Telstra’s New Brand Platform Puts Craft, Whimsy, and Creativity at the Forefront

The change in direction for the brand is maybe best highlighted with a whimsical animated film called ‘Duet’, which features two characters who journey together through a wondrous world in perfect harmony, as a metaphor for partnership.  

Brought to life by Oscar nominated animation duo, Smith and Foulkes, ‘Duet’ is set to a whistling composition of the iconic ‘Islands in the Stream’. 

The craft and ambition doesn’t stop with film though, and in out-of-home close to 3,000 sites, including forty special builds and painted wall murals, feature graphic illustrations by Ben Hassler that have been painstakingly recreated in layers of paper with artist Kyle Bean and photographer Carl Kleiner. 

The range of executions and commitment to crafted detail suggest a more contemporary and imaginative chapter for Telstra under ‘Wherever we go’ and marks a conscious move away from the previously more corporate image for the brand according to Brent Smart, Telstra’s chief marketing officer. 

“If you want to change how people feel about your brand, you have to change how the brand feels. This work captures the spirit of optimism and promise of partnership that we want the Telstra brand to be all about. We want to show that the biggest brands can also be the most imaginative” says Brent. 

The campaign launches in both the AFL and NRL Grand Finals, before extending into media buys across broadcast, digital, and social. 

“I’m just proud of all the folks who’ve cared so hard to make this work”, said Micah Walker, founder and chief creative officer of Bear Meets Eagle On Fire, “it’s not that often you get to make work this considered and crafted, and to do it at this scale, is just really rare.” 

Blake Crosbie, managing director of +61 adds, “This campaign has also been a great journey with Telstra and the work is the beginning of redefining the relationship they have with their customers. It puts partnership at the center of the Telstra brand.” 

“We’ve really pushed the boundaries within the media to bring this campaign to life. It’s about creating a world of epic wonder, from the screens to the streets, and places Telstra in high reaching, high attention, premium environments,” says Helen Guard MD of media.