Ad of the week – O2

by Stratton Craig

image overlay

Are you a cat person or a dog person?
The new ‘be more dog’ ad by VCCP for O2 might mean you don’t have to choose any more – it turns an aloof cat into a tail-chasing, hole-digging, Frisbee-catching mutt.
It’s possibly the best example of change they could’ve used, as what better represents polar opposites than a cat and a dog? Clever CGI and an inspired choice of background music really make this clip shine (or ‘Flash’, as the case may be), giving it plenty of opportunity to go viral. As you’d expect, I also love the writing for this one: I’ve been eagerly awaiting the day that ‘meh’ shows up in a commercial, and here it is!
The ad is encouraging mobile phone users to be more adventurous, promoting several of O2’s new services. There’s a supporting website with some fun interactive features, so that you can tell your friends to be less like Bagpuss and more like Lassie too. As the campaign’s expected to carry on through TV, social media and outdoor, I’m expecting some other takes on the ad to appear soon.
One of the great things about this particular campaign is that, although it’s new and a bit ‘out there’ in concept, it still fits perfectly with O2’s existing branding and tone of voice. It doesn’t represent a significant departure from their current position, and the ‘be more dog’ phrase subtly ties in with their repeated use of the word ‘more’ in other communications. There’s also some significant overlap in sentiment from the previous slogan ‘See what you can do’, which was also attempting to inspire customers to break out of their comfort zone.
If you’ve seen a great ad with fabulous copywriting that you’ve just got to share, why not tweet us with the details (@strattoncraig).