#4GREDLINE
Vodafone
Issue 41 | December 2016
Agency
FCB New Zealand
Creative Team
Regional Executive Creative Director James Mok Senior Art Directors Freddie Coltart Leisa Wall Senior Copywriters Matt Williams Peter Vegas Creative Services Director Jenni Doubleday Senior Designer Nick McFarlane Senior Finished Artist Anton Mason Head of Content Pip Mayne Senior Content Producer Sonali de Silva Production Company Curious Films Director Daniel Max Sound Studio The Coopers
Production Team
Managing Director Fleur Head Group Account Director Karla Fisher Account Director Dave Munn Senior Account Manager Annabelle Reynolds GM – Business Innovation & Strategy Murray Streets Senior Strategist Hilary Dobson Head of PR / Activation / Social Angela Spain PR Senior Account Director Joanna James Brand Engagement Director Ele Quigan Social Media Campaign Manager Lena Aziz Media Agency Y&R Media Group Business Director Kelly Badland Senior Digital Planner Lisa Clapperton
Other Credits
Client Vodafone Consumer Director Matt Williams Head of Brand and Insights Lou Kuegler Manager Brand and Communications Nileema Allerston Brand and Communications Specialist Michelle Lumsden Head of PR Andrea Brady External Comms Manager Elissa Downey
Date
July 2016
Background
Vodafone challenged FCB to showcase their 4G mobile network in a fresh way, which would lift reliability perceptions.
Idea
For the general public, mobile networks were largely intangible. So the strategy was to bring to life the 4G network's reliability with a dramatic product demonstration using international drift car champion Mad Mike Whiddett to put it to the ultimate test.
He undertook to race his Mazda RX7 around a custom-built racetrack with the windows of the car completely blacked out. As his only means of seeing where he was driving, four smartphones were mounted on the roof to stream a live video feed to four tablets inside the car.
To put some extra skin in the game, Vodafone's head of network technology, Tony Baird, accompanied him for the ride.
Results
Just three days after the launch of the content piece, the video had reached over seven million people. On Facebook alone, the video gained over 2.2 million video views and 188,000 reactions across likes, comments and shares.
To date, the hero and behind-the-scenes video have reached over 8.3 million people. Of these, more than 7.1 million were reached organically by the hero video alone. Both videos have evoked 155,600 reactions, 13,300 comments and 35,500 shares – amounting to a total of 203,900 documented cases of engagement.
This has made #4GRedline Vodafone NZ's most successful piece of social content by far.
Our Thoughts
Nothing beats a good demo, especially when you put a client on the line at the same time. Hearing Tony Baird's clucks, gurgles and screams as Mad Mike hurled the car around would have added to the video, I feel.
I certainly wouldn't want to test the reliability of the 4G network here at Directory the same way. Depending which reports you read, 4G speeds are either half as fast as originally promised or "up to five times slower"