What do a glowing mushroom, a daddy krill, and a granny kookaburra have in common? They all appreciate good cell coverage. As part of its “Better on a Better Mobile Network” campaign, Telstra, Australia’s biggest mobile carrier, has partnered with director Jeff Low and stop-motion animator Tobias Foreacre to create 26 ads infused with the humor of the land down under.

A uniquely Australian campaign

Each set in a different remote area of Australia, the spots feature an eclectic cast of Australian wildlife characters who tout Telstra’s impressive coverage from their far-flung locales. Even mushrooms can talk in these hilarious 15-second segments, which star everything from the iconic Tasmanian devil to the obscure wattle flower. All the handcrafted puppets are voiced by native Aussies, most of whom hail from their characters’ locations, giving the campaign a uniquely Australian flavor.

Crafting a compelling narrative

The idea behind the campaign was to make something humorous out of a typically dry topic. In an interview with AdAge, Brett Smart, CMO at Telstra, remarked:

“Network claims from telcos [mobile carriers] are usually rational and not entertaining. We wanted to do the opposite. Key to that was not boasting about how big and great our network is, but saying exactly that with humility and humor.”

The campaign was created in conjunction with creative agencies Bear Meets Eagle on Fire and +61, who partnered with Low and Fouracre to bring the vision to life. You may recognize Fouracre’s work from the whimsical films “Fantastic Mr. Fox” and “Isle of Dogs.” See more about the making of the ad segments below.

While it’s hard to imagine content like this being created anywhere but the land down under, the campaign bears a striking resemblance to the UK’s 1990s “Creature Comforts Campaign” for Heat Electric. Both campaigns capture your attention with their novelty and authenticity, and yet, one can’t help but wonder: do they ultimately convert to higher sales?

We’ll let you decide.

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