Is there anything 5G can't do?

This is a compelling two-minute film for Vodafone New Zealand, through DDB NZ and Sweetshop director Mark Albiston. Ad Nut enjoyed the unfolding mystery of how the two intercut stories were related, and can even admit the ending was touching—despite the fact that Ad Nut objects in principle to stories about murderous beasts. 

After some research, Ad Nut has concluded that the central claim in the film is generally true: 5G technology has the potential to make remote surgery more widespread, which would give animals and people in rural areas access to treatments for which they might otherwise have to travel to a large city. The key is the technology's low latency, which permits the surgical tools to respond instantly and the surgeon to receive timely haptic feedback. All of that is possible with any form of fast data connection, of course. But the hope is that since cellular tech is generally cheaper to deploy than fiberoptic cables, 5G will help to expand the coverage area for remote surgery.

That said, it's ironic to note that any such increase in the use of remote surgery is well, a remote thing at this point. The rollout of 5G has barely begun, and of course it will begin in urban areas. On top of that, 5G, by the nature of the frequencies being used and the laws of physics, will require more base stations (cell towers) than 4G to cover an equivalent area. And as many rural areas still lack 4G coverage today, you can expect that they will be waiting a long time for 5G too. Also, don't forget that you also need an expensive robotic surgery system on the patient side of the connection.

All of which makes Ad Nut wonder about the effectiveness of ads like this. It's a nice story. But is that enough to drive some additional consideration and uptake for Vodafone? And Ad Nut hasn't even mentioned the perennial challenge for mobile operators—that every competitor will also be rolling out the exact same tech at roughly the same time.

CREDITS

Client
Nileema Allerston, Manager Masterbrand
James Mason, Brand Lead, Masterbrand
Louise Kuegler, Brand, Advertising & Customer Insights COE Lead
Carolyn Luey, Consumer Director
Agency
Chief Creative Officer: Damon Stapleton
Creative Director: Matt Williams
Creative Director: Freddie Coltart
Lead Business Partner: Karla Fisher
Business Partner: Natalie Pierpoint
Senior Business Director: Jaheb Barnett
Business Manager: Toni Guy
Chief Strategy Officer: Rupert Price
Planning Director: Thinza Mon
Senior Integrated Producer: Nigel Sutton
Agency Producer: Esther Watkins
Agency Producer: Charlotte Glennon
Production
Production Company: Sweetshop
Executive Producer: Ben Dailey
Executive Producer: Kate Roydhouse
Producer: Andy Mauger
Director: Mark Albiston
DOP: Ziga Zupancic
DOP: Marty Williams
Editor: Luke Haigh
Colourist: Pete Richie
Online: Perceptual Engineering, Jon Baxter
Soundtrack/composer/Music: Beatworms, Cam Ballantyne
Stills Photography: Steve Boniface

Ad Nut is a surprisingly literate woodland creature that for unknown reasons has an unhealthy obsession with advertising. Ad Nut gathers ads from all over Asia and the world for your viewing pleasure, because Ad Nut loves you. You can also check out Ad Nut's Advertising Hall of Fame, or read about Ad Nut's strange obsession with 'murderous beasts'.