Page 19 - Sphere No.9 (Sep 2003)

A RECENT ADVERTISING CAM-
paign in the UK took a page from
the history books in comparing the
scale and complexity of bringing 3G
services to market to that of landing
the first man on the moon.
The commercial opens with a shot
of the earth and a voice-over: “They
said it was flat.”
Followed by a movie clip of an early
attempt at flight: “They said it couldn’t be
done.”
Another vignette features a man
speaking on a bulky 80s handset: “They
said it would never catch on.”
Then: “What do they know?”
The commercial then cuts to peo-
ple using 3’s videophones, and the
words: “Open your eyes.”
The spot effectively
positions 3 as the heir
apparent in the
mobile market, and
earned a “pick
of the week”
award from
C a m p a i g n ,
the UK’s
t o p -
s e l l i n g
advertising
magazine.
RESIDENTS OF AUSTRALIA’S
main capital cities have enjoyed
a light-hearted and fun advertising
approach, focusing on 3 bringing
friends and families closer together.
One example that brought smiles
to viewers’ faces was a TV com-
mercial that featured a grand-
mother in Italy who is so surprised to
receive a videocall from her family in
Sydney that she falls off her chair!
Surprise, surprise
S TARTING ON JUNE 1, THE
latest E30-million-advertising cam-
paign went “live” in Italy, covering all the
most important media and incorporat-
ing three new
30-second, TV
ads.
Humorous,
sexy and senti-
mental, this
next set of
hugely popu-
lar Italian
t e l ev i s i on
spots con-
tinued the
theme of
the launch
ads, fea-
turing three female characters. These
three girls have made their way into the
hearts of the Italian public and have
now reached almost iconic status.
So far, over E100 million has been
spent on advertising and the investment
has paid off with more than half
of Italians now recognising the
“Tre” brand.
Instant recognition
They said it couldn’t be done
3G
S PHERE
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