware of flights to Australia maybe? Not so sure it will prompt them to romanticise about flying and book tickets though. Hope it does.

Brand: Telstra

Campaign: ‘Wherever We Go’

Agency: +61

The verdict: More art than ad? Looks and feels great, but is it too abstract? 

Olivia gave it a 5/10, and said:

The thinking behind Telstra’s new ‘Wherever we go’ campaign is great – change how people feel about the brand by changing how the brand feels. Amazing… but this is Telstra and I will probably still have internet issues for the next 5-10 business days regardless of whatever positive metaphors are put in front of me. While the animation is fresh, visually appealing and imaginative, I think it struggles to connect emotionally with the audience, leaving the metaphor somewhat abstract and difficult for viewers to grasp.

While this aims to position Telstra as imaginative, creative and contemporary, the ad’s creative risks do not translate into a compelling or memorable brand experience, resulting in a missed opportunity to truly reshape public perception.

Karl gave it a 6/10, and said:

Wherever you look, the general vibe of the times is pretty grim right now.

There is no denying that what the world (and that includes the world of advertising) needs is more ‘feel good’. In that respect, much like its furry animals ‘Better with Telstra’ predecessor, this campaign looks and feels great. Seeing and hearing it puts a smile on the dial. And that’s not only the film, the outdoor work looks stunning. So much so it’s probably seen more as art than ad.

‘Together goes a long way’ is an irrefutable truth in life…and it’s true of Telstra’s leading service offering. I’m just not sure what the intended audience is supposed to do with it, other than feel good about it (and therefore feel good about Telstra). If that’s the brief, job very bloody well done. Right now though, as a true category leader and brand of the people, I bet if Telstra reduced our phone bill, we’d feel even better and smile even more.

Brand: Specsavers

Campaign: ‘Should’ve Gone To Specsavers’

Agency: Specsavers Creative

The verdict: Trademark humour, OOH aspect well executed, but TVC falls flat. 

Olivia gave it a 9/10, and said:

Did you just land in Melbourne airport? Look out! Specsavers billboards might be welcoming you to Sydney.

This misdirecting, albeit clever, out-of-home is supporting Specsavers’ new ‘Should’ve’ campaign that brilliantly brings its trademark humour to life through dialogue-free visual storytelling that highlights the consequences of poor eyesight. With its seamless execution, clever situational humour, and strategic cross-channel approach, this campaign solidifies Specsavers’ reputation as a master of branded humour.

Karl gave it a 3/10, and said:

Long term campaign platforms that stand the test of time, somehow managing to repeat and evolve at the same time, are priceless (and yes, ‘Priceless’ is one of them).

‘Should have gone to Specsavers’ has been great over the years. It’s so bloody simple and keeps on producing genuinely fun campaigns, almost all of the time. It’s part of our everyday vernacular, and it’s got ‘Specsavers’ in it. I can even imagine an audience making an effort to tune-in to watch the latest instalment when it airs – and there’s not many long running campaigns that can say that.

So how is this person’s failing eyesight going to lead to a funny mishap? Ironically, it’s hard to see the idea in this one. Tapping into the chaos of flying distracts from the purity of the idea. Featuring a string of events that go wrong due to reasons other than failing eyesight, the campaign struggles to land the benefit of healthy eyesight (apart from the final, plane missing error maybe). Experiencing the equally fun and stressful trip through an airport where things go from bad to worse just makes me want to put off flying for a little bit longer. Not sure how much it’s going to make people think about their eyesight.

On another note, I did like the ‘Welcome to Melbourne’ posters at SYD airport arrivals. That was a top notch, eyesight related head-fck.

Got a tip?

Lauren McNamara

Lauren McNamara is the associate editor at Mumbrella, covering the agency beat. She joined in November 2022 as editorial assistant, after completing a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) at UTS.

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topics Campaign Review creative Enigma Half Dome Karl Bates Olivia Fleming Qantas review Specsavers Telstra

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