FUEL PULLS SOMETHING OUT OF THE BOX FOR TELSTRA
The new Telstra campaign, ‘Spread the Good Stuff’, via George Patterson Y&R Sydney, which includes two 30 sec spots, ‘Pass the Magic’ and ‘Box Party’, promotes the telco’s new service offerings on the next generation of 3G mobile phones. The creative team at George Patts Y&R hit upon the idea of a magic box as a symbol that can take on many meanings, encompass different ideas and contain any number of items: think Pandora’s Box, a jack-in-the-box, a box of tricks. A box is a very convenient metaphor for a company like Telstra that offers such a diverse range of products and services. Directed by Sydney Film Company’s, Josh Baker, all 4 spots demonstrate that good things do come in small packages.
Fuel has worked with Baker on a number of high-profile, award-winning commercials - for Heineken, Sony and McDonald’s - all of which feature significant visual effects, so it was a nice change of pace to focus on design. Fuel designer Ben Kovar worked closely with both the agency and director on developing the end logo and its reveal – a carnival of colour and exuberant imagery.
Ben drew on many eclectic influences in the design phase – Tibetan sand paintings, South American art, even Japanese flower arrangement. He explains, “I was definitely attracted to a bold colour palette, especially considering some of the brands and services the design had to represent like MTV, Comedy Channel, ‘dating’, ‘SMS’ and ‘search’. It took a lot of ‘to-ing and fro-ing’ to get it right - to make a whole lot of stuff work as a whole”.
Fuel’s VFX supervisor on the campaign, Simon Maddison, remembers that the director didn’t want the design to look superimposed on the commercial, “Josh was very clear that he wanted the animated logo to look as if it belonged in the shot. To this end, Fuel gave the design a slightly weathered texture like that of creased or torn paper to compliment the ‘pass the parcel’ motif, matching the lighting to the location and grading the logo in Flame so it would sit seemlessly in with the live action”.
Agency: George Patterson Y&R, Sydney
Head of TV: Brenden Johnson
Agency CD: Michael Stanford
Agency Copywriter: Bart Pawlak / Maryanne Plummer
Agency AD: Paolo Meucci / Robbie Kantor
Agency Producer: Marcus Eley
Production Company: Sydney Film Co.
Director: Josh Baker
Producer: Nicole Crozier
Editor: Drew Thompson - Guillotine
Fuel Credits
VFX Supervisor: Simon Maddison
VFX Producer: Dave Kelly
Designers: Ben Kovar, Marianne Khoo, Luke Bubb
3D Lead: Chris French
3D Team: Sebastian Fletcher, Roy Malhi, James McCallum, Anders Thonell
Flame: Karen Fabling, Edwin So, Chris Scott
posted by CB @ 12:47 PM
20 Comments:
Boxes, boxes, boxes…
It just doesn't say anything about the product.
Tonality: good if they're trying to speak exclusively to young girls. Bad if they're not.
I reckon going from a big box to small and then back to a big box will confuse the consumer.
Sorry, but it's a big box of shite.
“Ben drew on many eclectic influences in the design phase – Tibetan sand paintings, South American art, even Japanese flower arrangement. He explains, “I was definitely attracted to a bold colour palette….”
At least I got a good laugh out of that bit.
bit of a boring ad, but I love the visuals coming out of the box
It would have made more sense if telstra still had the blue box logo.
sorry it doesnt tell me anything.
the creatives really should have thought outside of the box.
what was it for again....
optus?
or an ad for Feul?
nice pics
Does anyone remember an LG ad with white boxes twirling above the heads of people? It appears they put their boxes out with the recycling, because they came back as this piece of rubbish.
It had a nice feel until the end. Box of shite is right.
I like the ad, but the web site it the worst I have seen this year - terrible. Bad video anti-alising, bad flash, you name it.
what has happened to Aussie advertising? The standard of tv work is so bad, soon Harvey Norman will be our only contender at Cannes. Shame on you Patts, shame...
Lynchy, please try and spare us from posting this dreadful work and at least let us bitch about something that has a pulse...
Google is shite. I'm getting the sound no pix thing and even that is a struggle. Can't seem to control theplayer at all. Even just downloaded the latest version of the macromedia player. What's wrong with youtube lynchie? soon I'm going to tune out due to frustration.
BTW. am on a mac with broadband using safari.
I think it's a very insightful commercial and brave on behalf of Telstra. It sums up my recent experience when I had a problem with my phone line. Every step of trying to work your way through the bureaucracy, each freaking person you have to talk to over and over and over about the same freaking thing... was just like unwrapping a present. Each time you think your going to get whats promised - only to find there is another obstacle in your way. And then when you your have gone through all that trouble unwrapping all the paper, and you actually think you might get what was first promised, you end up where you began. The whole process starts all over again.
Perhaps the creatives have had a similar experience in trying to get Telstra to fix something. I reckon someones having a good laugh at the agency.
I thought it was kinda nice. 'Delightfully obscure' doesn't do anything for anyone these days? We're a harsh bunch aren't we?
the same idea with gift boxes was used for Adobe's campaign a few years ago in the US but its a likeable ad that has personality.
I like it. despite the slamming from above. Love to see a longer version, which I'm sure is around somewhere. MUCH better than anything else I've ever seen from Telstra, and I like that there's nothing overt thrown in your face. Colour, feeling, some nice visuals. Nicely done.
8:53am wrote...I like it.... Colour, feeling, some nice visuals...
Wake up, we're in the business of IDEAS.
I think the best thing about the ad is the music. Anyone know who did it?
Nylon - who else.
Still doing the best stuff around.
I don't know how Aussie creatives can be THIS critical with the shite being put on TV every single day. The overall standard here is so much lower than where it should be, it IS funny. Why you all feel the need to bag out a better than average spot like this is beyond me. It doesn't change the face of advertising as we know it, but I'm pretty sure it'll grab the group it's targeted at.
Comments like "Shame on you Patts!"?? - comeon. Pull your head out, maybe you'll get better work over the line with the breeze on your face. I for one appaud Patts for getting such an obscure and fun concept over the line with one of the hardest clients in the country. my lord you people talk arse.
6:16pm wrote
I'm pretty sure it'll grab the group it's targeted at.
Muppet. No it will not 'grab the group it's targeted at'. Teenagers are the most unforgiving demographic of all. This will not resonate because it's just so lame, uncool and unappealing.
A telco ad in NZ done by Saatchis a couple of years back had a hip-hop artist getting sent chunks of music by a few mates which he then morphed into one song and which he then sent back to them all to enjoy.
A great idea which showed off the technology of the product in a fun and engaging way.
A really popular ad. Miles apart from the big box of shite 6:16pm seem to think is a good piece of work.
Yet another derivative idea from GPY&R Sydney - the stuff in the box is very similar to last year's coke work, and the idea of passing a box around has been done before many times. Glad it wasn't a bomb, like the ad.
And this after ripping off the keep the ball alive rugby ad last year. The agency should put a recycle logo above the door to help clients know what they're going to get.
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