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Tease me XT
By Phil Bilbrough
Advertising.Scoop.co.nz
Telecom’s introduction of their new mobile broadband network, “XT” has caused some very welcome ripples in this pond of recession.
Richard Hammond of Top Gear fronts this campaign. The concept is that Hammond test drives things, from cars to boats to aircraft, (you sail a boat and pilot a plane) and now he is going to put XT through its paces. Will he independently evaluate XT? No no don’t be silly – he has sold out.
My first thoughts were that he looked sleepy. There is a hard-last-night quality about his XT look. He is an appealing guy, his voice over lacked the sarcasm of Top Gear, yet those Hammond nuances are there, as is his enthusiasm and fun, and he has a measure of worldliness as I couldn’t forget how he almost died when a jet propelled car that he was driving (testing) crashed.
He is still a fresh face, an up-in-coming celeb for New Zealanders and has some credibility as a quasi-technical person, and to my knowledge, he hasn’t lost any street-cred by prancing on and off stage on Dancing with the Stars (or the UK equivalent, “Strictly Come Dancing“).
Those atmospheric black and white images of stadiums, toi toi, tracks, tanks, and boats are coolly post-apocalyptic and are suspense filled. What’s coming? XT. Though I chose to save-up my tension for something actually tense. There might have been some tension there had it got to the point sooner. My take-out wasn’t excitement but one of “I’m not waiting this.” Post-apocalyptic becomes post-bus.
TheTest Drive site’s OK, light on info, but it is a teaser campaign and I like a bit of teasing. I’m intrigued just enough to wonder what Hammond is going to do next. Despite me and despite the rest of this blog, this campaign has success written all over it. The key ingredient – Richard Hammond – ensures that New Zealanders will lap it up.
Why does Telecom need an XT brand? Is 3G ho-hum now? Like its just like so 5 minutes ago. Probably because Vodafone can also have 3G and won’t be able to have “XT”. Vodafone will have 3.1G. XT will still be a Telecom product, and if Telecom stop building the XT brand, XT will sucked in by one Telecom’s tentacles, never to return. The XT ad agency takes the cash and the public wonder whatever happened to that “Richard Hammond” campaign.
Vodafone and Telecom had a legal dust-up over the introduction of the new XT network. Vodafone claimed Telecom’s XT network was causing interference to their network. The matter was settled out of court and resulted in Telecom adding more technology (more filters) to specific mobile sites and pushing out the go-live date of XT. Telecom claimed the PR points, and Bill Ralston agreed.
Bernard Hickey (writing for NZherald.co.nz) is fed-up with Telecom. I suppose that Telecom launching another faster better world riled him or maybe he just saw empty promises. Judging by the large number of comments that his blog received (both for and against Bernard) – Telecom and telecommunications are top of mind topics for New Zealanders.
A Telecom and Vodafone stoush is like feudal lords dividing up serfs. Over charged under serviced customers don’t need to be reassured that their telco can win at PR. Overall it was a hi-tech launch that got delayed. A technology where reliability and a continuous connectivity count. One that was going to be “tested” by the best – or at least Richard Hammond – how can a delay and the requirement for more technical installations be good PR? I think that Telecom let down their solid XT launch campaign.
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Phil Bilbrough is a freelance online advertising specialist who has recently begun blogging on the subject for Scoop at Advertising.scoop.co.nz. He can be contacted at phil@scoop.co.nz.
1. I agree completely! And completely disagree with Bill Ralston! I think it speaks volumes that Telecom came out guns-a-blazing against Vodafone’s legal action, insinuating that Vodafone was incompetent, or anti-competitive, or both. Then it transpires Telecom are the ones who hadn’t installed their network properly! What a surprise! Who knows what communication went back and forth prior to it going public. I certainly don’t.
2. I think the link between Hammond’s pedigree of test-driving cars and using a phone (even a 3G enabled one) is tenuous. And now that the much vaunted test has been delayed, it’s bordering on irrelevant. Having said that, Hamond fronted a campaign for a cut price supermarket in the UK last year, so if there’s one thing he can do quickly it’s whip out his phone and negotiate an endorsement contract.
3. When I went on the teaser site, I saw that I could enter a competition to win a phone or something. I duly entered my details, then found that I was unable to submit my entry without agreeing that Telecom could contact me for marketing purposes. We all know that this is what companies WANT consumers to do, but they don’t usually enforce it! It just comes across as arrogant if you do! So while Telecom is spending all this money trying to reposition itself as a leading edge mobile operator with the customer’s best interests at heart, it turns out that it’s just the same old Telecom.
Tout ca change…
Telecom are between a rock and hard place. Not that I feel sorry them or have any more empathy for Vodafone. I agree about “the same old Telecom”. I had the same thought when I first saw the XT campaign – there was a moment of intrigue and then when the Telecom logo came up, “Oh I know what this is all about.”
Yet Telecom have something new. It is a product that will potentially create space between them and Vodafone and reinvigorate the mobile internet. The strategy of “testing” feels like they are trying to be substantive about the marketing. So I see what they are trying to do with XT yet I might have just used Hammond with the Telecom brand and dropped XT.
