Koodo Mobile has created the Mobile Mobile Charging Station, a walking battery charger that irreverently promises to redefine mobility in Toronto.
The experiential marketing campaign, which launched Aug. 5, lets people plug their phones into a person wearing a suit that looks like a battery. The station is equipped with multiple cables that are compatible with the most popular phones in Canada.
Throughout August and September, Koodo will deploy the free charging stations at Toronto events such as Taste of the Danforth and the Canadian National Exhibition, as well as film premieres during the Toronto International Film Festival.
“We wanted to take a different approach to adding value to the customer experience,” said Nathan Roth, senior manager of digital and social at Telus-owned Koodo. “We want to offer a simple and easy service that gives our customers peace of mind about one of life’s stressful little annoyances.
“We’ve all been there before: your phone battery drains and dies at the most inopportune moments. These are brutal times. Fear of missing out sets in, people get stressed, some might even freak, and we wanted to fix that.”
While the stunt is amusing, Koodo wanted to provide “real utility,” added Roth.
“For that to happen, people need to experience the service. Simply talking about it wouldn’t be very helpful. It has to be real to make an impact on people’s lives.”
A promotional YouTube video shows the awkward moments experienced by a charger with legs. The video will be distributed across Koodo’s owned social channels, and supported with paid media. People can check out the Mobile Mobile Charging Station locations at www.mobilemobilechargingstation.ca or follow @KoodoCharger on Twitter or Instagram. Participants are encouraged to post photos of themselves with the charging station with the #KoodoHasMyBack hashtag.
Strategic Objectives oversaw the experiential execution and is handling PR, Cossette handled the media buy, and Taxi 2 developed the digital and social media strategy behind the campaign, including the creation of the promotional video.
Since Koodo launched in 2008, the brand has challenged conventions in the wireless space. “Our aim is to make mobile fair, simple and fun for our customers, and that often means looking for new, unexpected ways to give our customers better value,” said Roth.
