Vodafone Brings to Life the Power of Connection at Christmas

Vodafone has today launched its new Christmas advertising campaign, celebrating 40 years of Christmas on The Nation’s Network. The campaign showcases the connections that bring family and friends together during the festive season and draws on Vodafone’s heritage and innovation as the first mobile phone company in the UK, highlighting its role as the brand connecting the people of this nation to the things they love.  

Serving the nation since 1984, Vodafone has played a vital part in keeping the nation connected to their loved ones during the festive season. The first-ever mobile phone call was made on 1st January 1985, and the first-ever text message was sent on 3rd December 1992, which read ‘Merry Christmas’ - both were powered by the Vodafone network.

The nostalgic Christmas campaign looks back at the last four decades and highlights that while technology has changed - from brick phones to smartphones - the joy of connecting with friends and family during the festive season remains the same.

Created by Vodafone and Leo Burnett, the film moves chronologically through the decades and highlights some of the festive seasons most emotive and relatable moments. From the very first mobile phones of the '80s and text speak in the ‘90s to the emergence of flip phones and teaching older family members how to use video calls for the first time, the ad brings to life the power of connection at Christmas. 

The campaign is further brought to life through a nationwide wave of OOH, celebrating the evolution of festive communication over the decades. From the early days of character-limited text messages to today’s vibrant multimedia exchanges, the creative highlights Vodafone’s enduring role at the heart of these moments, reinforced by its iconic and distinctive branding.

The campaign will additionally feature a bespoke four-part social content series fronted by Roman and his Mum, singer and author, Shirlie Kemp, that builds on the nostalgic sentiment of the ad. Uniting two generations, the series looks back at how phones have changed over the last 40 years, highlighting that despite advances in technology, the feeling of connecting with friends and family has remained the same. Viewers will see Roman and his Mum interacting through challenges, such as texting on a Nokia 3310, taking a selfie with a GX10 and communicating only with emojis, while they share nostalgic Christmas-device inspired memories with each other.

Maria Koutsoudakis, brand director, Vodafone UK, said, "As the nation's network, we are extremely proud of the pioneering and enduring role we play in connecting the nation. The first text ever sent in the UK was on our network, and it said, 'Merry Christmas.' The first phone call was on our network, and it was, 'Hello, Happy New Year.' Connecting people at this important time of the year is in the DNA of our brand. This year, we are extremely proud to celebrate those moments of connection that mean so much to everyone at Christmas and how we have helped make these happen for 40 years. Our Christmas TV campaign celebrates those beautiful nostalgic moments enabled by our technology, and the technology itself, in a warm, humorous, and moving way. For me, this story epitomizes the critical role we play and will continue to play in the everyday lives of all our consumers, and I hope it triggers a memory in each and every one of us."

Mark Elwood, chief creative officer, Leo Burnett UK, added, “This campaign takes us back in time – from the first brick phones, early text slang, selfies and video calls – showing that while the tech might have changed (thankfully), the joy of connecting with loved ones at Christmas has stayed wonderfully the same. It’s all about celebrating the moments that really matter, connecting with friends and family.”

The fully integrated, multi-touch point campaign – including TV, radio, OOH, YouTube, social, video on demand and cinema – will launch on Friday 29thNovember when the TV advert airs. The ad will premiere during ITV’s I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! and will also play during the Lionesses’ international friendly vs The USA the following day. The campaign will roll out across OOH, Social, YouTube and Radio on the 2nd December.