Sweetshop’s Liz Murphy directs new spot for Vodafone Ireland via Folk Wunderman Thompson
Australian director Liz Murphy, represented by Sweetshop, has directed Vodafone Ireland’s latest campaign ‘Growing up Together’, a beautiful new through the line campaign to communicate its market-leading Red Family Plan, developed by Folk Wunderman Thompson.
The entire shoot was managed with Murphy remaining down under, showcasing the outstanding developments the industry has made to facilitate remote shooting. Murphy’s previous work includes McDonald’s, Persil and Volkswagen and she was chosen by Vodafone for her unique ability to ‘to make stuff that gives people the feels’.
In an advertising first, this campaign is a tale of two halves – one story seen from the perspective of two brothers in two touching pieces of film.
Says Murphy: “Telling the story from two different perspectives is such a clever and unique way to engage the audience – it’s also a dream brief for a director. The scope in these scripts to add hidden detail, build tension from scene to scene and give the audience little treats only captured on repeat viewing was really exciting to play with. This is what makes this Vodafone campaign so powerful.”
This one family story is brought to life firstly from the perspective of the older brother, and in the second ad, from the story of the younger brother. The way they communicate seems to be changing and they are having trouble adapting. Both are growing up and as a family, technology is helping them all grow together. With such a brave format which has never been done before, it presented a unique creative and production challenge to ensure both ads work apart, but crucially together too.
Conversations with parents informed the idea; highlighting that while technology in their child’s lives is now a rite of passage, it has a role to play in keeping lines of communication open as their family grows older. Every touch point from TV to social media sees the world from the two brother’s perspectives, and showcases the unique technology and plans designed for Irish families increasingly complex needs.
Says Orla Nagle, head of brand at Vodafone: “Family life is complex. Our conversations with parents highlighted the tensions and realities that come with families growing up together and we were committed to capturing that, something Folk have done brilliantly with this innovative storytelling approach. We’ve been building a solution for families for many years and we’re delighted this piece of work positions our technology in such a meaningful way.”
Says Karl Waters, creative partner, Folk Wunderman Thompson: “Since we received this brief, we have done everything in our power to reflect the true realities of modern family life and do justice to the emotional stories consumers shared with us when talking about growing up together. This execution is designed to reflect this and we’re grateful to have brave clients like Vodafone who embraced such a non-traditional approach to TV. This is a first in brand storytelling.”
HEAD OF BRAND: Orla Nagle
SENIOR MANAGER, BRAND & MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS: Niall Reynolds
BRAND MANAGER: Jane Lawrence
BRAND EXECUTIVE: Clare Cummins
CREATIVE
CREATIVE PARTNER: Karl Waters
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Jonny Cullen
CREATIVES: Ciaran O’Suilleabhain, Conor Swanton, Darragh Carey, Adrian O’Sullivan
STRATEGY: Eimear Fitzmaurice, Kim Comiskey
ACCOUNTS TEAM: Abi Moran, Laura Kelly, Louise Smith, Sinead Higgins, Melissa Byrne
PRODUCERS: Michael Cullen, Dave Brady, Eric Brindley
MEDIA
MEDIA: Carat
SWEETSHOP
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Morgan Whitlock, Justin Edmund White
DIRECTOR: Liz Murphy
PRODUCER: Luke Goodrum
DOP: Stephen Murphy
PRODUCTION DESIGNER: Ned McLoughlin
STYLIST: Helen Kane
HAIR & MAKE UP: Eve Robertson
EDITOR: Mark Burnett
EDIT HOUSE: The Editors
EDIT PRODUCER: Jennie McCartney
POST: Framestore
COLOURIST: Simon Bourne
VFX: Judy Roberts
POST PRODUCER: Semley Wilkinson
COLOUR PRODUCER: Chris Anthony
POST PRODUCTION ASSISTANT: Poppy Chadwick