New Zealand’s Fairest Telco 2degrees Gives Babies Bonuses

Kiwi telecommunications company 2degrees has worked with TBWA\NZ, to celebrate the next generation of their company following its merger with Vocus NZ in a truly novel way - by giving baby bonuses to the next generation of Kiwis born on 1 June 2022. The initiative aims to give some New Zealand families a head start in creating their own fairer future, a gesture that aligns beautifully with 2degrees’ purpose of Fighting for Fair.

2degrees welcomed the merger on June 1st with a humorous and heartwarming campaign, starring a group of babies in custom-made baby business suits representing the future of New Zealand. As they battle with phones, calculators and keyboards, we learn that the next generation of 2degrees is pledging to be the fairest yet, by supporting this next generation of Kiwis. Committed to helping their families start building a fairer future for themselves, the telco will put its money where its mouth is, granting all babies born on June 1st a share in 222,000 NZD in bonuses.

The initiative represents the latest work for 2degrees by TBWA\NZ, who partnered on the launch of their Fighting for Fair brand purpose and platform, aiming to battle business and cultural unfairness for Kiwis via a range of campaigns that challenge the status quo. For this latest iteration, 2degrees worked with TBWA\NZ to assure New Zealanders that the merger would mean they were more dedicated than ever to their fight for fairness.

Mark Callander, chief executive at 2degrees, comments: “2degrees is here to support the next generation of Kiwis as we continue with our Fight for Fair. What better way to celebrate our commitment to a fairer future for all New Zealanders than by giving a bonus to those Kiwis who share this milestone day with us.”

He adds: “We’re so excited to see which corners of New Zealand our June 1st babies come from and to give those families a helping hand or perhaps the start of a nest egg for the future. Either way, we see this as the start of our supercharged mission. With more people and greater scale, 2degrees is better equipped to Fight for Fair on behalf of our customers and New Zealand.”

Shane Bradnick, CCO at TBWA\NZ, comments: “The coming together of two of New Zealand’s fairest telcos means a much fairer future for NZ telco customers, not that babies born on June 1st will care too much about that. They’re just keen to collect their bonuses which will help set them up for a bigger, brighter, fairer future. This gesture from the next generation of 2degrees shows our ongoing commitment to keep fighting for fair, for the next generation of New Zealanders.”

The campaign made the most of TBWA\NZ’s FROM NOWHERE offering: a fully remote agency team working from across the globe on New Zealand clients. FROM NOWHERE’s creative partners, Ashley Wilding and Daniel Davison, took on the brief from their base in London, working on the project from end-to-end with the TBWA crew based in New Zealand. Dialling in remotely for the shoot, the team chose babies to be the stars of the initiative in order to drive home the ‘next generation’ aspect of the merger - as well as to bring a smile to all viewers’ faces.