AUNZ Work of the Week: Colenso BBDO and Spark NZ

In an effort to reframe the feeling of connectivity from utility to source of joy, Spark and Colenso BBDO’s surreal brand film breaks a car in half to send a passenger on an epic, solo adventure.

It’s a network-first story that rewards a simple act – borrowing a friend’s phone -- with an injection of wonder. The two-minute hero film, directed by Damien Shatford, starts with a relatable digital dead zone before pivoting into the surreal.

The work blurs the line between telco ad and mini-blockbuster, and positions Spark as more a purveyor of epic experiences than a utility provider.

While Spark holds the #1 mobile network coverage award, the campaign is a world away from ‘key messages’. Instead of bars on a map, we get a car's passenger compartment soaring through epic New Zealand landscapes, powered by the discovery that her friend is on the Spark network.

It’s supported by a suite of cutdowns across social and TV, but the full, strange magic is reserved for the cinema screen.

Telstra’s work has set the bar for telco advertising in this market, but this project from Spark is equally worthy proof the category can be creative, not hyper-focused on dropped calls and slow data. Here, the only thing getting dropped is part of a hatchback, taking a sense of joy and wonder along for the ride.