Why This Canadian Internet Service Is Made to Scroll through Cool Sh*t
If you’ve spent any time in Canada, then you know that internet providers are a pretty dicey topic. After all, traditionally speaking, three telcos have a monopoly over just about everything, prices are steep, and when the outages happen, they’re long, and extremely painful to deal with.
It’s for all of these reasons and more that oxio is seeking to shatter the status quo. Priding its ability to offer quality internet with no hidden fees, long-term contracts or sneaky price hikes, it wanted to share this news with the country… while avoiding falling into the ‘back to school’ trope that so many other companies use. Enter Juniper Park\TBWA (JP\TBWA). Working together, the two created an ‘uncampaign’ titled ‘Made to Internet’, which utilises a subversive, rebellious and lo-fi style to embrace the exact reasons Canadians love the internet, and why good service is so important.
To find out more, LBB’s Josh Neufeldt sat down with JP\TBWA’s vice president of strategy, Bill Chamness, group creative director Bia Breves, intermediate copywriter Tori Lee, intermedia art director Philippe Visaya, account director Anthony Ferraro, and oxio’s lead, brand and communications Suzanne Punnett, discussing what it took to serve up the brand’s mission on a platter of creativity.
LBB> What was the brief for this campaign, and what immediate ideas came to mind?
Suzanne> Consumers are frustrated with the archaic and traditional ways of the telco industry, and are looking for an alternative provider that gives them what they need: internet that just works, at a fair and sustainable price they can afford. Enter oxio. We set out to introduce the brand to a new generation of Canadians who share our belief in challenging the status quo and changing the way things have always been done in the industry. Our goal was to show consumers that there’s an internet provider out there that they’ll actually like.
JP\TBWA understood our vision and mission from the beginning, and why it was so important for us to lean away from the traditional ‘Back to School’ campaigns that our competitors rely on. They helped push the limits on what telco advertising looks like, and brought fresh thinking to the table on how we can use oxio’s unique branding to break through in a cluttered market.
Bill> We were tasked with supporting during this key sales period… It's like Black Friday for telcos. Have you heard the old adage that Canada is just three telcos in a trench coat? As a challenger brand, we needed to break through and connect with our audience by subverting category conventions. For ‘Made to Internet’, our intention was to create a platform that allows us to have open and honest contextually relevant conversations with people. That's the inspiration for this campaign.
LBB> A big part of this campaign is that it’s actually an ‘uncampaign’. What made this down to earth, honest approach perfect for the situation, and how did this factor into the creative process?
Bia> Nowadays, people are tired of seeing stereotypical ads that don’t reflect their needs and the actual ways they use the internet. By creating an ‘uncampaign’, we could meet our audience where they are and engage them in ways that they enjoy and see value in.
What we loved about this approach is that it gave us the permission to throw out the rule book and create work that really stands out in the category. We got to go into the real reasons people love the internet and in turn, why they should love oxio.
Suzanne> One of our core values is radical transparency - we have nothing to hide and are committed to breaking down the walls that have been built between telcos and consumers. The down to earth and honest approach to our ‘uncampaign’ is a direct reflection of who we are and what we stand for. Leaning into this comes naturally to us and allows us to push the boundaries during the creative process. We were continuously asking ourselves how we could push the ideas to the next level to stand out, be different, and bring some humour into a traditional advertising space.
LBB> And why is ‘not hiding behind anything’ so important for the brand?
Suzanne> For too long, consumers have been forced to accept ‘that’s the way things are’ in the telco industry. From long-term contracts and unreadable pages of fine print to annual price hikes and bargaining to get a fair price - oxio is here to change all of that. Consumers deserve to know where their money goes (especially in this economic climate) and our transparency and honesty help us build long-term relationships with our customers, not short-term hookups with strings attached.
LBB> For both the OOH and the main spot, what was the writing process like? How did you draw upon human moments and experiences people would appreciate, while also keeping it fun and light?
