Vodafone ditches ‘kidults’ in favour of population coverage-centred campaign
Vodafone has moved away from its controversial ‘kidults’ relaunch campaign in favour of a strategy highlighting the brand’s fast 4G offering.
Kidults, created by Ogilvy & Mather, was launched in September last year and was designed to win back customers which had been alienated by the telco’s network problems, focussing on the fact their customers were young at heart and loved to have fun.
However the campaign attracted criticism and became one of the most complained about of 2013, with many people saying it sexualised children. The brand declined to confirm why it had moved on from the much-hyped campaign.
The new campaign focuses on consumers’ love of the internet and how it covers 96 per cent of Australians allowing its consumers to access the online world from wherever they are. However, it does use the same backing music as the Kidults campaign.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TF0EZ2-8sxo
Vodafone head of brand Shawn Marsh: “We want non customers to discover what’s changed at Vodafone as we’ve got an amazing story to tell. Our new 4G network is lightning fast and our coverage now extends across 96 per cent of all Australians. Our plans enable our customers to do more of what they love: more surfing, tweeting, sharing, streaming and posting. So our new campaign is centred around giving our customers more of what they want, more internet.”
The campaigns focus on the percentage of Australians it network covers mimics that of Optus which targets Telstra in asserting it covers 98 per cent of Australians.
Launched over the weekend, the TV campaign is complemented with a digital and outdoor national campaign, with a YouTube pre-roll video campaign also running.
Credits
- Agency: Ogilvy & Mather
- Creatives: Russell Smyth, Wellison D’Assuncao, Scott Mortimer, Brett Terblanche, Andrew Hankin
- Digital Agency: DT
- Media Agency: Bohemia
- Production company: One20
- Film production company: Finch
- Director: Nick Ball
Linkedin
I must be in the 4%. My internet is slow as all hell, hence why I am changing from Vodafone to another network.
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I get great coverage where i am In Sydney… And much prefer this to their old ads. Nice.
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I’ve just changed to Vodafone and finally have 4G coverage! Was with Optus (droptus) for 10 years and got my contract waived. Had barely any 3G coverage for the last 6 months around Sydney, very painful.
Also the new Vodafone campaign – I like.
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I am waiting until my contract ends in 1 month and I shall never, ever, return to Vodafail.
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This is a nice campaign, but it’s selling category benefits rather than anything unique to Vodafone. Plus 4G should mean faster, not more.
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I’ve been dealing with Vodafone for the last four years and I can’t tell you how much I hate them. Every time I have to contact them I get heart palpitations and cold sweat
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abandoning a ‘brand’ campaign after just 6 months? no surprises there. poor O&M are probably already working on the re-launch/ new campaign direction for next quarter.
much better than kidults, but a little on the ‘Old Spice’ side of the execution.
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The presenter guy is not bad looking!
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