Optus launches new ‘Coverage Commitment’ network campaign via 72andSunny, Sydney
Optus has launched the second instalment in its popular network campaign series via 72andSunny, Sydney, announcing a coverage commitment offer to customers who sign up to a new service on selected 24-month handset plans.
Brought to life by award-winning Australian director Steve Rogers, the second film in the campaign features well known actor Huw Higginson, who previously starred in the British TV series, The Bill.
Says Melissa Hopkins, head of marketing, Optus: “The campaign shows a man walk out of confinement because he’s unhappy with his current situation, reinforcing our commitment to not hold new customers hostage if they aren’t happy with Optus’ mobile coverage.
“It’s also a timely reminder for those who aren’t with Optus today that if they aren’t happy with their provider, they should give Optus a go.”
“In the past five years Optus has invested more than $5 billion into our network to improve coverage, capacity and speed and we will continue to invest into the future.
“We believe in the quality of our premium mobile network and if new customers try Optus and if the coverage is not right for them, they can choose to leave.”
Says Micah Walker, ECD, 72andSunny, Sydney: “Proud of the entire team on this. As we all know it’s often hard to keep things simple and we’ve managed to do it here, with some real craft.”
The campaign was shot in Parramatta and Maitland Gaol. It will run on TV, in cinema, print and outdoor in selected Australian capital cities and key regional areas.
Creative Agency: 72andSunny Sydney
Production Company: Revolver/Will O’Rourke
Director: Steve Rogers
Sound Post: Stuart St Vincent Welch / Nylon Studios
Research Agency: Forward Scout
Media Agency: UM
Design Agency: Yes Agency
42 Comments
Nice one! Sydney, some healthy competition coming your way ..
Love it.
It’s very well made.
Kind of feel like an odd angle to go for though. The idea that the product is risky, but dont worry cos if it’s shit then you can get out of it.
Simple. nice.
that’s basically how the parole system works in Australia
That’s PC Huw Higginson escaping prison…..
Nicely done and refreshing to this category..
And walk away from Optus I did – just a couple of months ago – because my Optus internet service was mostly not working on all devices at my home, which is just a stones throw from Melbourne CBD.
‘Congestion in your area’ Optus claimed.
No problems with my new service provider TPG, who I thoroughly recommend. And they are far less expensive than Optus. Who could have saved a motza on that stupid ‘chicken salt or both’ ad which promised both great service and price with Optus. It was blatantly untrue. The ACCC and Free TV should have been informed.
But gee, a nice looking ad from Steve Rogers.
Agree – well produced, but the underlying strat seems way off to me.
Ditching your Optus contract feels like walking out of prison?
Please explain, i know a lot of non advertising people who think its rubbish.It’s aimed at them don’t forget.
Fair attempt – but strategically this misses the mark. Is this what it feels like to get out of your Optus contract .
Agree. Likening your product/service to a prison sentence seems an odd choice. Surely there are other ways they could have gone with this?
This is good.
And fresh.
And pointy.
So many people stay on their mediocre mobile contract because it feels like you’re somehow locked in – and you’re not.
Not sure what it takes to get a positive response on this blog. But a whole lot of you clearly have no fucking idea what you’re talking about.
No, I don’t work at 72 and Sunny. And yes, I am better than you.
It’s daring. It’s a ballsy metaphor. It’s cast to a T, beautifully shot and directed. It’s not pandering to the consumer. It’s funny. Not everything has to be ‘yeah, yeah, it’s great, it’s my life, and here’s a lens flare over some lifestyle schmaltz’ that is the standard fare of most Oz telecoms TVCs. Bravo Mr Rogers!
I thought it was going to be about how easy it is to port your number from another carrier (and into Optus)…
Sometimes you have to peel away the glossy outer skin and examine the skeleton.
The strategy of likening being locked in to a phone/internet provider to being in gaol is way over the top and simply not credible.
So it doesn’t matter how polished the execution is if people reject the analogy, and thus the proposition.
I wholeheartedly disagree with you about the analogy being over the top. The ad says you’re free to walk, so if your current setup isn’t working for you, walk. It doesn’t say ‘Hey Mr. and Mrs. Fucking Literal – mobile phone contracts are exactly like being in a prison, right down to the shitty food.’ But even if some people are stupid enough to take it that fucking literally, they’ll still get the message.
Fucking honestly.
And people who refer to jail as gaol need to get out more.
It must be really great to be right all the time.
Doesn’t anyone care about the back story?
That is PC George Garfield from The Bill. I want to see the episode that explains how he ended up in an Australian prison that he then escaped from simply by opening the doors to the cells.
you’re locked into your contract, so let’s show someone locked up. best you got?