Tori> Writing for this campaign was really an exercise in seeing just how honest and real we could be, while still being lighthearted and relatable. It’s easy to push lines like this into a cynical or negative space, and we wanted to make sure that everything we pinpointed felt like something our audience could laugh with us about and moments that they could see themselves in.
LBB> The slogan ‘Made to Internet’ is fun! How did you come up with this?
Tori> ‘Made to Internet’ came out of us wanting to find language that felt actionable, simple, and flexible while embodying the tone and swagger of the telco. What we love about the line is that it can be used time and time again to feature all the different ways people engage with the internet, while still feeling topical and ownable.
LBB> Tell us about the artistic design process for both the spot and the OOH! What went into creating these, and how did you bring them to life via editing?
Philippe> For ‘Made to Internet’, we really worked to hero the style and branding that was already established for oxio, and build on it with elements that complemented the existing visual identity. For the spots and OOH, we used lifestyle photos to create fun visual metaphors that fit with the moments we were spotlighting. The reason we decided to go with this aesthetic was because it really helped us stand apart from other telco brands and it felt like a visual language our audience would gravitate towards.
Bia> Our goal during our editing process was to make the videos as dynamic as possible, using everything from motion graphics to sound effects to really grab viewers’ attention. Where other ads feel over-polished and manufactured, here, we made sure that every video felt intentional with an almost lo-fi edge.
LBB> What challenges have you faced during this project? How did you overcome them?
Bia> We knew that this project was going to be a tight turnaround from the get-go, but the team worked fast to constantly bring new ideas to the table and adapt to any new pivots that arose.
Suzanne> The great thing about oxio’s visual branding and brand voice is that we want to push creative limits and go where other telcos won’t. That said, we were challenged with striking the balance between being provocative and different, without going too far. We were asking ourselves ‘How will our target audience react?’ and ‘Is this too extreme?’. Ultimately, we stayed true to the brand and our core values, and rooted our ideas in relatable consumer behaviours.
This ‘uncampaign’ also came at a critical time in the company’s journey. We had just closed on our acquisition and needed to reassure customers that we’re still the same brand they know and love. For this reason, it was important to us that ‘Made to Internet’ brought our brand essence to life, reinforced our commitment to our vision and mission, and signalled to our customers and consumers that we’re here for the long run.
LBB> What lessons have you learned in the making of this project?
Anthony> While creating the ‘uncampaign’, the team got a great refresher on the stereotypes and conventions that are easy to slip into. Creating this work was a reminder that not all brands fit into the same (router) box, and just because you’re part of the same category doesn’t mean you have to be afraid to break a few conventions. ‘Made to Internet’ allowed us to really leverage our disruption methodologies to ensure we were breaking the norms, not falling into them.
Suzanne> Building ‘Made to Internet’ reminded us that we have something special. Our unique values and offerings resonate with consumers, and our customer-first approach in everything we do will continue to set us apart from the competition.
This project also allowed us to take a step back and look at telco advertising objectively. Somewhere along the way, telcos lost touch with the everyday joys the internet provides and the small moments that make us smile, laugh or scratch our heads: unlimited entertainment, getting into rabbit holes, endless scrolling in the bathroom, etc. We want to bring the fun back into the internet, one meme at a time!
LBB> How have people reacted to this campaign?
Anthony> We’ve heard really great feedback from colleagues and consumers alike; that this campaign breaks the mould of traditional telco advertising and surprises viewers with what they expect to see from their wireless providers (poop emojis are going to stop your morning scrolls 10/10 times!).
Suzanne> The response to our ‘uncampaign’ has been really positive and reinforces what we always knew - we’r a hidden gem and the breath of fresh air that the telco industry needs.
LBB> How did this campaign fit into oxio’s plans for 2023 and beyond?
Suzanne> ‘Made to Internet’ is just the beginning for oxio and lays the foundation for us to continue telling our story and building brand awareness and familiarity over the coming year. We have big aspirations and lofty goals for the brand and business, and are excited to see this campaign propel our growth across Canada.
