Optus' latest campaign is the strongest move yet away from the brand's former animal-based advertising, with marketing boss Mike Smith saying the beasts of old had become “a prop”.
The new 4G campaign, which does not include television but crosses outdoor and print, almost entirely moves away from the animals. In the outdoor executions, no animals feature whatsoever, but in the print executions a small QR code in the bottom left hand corner looks like a rhino.
Optus marketing boss Mike Smith told AdNews this campaign would be the furthest the company has moved away from the animal positioning.
Previous Optus advertising was completely dominated by animals, but in recent months the company has started to move away from this.
Optus' new brand campaign, led by the tagline 'It's Possible', has centered more on humans. But despite the turnaround, animals have still featured prominently in all the Optus campaigns until now.
Smith told AdNews: “The animals started as a metaphor, but towards the end they were a prop and they didn't mean anything any more.
“What do we do with animals, I don't know.
“ I think over the course of the next six months we'll ask ourselves whether we stay or let them go altogether. We're in a position now where we could drop them and no one would notice.”
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