As the smartphone market continues to heat up, Spark and Apple have teamed up to launch a new ‘Trade Up’ campaign showing that all you need for a good time is an iPhone and a dog.
The TVC, created by Colenso BBDO and produced by Thick as Thieves, shows a woman and her two closest companions—her dog and her new iPhone 7—embarking on a road trip and taking pictures on the beach.
This is the first time Spark has teamed up to do a joint creative and commercial campaign with Apple, which allows certain Spark customers with an iPhone 6 or 6S to exchange their device for an iPhone 7 or 7S with a cheaper one-off payment than usual.
Sarah Williams, head of brand and communications at Spark, credits Apple for being instrumental in getting the initiative off the ground.
“Apple were really instrumental in getting this off the ground, and it was the first time we’d done something in collaboration with them. This speaks to the closeness of our partnership, and there’s a mutual admiration and recognition of the marketing on both sides,” says Williams.
“We’d love to work with them again in future, but it’s about making sure that aligns with both organisations and their priorities and specific products. Apple obviously have a very strong brand and that shows up in the consistency around the way products like iPhone are marketed globally, so it’s about finding the opportunities to collaborate within that.”
Williams says the idea for the ‘Trade Up’ campaign came from a desire to deliver that “new phone feeling”, with the TVC set to reinforce that feel-good message.
“One of the things our customers tell us is that they really look to us to deliver the latest new technology for them,” says Williams.
“Everyone knows there’s a new iPhone each year, but that never detracts from the excitement of the launch – people still get that amazing feeling when they start their new iPhone up for the first time. Our trade up, which we think really leads the market in value for money, lets people get that new phone feeling every year without having to mess about with your contract.
“With the campaign, we really wanted to capture that feeling of getting a new phone and connect it to something that really demonstrates the huge value in a loyal companion.”
The last few weeks have seen some major developments for the smartphone market, most recently with today’s launch of the Samsung S8 and S8 Plus. Earlier this month also saw the arrival of Oppo, China’s most popular smartphone maker in New Zealand, while next week will see the launch of Huawei’s new P10 smartphone. This year also marks the 10th anniversary of the iPhone, fueling speculation around Apple’s plans to mark the special occasion.
Credits
Agency: Colenso BBDO
Production company: Thick as Thieves
Media: Dynamo
