AUNZ Work of the Week: 'Wherever we go', Telstra and +61

+61, led by Bear Meets Eagle On Fire, has breathed new life into Telstra. Over the course of the year, we’ve seen the evolution of the brand, from talking animals to a wonderfully whimsical animation. CMO Brent Smart told LBB he wants to make the big telco feel imaginative and surprising, and it already does.

'Wherever we go' launched with a hero film: A whistling duet performed by two characters who move in perfect harmony through the forest and the desert, underground and underwater. Animated by Oscar-nominated duo, Smith and Foulkes, it’s imbued with a sense of nostalgia, while also feeling fresh. 

The ambitious OOH roll out is an exceptional feat, spearheaded by artist Kyle Bean and photographer Carl Kleiner. Individual layers of paper were masterfully pieced together to create the images used in the OOH - evidence that Brent doesn’t want the brand to look the same, but to feel the same. “It would have been really tempting to do some matching luggage,” Brent said of the OOH. "But instead, we've gone for something we believe is really iconic.”

3,000 OOH sites, 40 special builds and murals, 300 unique artworks created because the agency refused to let the same asset be resized. Instead, “the paper craft was conscious of media placements, taking into account the different sizes and orientation, right down to lighting angle and shadows.” Iconic indeed.

The level of craft on display here, across both the TVC and OOH, is beyond what you’d expect from a telco brand. This launch has created a sense of excitement for what comes next.