Client: O2
Project name: Christmas 2020
Head of Brand & Consumer Marcomms: Simon Valcarcel
Consumer Lead, Brand & Marcomms: Johnny Winn
Senior Marcomms Manager: Jeremy Wells
Marcomms Executive: AbigailRidgwell
CREATIVE AGENCY
Creative Agency: VCCP
Executive Creative Director: Darren Bailes
Creative Director: Jim Capp
Creative: Pip Bishop
Creative: Chris Hodgkiss
TV Producer: Carly Parris
Heads of Team O2: Katya Obolensky/Emma Whitmarsh
Business Director: Nick Robinson
Account Director: Thom Gilbrook
Account Manager: Amun Grewal
Planning Director: Jenny Nichols
Planner: Gemma Smyth
Integrated Project Director: Simon Keyworth
Creative producer: Giselle Sambrook-Smith
Creative producer: Mandy Wilson
Digital Associate Creative Director: Jon Bancroft
Digital producer: Lucy McDougall
TV PRODUCTION
Production Company: Independent
Director: Gary Freedman
Producer: Ciska Faulkner
Executive Producer: Jani Guest
Cinematographer: Barry Ackroyd
Choreographer: Robert Burgerman
Editor: Adam Spivey @ The Assembly Rooms
Production Designer: Drogo Michie
Casting: Brendan McNamara @ Beach Casting
TV POST-PRODUCTION
Post-production: MPC
Creative Director: Anthony Bloor
CG supervisor: Andy Steele
Animation Supervisor: David Bryan
2D Supervisor: Tom Harding
Colourist: Jean-Clement Soret
Post producer: Philip Whalley
Sound Design & Mix: Sam Ashwell @ 750 mph
Audio Producer: Mary-Ann D’Cruz
SOCIAL PRODUCTION
Creative Agency: VCCP
Social and Influence Director: Aurelian Pakula
Associate Creative Director: Sophie Payne
Senior Account Director: Alex Dalman
Account Manager: Matt Isard-McNulty
Design/Motion Production Manager & Social Media Asset Manager: Shobha Pandya
Senior Designer: Simon Bostock
3d Designer: Sam Kim
Designer: Darren O’Donaghue
Designer: Timothee Chesnin
Published: November 2020
Country: UK
Synopsis:
O2 launches its first ever Christmas brand advertising campaign. Launching in OOH, social channels, including a YouTube masthead takeover as people wake up this morning, the TV ad has a hero spot on ITV's The Voice Final tonight at 9.20pm to millions of viewers across the UK. The ad features ten-year-old Darcy Murdoch tentatively taking to the ice rink alone, in an epic winter landscape. Darcy, a young professional ice skater from Dundee, is just one of millions of young people unable to participate in the sport they love this year due to lockdown. As Darcy begins to take her first steps on the ice, help is at hand in the form of Bubl the robot, O2’s brand mascot - highlighting that O2 is always there for you, whenever you need it. A heart-warming story unfolds, with Bubl and Darcy gliding around on the ice, supporting each other and getting lost in the magical scene. The dream fades to reveal Darcy at home with her real-life sister Lexi, and their Mums. Darcy was watching Olaf’s Frozen Adventure on Disney+ via her new tablet, and had gone into a world of her own imagination with the Disney Christmas featurette. The campaign was inspired by O2’s long standing partnership with the NSPCC, and the work to keep children safe online and when using tech, particularly important at a time when technology will keep us connected to those we can’t be with over Christmas. Behind the scenes, Darcy has talked about the challenges of training during lockdown, as ice rinks across the country have been closed. A competitive ice skater since she was five years old, Darcy was treated to an entirely new ice rink built for the shoot by O2 and VCCP in a secret location filmed in the UK.