Vodafone's playful 'Kidults' intended to spark brand reappraisal

The TVC, which debuted last night, is the first in a series of executions that are part of an ongoing brand repositioning that also includes more than 50 billboards, press ads and outdoor-furniture installments.

The spot features numerous scenes of the 'kidults' (who mostly don't look as creepy as you'd expect given the concept) embracing their inner children by engaging in a variety of playful behaviours. Brand and agency leaders said the TVC is deliberately meant to grab people's attention and cause them to reappraise the brand.

“We wanted to powerfully land the message ‘this is a new Vodafone’," said Jana Kotatko, Vodafone’s general manager, brand and communications. More than a campaign, the work is "a signal that we’ve changed the way we do business and what we offer to our customers,” she added.

A number of STW agencies collaborated on the project, including Ogilvy Sydney (creative), Bohemia (media strategy), Ikon (media buying), DT Sydney (online) and OgilvyOne (customer communication strategy).

The work is part of a worldwide refresh of Vodafone’s core brand design elements. Australia is the first market to roll out the new look.

The TVC was directed by Ash Bolland from Curious Films. Six days were spent shooting on location in Sydney and New York, followed by three days capturing the baby and toddler expressions and movements against a green screen. Post-production specialists Alt.vfx worked on frame-by-frame compositing, attaching the bodies to the heads to create the final output.  

CREDITS

Vodafone
Lisa Van Ross – Senior Campaign Manager
Rob Morrison - Head of Creative, Vodafone

STW Group
Fleur Marks – STW Group Business Director, Vodafone

Ogilvy & Mather Sydney
Nathan Quailey – General Manager
Steve Back – Chief Creative Officer
Russell Smyth – Creative Director
Graham Johnson – Senior Art Director
Oliver Devaris – Senior Copywriter
Mark Sareff – National Head of Strategy
Gerry Cyron – Head of Brand Strategy
Katie Dally – Group Account Director
Rachael Allen – Account Director
Gemma Troup – Account Manager
Gabe Hammond - Producer, One20

Production
Curious Film
Director : Ash Bolland
Executive Producer : Pete Grasse
Producer : Tara Riddell

The Editors
Editor: Bernard Garry, ASE
Editor: Daniel Lee
Editorial Producer: Nicoletta Rousianos

Alt.vfx
VFX Supervisor: Jesse Bradstreet
2D Supervisor: Matt Chance
Lead Flame Artist: Urs Furrer
Compositor: Karen Fabling, Mick Harkin, Murray Smallwood, Mark Doney
Online Editor: Matt Bennett
VFX Assistant; Sean Ryan
Executive Producer: Takeshi Takada