This Canadian Internet Provider Redeemed the Dreaded Asterisk
Whether you consciously think about it on a day-to-day basis or not, odds are, you’ve been conditioned to look for the asterisk. Reading the terms and conditions of a potential purchase? Better check to see if that pesky symbol is there, redirecting attentive viewers to scan the fine text. It’s a hunt which always stirs up various emotions, from the fear of seeing one on a deal that seems too good to be true, to the inevitable disappointment that crops up when discovering key caveats that brands conveniently didn’t want to emphasise in the first place.
One category where this practice seems especially popular is in the world of telecommunications. Be it phone deals, internet packages or new devices at low, low prices, brands within seem to love hiding key details in the margins, which is exactly what Canadian-based oxio wanted to change. Working alongside partner creative agency TBWA\Canada, the brand saw an opportunity to not only redefine what the asterisk means, but the emotions one feels when looking at it.
Specifically, the two highlighted the brand’s time-honoured pricing model and insistence that all information be presented up front, and then simply added an asterisk with no additional information tied to it. An aesthetic reminder that oxio always plans to offer fixed-price internet at a fair rate, this once dreaded symbol was repurposed for an always-on social campaign – a clever way to simultaneously build brand trust and poke fun at a commonly despised pastime.
To learn more about the execution, and just what it took to bring this to life, LBB’s Jordan Won Neufeldt sat down with the team from TBWA\Canada, including group account director Anthony Ferraro, strategist Sam Nipius, senior copywriter Tori Lee, and senior art director Philippe Visaya, as well as oxio’s brand manager, Ranya Bouthaim, performance marketing manager Julien Reif, and community, partnerships and influencer manager Savannah Locke Gillis for a chat.
LBB> What was the brief for this campaign, what immediate ideas came to mind?
oxio> We were starting to notice less interaction from consumers with our ads, which meant it was time for a refresh. So, we asked TBWA to highlight what makes oxio different from others in a simple but compelling way. We wanted the messaging to be clear while highlighting our brand’s transparency, and the creative team got it right away!
TBWA> Something we realised early on was that most competitors in the category offer flashy promotional prices – some lower than oxio’s – but use fine print to lock people in before raising prices after the first few months.
We wanted to position oxio as a champion for the audience, so we thought, ‘how do we give them everything they want, without making them feel like they’re walking through a minefield?’.
LBB> The insight of the asterisk as a proxy for hated category pastimes is simple, yet brilliant! Where did this idea come from?
TBWA> The TBWA methodology of ‘Disruption®’ is famous for building major brand platforms like Apple’s ‘Think Different’, and Airbnb’s ‘Don’t Go There, Live There’. However, what many don’t realise is that we use this methodology on a campaign basis as well. Our vision for oxio has always been clear – to make things simple and fair for consumers by prioritising what they want most.
Hunting for conventions can take a lot of time and effort, but sometimes they just land in your lap. Going into our research, our question was, ‘what is the competition doing that’s stopping the world from being simple and fair?’. Our team was comparing competitive campaigns and when we put them next to ours, we noticed one glaringly obvious difference – they all had an asterisk, but we didn’t.
At this point we had two options: make it clear that oxio doesn’t throw in an asterisk, meaning we would have to draw attention to something people usually ignore, or lean into the star-shape symbol and give it a new positive meaning. To us, the latter seemed to be clearly more powerful and impactful.
LBB> As part of this, you used Backslash to gain some critical insights. What did you learn, and how did it influence your creative approach?
TBWA> Backslash acts as a radar, finely tuned to what matters most to our audience and where its members are heading culturally. One of the cultural shifts (or ‘Cultural Edge’, as we call it) that over-indexes with the oxio audience is called ‘Gap Collapse’, which is about the very real consequences of rising inequality. As people are looking for ways to rebalance the scales, unlocking that access for them is a big market opportunity.
This desire to rebalance scales is what led us to look for signs of unfairness to connect to our value proposition.
LBB> And how did this feed into the decision to promote via social?
TBWA> Social is a very fast-paced environment, so during our ideation process, we knew that we needed to create a simple format that was easy to understand, attention-grabbing, yet flexible enough to communicate oxio’s different RTBs. We also wanted to see if we could create any shorthands visually or with language that would help emphasise our messaging.
oxio> As a brand that’s all about the digital world, socials are our natural home, it’s where our audience is, and where conversations about brands, internet culture, and consumer frustrations happen in real time. We’re not just showing up – we’re speaking the internet’s language, keeping it fresh, organic, relatable and in line with the cultural moments our audience cares about.
To bring this campaign to life, we leaned into bold, visual storytelling and snackable content formats that are native to social platforms. By using humor, self-awareness and a bit of oxio defiance, we made sure the campaign felt authentically us while standing out in an oversaturated space.
LBB> From a design perspective, how did you ensure the struck the perfect balance between visually striking, and in line with the oxio aesthetic?
TBWA> In true oxio style, we used playful images and visual metaphors to make our work stand out and stay true to the brand. We also highlighted key images and words with its signature pastel colours. These elements combined created a look and feel that's undeniably oxio.
But we didn’t stop there. To build on the brand’s promise, we added some dynamic motion to the graphics, infusing the design with energy and movement to captivate the viewer's attention. This approach not only made our visuals stand out, but also reinforced the fun spirit that is at the heart of oxio.
LBB> Equally so, how did you ensure they would poke fun at the traditional pricing model and other telcos, without making the brand a category villain in the process?
TBWA> What’s great about asterisks is that they’re not just associated with telco pricing models – they’re in every brand category and consumers are already used to looking for them wherever they’re making a purchasing decision.
Because of this, in the spots, we made sure to use the asterisk in a way that more so poked fun at how as a society, we expect things to hide after the asterisk, rather than pinning those asterisks on our competition. These ads are all about a conversation between our audience and oxio, and no one else.
LBB> What lessons did you learn from the making of this campaign?
oxio> We got a hint of where the creative team was heading with the concept when discussing strategy, and to be honest, we weren’t 100% sold on it. Thankfully, we trusted the process and waited to see the creative concepts come to life, and we loved it.
The lesson here would be to not write off ideas in the creative stage until you have a better grasp of the concept; we’re sure glad we didn’t!
LBB> Since launch, how have people responded to this campaign?
oxio> Very well! We’ve seen some impressive results with the new ads. There’s been a noticeable spike in engagement, and it's clear that people are super curious to learn more about oxio. The number of clicks has definitely increased, and it looks like we’re sparking more interest. It’s all looking positive, and we’re excited to see where this takes us!
LBB> Finally, is there an element of this campaign you’re most proud of?
TBWA> The boldness. Having the confidence in the work to not only mention a sensitive symbol, but to fully emphasise it and make it the hero of the story. It took a certain kind of daring to turn something typically used to hide the truth into a powerful tool to show exactly who oxio is and what it stands for.
oxio> Working with TBWA to bring this campaign to life was very illuminating. We worked closely as one team and tuned into our shared challenger mindset and bold ambitions to deliver a campaign that consumers really relate to.
Internet services should be simple and transparent so Canadians can focus on what really matters to them. For many of us, the internet is a cultural engine and it allows us to do plenty; it’s vital. We want Canadians to enjoy it without worrying about price hikes, unstable networks or poor customer service, and this work captured that sentiment beautifully.
