Campaign: Speed is good
Brand:  Vodafone 3 G
Company : Vodafone India
Agency:  Ogilvy & Mather

The Campaign

An elderly man is shown clearing his desk. A colleague, walking past, sees this and asks him whether he is moving desks. The man replies that it’s his last day in the office as he’s retiring. The lady then asks for a picture with him, and the two pose for a selfie. She goes on to share that picture with her colleagues and informs them about the retirement. The film then cuts to the man leaving the office with a carton in hand. As he’s walking down the steps, he’s welcomed by a group of people waiting for him. They start the farewell ceremony by playing the guitar and hand over a card scribbled with messages from each of them along with the selfie of the man. The film ends with a super that reads ‘speed is good’.

This campaign has a second ad that shows a little boy unhappy with his new haircut. The mother, to save the situation, clicks a photograph of him on her phone and sends it to her husband. And lo and behold! when they reach home they find that the father too has donned a
similar haircut.  Speed of 3G on the Vodafone network has saved the day for mother and son!

Our Take

Vodafone as a brand does not need advertising. Take any brand survey and you are sure to find Vodafone among the top five brands. Its ads stand the test of time—from the pug to the zoozoos, it has made headlines with their cute stories.

So what does it aim to achieve with its advertising?

For a category such as telecom where there is little to differentiate one brand’s services from that of another, it is advertising that ensures that a brand remains top of the mind. While nobody is expected to know which network offers higher internet speed, everyone has an opinion on which network is “better” in so many ways. And it is this message that Vodafone reinforces with its latest ad.

So here we have an ad which talks about time, or rather how times change, in many subtle ways. And how, you can make time pause, albeit for a moment, with a little helping hand from Vodafone’s 3G network. So in an extremely busy world, where everyone is climbing the professional ladder, comes a moment when the old and the young come together to celebrate the passage of time. It’s an interesting blend of emotions that Vodafone has put forward in its “Farewell” commercial. And through it, makes its point of being faster.

The execution is not over the top. It is subtle and beautifully communicated. The casting is perfect and the characters are believable. The young lady is visibly pregnant, and juxtaposed against the old man, it’s a metaphor for the past and the future brushing shoulders, and how both benefit from the Vodafone network and bridge the generational divide.

Vodafone’s brief to the agency was to develop a 360-degree campaign that clearly established Vodafone as a provider of the fastest 3G network in India. The campaign meets its objectives. It tells the story of technology and in the process, touches hearts. Brings a smile to the face. Once again, Vodafone does the slice of life. And does it perfectly.

RATINGS: ***