Fed Up Felines Poke Fun at Pet Portraits in Tesco Mobile Ireland Spots

Tesco Mobile Ireland harnesses the power of humour and relatability to convey common phone behaviours in a new campaign from BBH Dublin and Mindshare.

The TTL campaign highlights how with Tesco Mobile customers get the same coverage and reliability as a big network but with the great value and service of Tesco. Because Tesco Mobile is part of Tesco, when you add a Clubcard to the mix, customers get exclusive Clubcard Prices on phones, plans, points and rewards when they spend.

Directed by Jeff Lowe, the two 30” films comedically demonstrate cats commenting on their owners’ phone behaviours. Depicting a group of cats sharing a watercooler-type moment, bonding over their clingy owners and how they always stick weird ‘rectangles’ (phones) in their faces.

The lead film opens with a group of cat friends discussing their humans’ strange behaviour. As one of them dryly recounts how their owner holds the ‘rectangle’ up to them and then looks at it and then holds it up again in a repetitive manner, the friends agree that this is confusing behaviour, with one adding that they keep flashing in her eyes.

The first cat then looks behind the others and pauses for a beat before saying: “Hey Ted, how are you?”

While the other cats were complaining about having their photos taken, it turns out that Ted has a much more embarrassing owner-related problem. “Bad,” he replies, in a tone that does not match the colourful wizard costume that his owner has lovingly dressed him up in.

The film was meticulously crafted; a team of specialist puppeteers built a cast of bespoke large cat puppets, known as muppets. The intricate puppet making process took a number of weeks to complete. All the action was captured in camera, with three puppeteers needed to control the most animated cat, from his front and back paws to his eyes, ears and mouth. The set was custom built to emulate a conventional Irish street corner, every detail considered to ensure an authentic feel.

Amanda Farrell, head of customer strategy and growth at Tesco Ireland said, “Tesco Mobile is a challenger brand in the Irish mobile market so we wanted to create a campaign that really stands out and feels Irish. The campaign is rooted in the insight that we all do the same things with our phones but that with Tesco Mobile you can get great value, beyond just price. With Tesco Mobile, you get the same coverage, and reliability of a big network, but with the value and service of Tesco. We’re committed to bringing the best of Tesco to mobile with exclusive Clubcard Prices on phones and plans, Clubcard Points on every bill, Clubcard Rewards and unlike other networks our prices stay fixed for the duration of your contract.”

Aubrey O’Connell, creative lead at BBH Dublin, adds, “There’s something really humbling about a pet regarding you as a fool. And who better to judge our phone behaviours than the furry victims at the receiving end of some of them. Why do you keep sticking this rectangle in my face? Why are you paying more when you don’t need to? Two very valid points, simply made.”

The TTL campaign goes live on 7th April across AV, Audio, Out-of-home, social and digital media.