This ad will infuriate planners who have no fucking idea how to write a good TVC.
And that is a good thing. It will work, because all the planner-suit-monkey-client-written shit that’s around at the moment does not work, leading to more investment in search than brand.
A sad indictment on our industry, don’t you think?
Welcome home Micah. Good to see something fresh on the TV.
And planners – you’re on notice. Your scripts won’t fucking cut it anymore. Best let the creatives be creative and you be the ven diagram every client asks behind your back ‘why the fuck are we paying for this shit?’
Good model 72 and sunny, keep it going.
I thought that was the planner’s job.
So the ad is saying that if you don’t like being with Optus you’re free to walk because of the 24 month coverage thingy that only Optus have.
But the punters will see it as ‘you should leave your other telco if you’re not happy,’ because they don’t care what the super at the end says.
So the ad ultimately fails to communicate the benefit it was meant to, but the question is, wtf would you want being with your telco to be like being in prison? This is all kinds of terrible strategy backed up by a bad execution that looks nice but doesn’t say what you want it to say. Unless the strategic masterpiece is to make other telcos look like they’re prison, when you’re actually talking about yourself. Then the jail metaphor is a first thought that shouldn’t have got past the first creative review, unless the ECD was the creator. And so the wheel turns…
Sorry @Yes!, I love it too. And think it’ll work its socks off.
Mate, I’m sure your agency’s thinking had its merits. But I can see why they went with this one. Maybe pop to your local caff (Redfern? Milsons Point?) and grab yourself another tumeric latte. Once you calm down your agenda might stop poking out quite so awkwardly…
YEAH, REMINDS ME OF A NIGHT ON THE PISS TOO MUCH AND A BIT OF CARRY ON, AND SPENDING TIME IN LOCK UP DOWN SHIRE WAY, YOU KNOW HOW IT GOES. WALKING OUT IN THE MORN WAS ONE OF THE BEST FEELN’S – HITTING THE SURF AFTER WAS BLISS AYE. TAHNKS FOR BRINGN THIS FEELING TO LIFE #FREEDOME
Beautifuly executed first-thought metaphor.
You know like standing out, something you want to see again, clear simple message, well shot, a bit of intrigue and a campaign.
Give the casting director a hefty bonus. Brilliant.
A) at this ad
B) at the creatives in this thread
Love this. Good telly ad. A rarity.
Simple, cut-through, compelling, well produced and more memorable than the rest of the dross in the category.
Job done.
Most of the negative and ill-informed junior comments above, explain why my eyes bleed every time I watch the telly and the ads come on.
Hmmm, I thought this might happen.
What is the music that plays in this advertisement?
Fucking Jesus wept. You spanner headed wankathons who think the metaphor isn’t believable so the ad doesn’t work. It’s a metaphor. A metaphor. Don’t ever watch Cadbury’s Gorilla or you’ll have a stroke.
It’s not that the metaphor isn’t believable – the exact opposite. It’s that the metaphor directly makes you think of how shitty it is to be locked into an Optus content.
Here’s an analogy for you (since you clearly like metaphors so much). It’s like McDonalds releasing a spot that just shows a literal turn between two sesame seed buns, but then at the end shows someone putting it in the bin instead of eating it and cuts to a Golden Arches super and the tag line “You don’t have to eat it.”
Jesus, shoot the above with a good director and a 7 figure budget and half the people on this blog would need to change their pants.
^
You’re comparing apples with Optuses. There’s a genuine truth in the pain point of being locked into phone contracts, which the spot is playing on in a simple, single-minded way, rather than overcooking it with the typical rational stuff we’re so used to seeing in telco campaigns. Not the same with a Maccas meal – no one is feeling frustrated at being stuck with their burger – so your analogy doesn’t really hold up.
This feels brave for Optus. They’re openly acknowledging a major customer frustration in the telco world, and announcing a simple way out. People will feel more comfortable about switching to them if they think it’s easy to leave. Simple. Feels weird that that needs explaining.
No problem with metaphors. Just that this is the most obvious first one that comes to mind when your brief is to break free from your locked contract. Well made. Just a bit easy on the idea mate.
Looks like they got a good director on board to try and polish a turd.
This ad is so obscure I finally Googled it to try to understand what it meant – hence why I’m reading this page.
I imagine most people are still wondering, and in no way does it tempt me to try Optus.
I believe that Melissa Hopkins, head of marketing, Optus has come up with a great campaign.
Question} But will Optus adhere to it?:
Answer: No, as I have already found out. So I good idea but I doubt Melissa can follow through on it so that makes is simply a campaign but not necessarily a truism.
It is quite simply advertising