Vodafone: NOT YET ANOTHER BORING CHRISTMAS CAMPAIGN!

Credits & Description:

Category: Best Use of Live Events and/or Stunts

Advertiser: VODAFONE CZECH REPUBLIC

Product/Service: FAST MOBILE INTERNET

Agency: VODAFONE CZECH REPUBLIC

Spokesperson: Miroslav Cepicky (Vodafone Czech Republic)

PR specialist: Adela Konopkova (Vodafone Czech Republic)

Deputy spokesperson: Alzbeta Houzarova (Vodafone Czech Republic)

Media placement: PR Stunt - - 27.10.2011

Media placement: Media Coverage - 20 Articles In Key Regional And Telco Online Servers With Large Photo Galleries - 27.10.2011



Summary of the Campaign

Each year during Christmas, Czech mobile operators roll out their most impressive advertising-campaigns, always building upon traditional Christmas values. But what can you do once you have used pretty much all the symbols of Christmas in your advertising and when you feel that people are getting annoyed by Christmas marketing in early November? Moreover, what if the product you have to promote is fast mobile internet? There is only one chance: you go to Easter, and claim that people can be one step ahead if they use your high speed mobile internet. And how do you draw attention to the campaign with PR? During the night, you let a giant 145 kg Easter egg appear on a serious historic site, visible from virtually the whole city-centre. And you make sure that people spread the word both online and offline. Then the media publish the story with large photos of the giant Easter eggs. Next you send them an email mentioning the egg from an anonymous address created in Gmail.



The Situation

The campaign was created for Vodafone Czech, 1 of the 3 mobile operators in the Czech Republic. The offer of fast mobile internet with over 90 applications included was designed to form an attractive bundle. The attractiveness of the bundle was related to the message, declaring that the product was one step ahead of the competitors, because their Christmas offers did not include any applications. As a teaser to the ATL campaign a giant Easter egg was placed on a site visible from literally everywhere in the city centre.



The Goal

The goal was to create a buzz and attract public attention to the controversial campaign by means of a PR stunt. The intended target-audience was the general public. The expected effect was winning new customers as well as teaching current customers, who had not been taking advantage of mobile internet services by that time, to activate and start using mobile-data tariffs.



The Strategy

The adopted strategy was to create massive impact. We chose a famous public space on a hill in the centre of the city, where a Stalin monument used to stand during the Communist Era. The place was selected due to its significance for the whole nation as well as its high visibility from the whole city-centre. Simultaneously, all retail spaces were redesigned to radiate Easter and spring cheerfulness to the general surrounding atmosphere of winter and Christmas Carols. To attract media coverage, emails were sent to tabloid papers, dailies and specialised servers from an anonymous address. The campaign was ready to be officially introduced at a press conference.



Execution

A larger than life Easter egg, weighing 145 kg and made from polystyrene, was installed secretly during the late hours with the help of a 24-tonne crane. The capital city woke up to a surprise. In the morning, people as well as media started taking pictures and began to wonder. We let the news about the Easter egg spread around freely. Officially owning up to the stunt during a press conference won us double coverage. During the 4 days of the installation, the egg created a considerable buzz among the public, which later spread to social networks and to the media. Many people took pictures of the giant egg over the city, posted them on their social networks and shared it with their peers. The stunt succeeded in drawing attention to the ATL campaign itself and consequently boosted the sales of mobile data. We did not claim responsibility for the stunt until the press conference.



Documented Results

About 250,000 people saw the egg from trams, cars, Charles Bridge or other bridges and streets close to the installation. A cover-article with a half-page photo was published in a Prague regional daily, and about 20 articles were published in key regions and telco online-servers with large photo galleries. More than 10,000 people viewed the video on YouTube. 30,245 people were reached by our social-media, hundreds of them commented on the post. 69% more customers have started using daily mobile-data tariffs after the campaign. 35% more customers started using monthly mobile data-tariffs after the campaign.