2degrees Goes Back to its Roots of Liberating Communication

2degrees is launching a new brand campaign via DDB New Zealand today, bringing it back to its roots of liberating communication, while celebrating how far it's come.

With nearly ten years serving Kiwis, the once cheeky upstart is evolving its brand identity to convey confidence and maturity in the total telco market.

Roy Ong, 2degrees chief marketing officer, says the campaign is an opportunity to reintroduce the business to Kiwis.

Says Ong: "Our launch in 2009 was hugely successful and struck a very particular tone that resonated strongly with Kiwis. Since that time, we've established ourselves as a successful full-service telco providing individuals and businesses nationwide with a seamless service and a fair deal, and the way we position our brand needs to reflect that."

Ong says the new campaign is driven by the insight that communication is second nature, and your telco shouldn't get in the way of what comes naturally.

Says Ong: "Communication is happening around us, effortlessly, all the time. So we figure our one job as a communications company is to keep communication flowing, effortlessly."

This approach translates through the business through 2degrees' commitment to keeping plans simple, the tech easy to use, and its customer service local and approachable.

Shane Bradnick, executive creative director at DDB, says the opportunity to reset the 2degrees brand presented an exciting challenge.

Says Bradnick: "The thing about 2degrees is that it's such a great brand already and has done some exceptional brand work in the past. Developing this campaign was about looking at 'where are we now and what does that mean to everyday Kiwis and businesses?'"

Bradnick says the feeling of effortless communication is brought to life in a new 60" brand spot through the way it was shot, with a sense of natural momentum and laconic storytelling.

In addition, the campaign includes a range of humorous 30" executions that focus on the company's business categories. The first of these, 'Clapping', also launches this week with more to follow in the coming months.

The campaign will also run via OOH and through social channels.

In February, the #chattingrugby Super Rugby sponsorship campaign provided an early glimpse of the brand's fresh new positioning.

Retail campaigns will each highlight a unique "expression" conveying that communication is second nature and providing fluency across all touchpoints. The first of these is the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S9.

Ong says he's thrilled with the work DDB has produced and is excited to see how Kiwis respond to the 'Second Nature' campaign.

Says Ong: "For the past 18 months our focus was tactical, rational and about acquisition. But it's difficult to stand out with that approach. This is set to change in 2018. With second nature we have a platform with which to deliver an emotional and consistent story for 2degrees - in a way that makes Kiwis sit up and listen.

"The breakthrough on this came with the power of the single organising idea. That's what DDB provided. I think this is the right story for 2degrees to be telling at this point in our journey, because communication is second nature and we'd like to keep it that way."