Who: Koodo Mobile with Camp Jefferson for creative and strategy; Revolver Films for production; Saints Editorial and Darling VFX for post production; TA2 Sound & Music for audio; Audio Z for french audio; and Jungle Media for media.
What: “Switch to Happy,'' an integrated campaign—under the longstanding “Choose Happy” brand platform—for Koodo’s new mobile, internet, and streaming content bundle, the "Happy Stack.”
When & Where: The campaign is anchored by two 15-second videos on traditional broadcast TV, connected TV and online video, accompanied by social and OOH elements, including a takeover of the large-format digital screens at Toronto’s Union Station.
Why: Following a successful pilot program in the Fall of 2023, Koodo Internet is now available to more than 7 million homes across Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba. To attract new and existing mobile customers, the brand is offering a bundle package for mobile, home internet and entertainment offerings, starting at $99/ month.
At a time of economic uncertainty, the “Happy stack” bundle is positioned as a solution for customers hoping to cut down on monthly costs. “It combines reliable mobile service, dependable high-speed internet, and the best streaming entertainment at a value Canadians can’t find anywhere else,” said Telus’ chief product officer, Dwayne Benefield, in a release. “Our value-minded customers want to invest wisely in a practical, comprehensive connectivity and entertainment package, without sacrificing top-tier quality and we’re proud to deliver that only at Koodo.”
That’s why the campaign has leveraged the “Choose Happy” brand platform, launched in 2015 and built around bright colours and happy imagery, to remind consumers of Koodo’s commitment to spreading joy—in this case, by not adding to their financial anxiety.
How: The 15-second spots depict quiet, colourless environments that are suddenly infused with bold colours and music when a customer switches to Koodo.
The first spot is set in a mundane apartment hallway in which a woman is seen leaning against the wall texting, and a man is mopping the floor. Through the window, rain falls from a grey sky. The narrator asks “What happens when you switch to a network that you can count on and afford?” as the protagonist switches to Koodo through a metaphorical flip of the hallway light switch, everyone in the scene comes alive, in bright, festive outfits and dancing to excited music. The rain gives way to a bright fantasy land, and the mopper loses his mop for a microphone.
In the second spot, the customer pulls the stop cord on a city bus (it’s raining outside again), and the bus transforms into a pink hued party with a disco ball and fuzzy seats. The windows reveal a fantasy land outside, and the other passengers are wearing fun outfits, including a sparkly cowboy get up. “A whole lot of happy,” says the narrator, answering his earlier question.
The OOH assets share a simliar colour scheme. Camp Jefferson design director, Leah Renihan, told Campaign that “while the colours seem to echo what we are seeing in more Gen Z geared creative, it was more a response of our current climate. The bright colour palette reflects Koodo’s ethos: Choose Happy, with a simplified design system meant to not distract from the message.”
The imagery evokes the original “Choose Happy” brand campaign which featured a sequence of happy scenes, part animated and part real life, including a rainbow kitten, bare toes in grass, people laughing, and a warm chocolate chip cookie being pulled apart.
