Telus has launched a trio of advertisements playing up to Canadians who are too busy watching Netflix to tend to everyday household chores, such as fixing the faucet or watering the plants.
The ads were developed by the telecom’s recently appointed creative agency of record, The & Partnership. It’s one of the first major campaigns to come out of the agency’s Vancouver office, which opened last fall.
“The crux of the idea is that, with everyone being busy watching Netflix on Optik TV, all of the household chores are on the backburner,” said James Sadler, creative director, The & Partnership in Vancouver, where Telus is also headquartered.
One of the spots shows a thirsty, talking flower staring out the window at the pouring rain, bemoaning its owner for not feeding it. Another features a pile of dirty laundry discussing how smelly they’ve become while waiting to be washed, while the third shows a leaky tap waiting to be repaired. Each spot ends with the tagline: “Humans are busy. Now it’s easier to watch Netflix with Optik.”
Sadler said the campaign is a move away from traditional Telus campaigns, most of which feature adorable animals.
The ads were originally intended to be aired solely on social platforms, but Sadler said Telus liked them so much they decided to move them to Optik as well. They’re running on a list of U.S. specialty channels.
The spots can also be seen on YouTube and Telus social media channels such as Facebook.
Late last year, the agency worked with Telus to launch a new campaign encouraging consumers to unplug their smartphone and other digital devices during the holidays to spend time with family (unless the phone needed to be used to play holiday music).
The effort was the first major creative work the WPP-backed agency did with Telus since winning the account last summer.