And great background on Richard Hammond. So he might be a fast draw-mobile phone guy. What was the Supermarket chain? I’ll see if I can find one of those ads on the net.
It was for Morrisons. Here are a couple of links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HE5nCDv5GC4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2DbXZIO2gY&feature=related
And you’re right, Telecom did have to hammer out their own territory, but like you I wonder what the value is if this new equity is assigned to XT rather than the parent brand. I voluntarily signed up for the 2degrees newsletter today so it will be interesting to see how it all pans out…
he has not done Dancing with the Stars. Where did you get that from???
Hi Hope
I’m sorry – I didn’t write that paragraph very well.
My intention was to say that as a front man for this or almost any New Zealand campaign, his has some credibility. He is a reasonably fresh face for New Zealand audiences, and although he is in the entertainment business he has equity or some measure of being an expert in his field (maybe not in telecommunications) – but he appears to be a technically savvy kind of guy.
This credibility has not been tarnished or stretched to thin in the eyes of the New Zealand public. His credibility might be more in question if we saw him too much (if he was over exposed) – like if he was on Dancing for the Stars.
I was trying to say that his credibility was in tack because he was reasonably fresh to NZers, and he had not weakened his quasi-expert status by going on the British version of Dancing with the Stars.
So I was saying he hadn’t gone on Dancing with the Stars.
Gosh I make these explanations so confusing.
I’d like to think that Flashman (or Clarkson as he is now know) would rip the proverbial out of Hammond if he got wind of this stupid advert. The fact that the phone system has been a spectacular failure (to launch) would be worthy of Top Gear sneering if it was a car, but the advert is especially deserving of their brand of scorn.
‘I’ve test driven cars’…well, strictly speaking, no you haven’t. That is the preserve of specialist teams at car development workshops, not ex-disc jockeys from local radio stations.
‘I’ve test driven boats’…Does he mean the farcical car-boats they made for an episode of TG? Hardly qualifies the little man as sparky though, does it?
‘I’ve test driven planes’…Frankly, that’s just horseshit!
‘And now, I’m going to test drive the future’ You silly little man. Go have your teeth whitened.
Cheers Angus.
The XT campaign is pretentious sh*t – but Hammond is new-ish, popular and first time endorsing anything in New Zealand, so this campaign has got cut-through. I’m intrigued to see how Hammond going to test and show the benefit of XT mobile broadband. Its a big campaign already , so I’m expecting great things from XT. There is going to be more to say about XT – good on you Telecom.
Has or is Clarkson endorsing anything? Anything other than a Discovery or a Ford GT?
I can’t believe this, you guys are actually discussing this Ad as if it had some sort of merit. I saw the full sized advert in the Dom Post and immediately thought “what a sad little twat”. Any credibility for Hammond went out the window, if I was him I would have done a little background check before I put my hand up.
Result was I didn’t read the ad, just turned the page to the Real Estate section. Only just found out what he was advertising by reading Phil’s excellent column and readers comments.
This will be an interesting marketing slug fest between Telecom and Vodafone. Not sure how 2 Degrees will manage as little David in the middle. the consumer will probably win, with better pricing and value for money, long overdue. But I think Telecom missed quite a few tricks in their launch to use viral and create a greater sense of anticipation. They desperately need more positive consumer sentiment on their side (which is low and either their rock or hard place) – social/viral marketing relaly shows where people’ hearts and minds are. Instead Saatchis relented ,just added the Telecom logo and stuck it on TV. Oh and lit up the Auckland Town hall.
“It’s faster in more places and it’s more powerful than ever before.” [What exactly does that mean?]
…cue over the shoulder porn shot…
“I can’t wait to put it to the test.” [So we can expect him to fly back, fix the broken XT and test all the systems prior to launch?]
Is this what is meant by ‘cut through’? And most important, did he test drive the horse?
Angus you’re on fire..check out..You guys might be interested in..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooc6A6ekNho&feature=related
I didn’t LOL like the comments but its cool.
Can anyone explain the connection of the Auckland Town Hall project to the XT campaign? I stumbled across ‘Auckland Town Hall’ this week as one of the most viewed YouTube videos (presumably in NZ), and about three quarters of the way through I heard the dulcet tones of Telecom’s Scotsman in Chief. There was no attempt in YouTube or anywhere else (as far as I have observed) to connect the project to XT. Was it just a PR idea that was kicking around looking for a cash cow? Or was it supposed to coincide with the actual launch and couldn’t be moved? It’s none of my business but I would be keen to know!
Regan, Looks like a launch event, from XT’s Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Telecoms-XT-Mobile-Network/87315588215#/photo.php?pid=1802186&id=87315588215
What is Telecom advertising that hasn’t already been done. Yes they have better marine coverage but there campaigns have no point of difference apart from using some celebs… Money well spent???
I wonder if the XT network/campaign is more about offering a new range of handsets. iPhone killers etc…
Ok, I’ll come clean, you might not have detected it, but I was not a fan of the original XT advert. But that’s ok, because all the others that followed (and are repeated ad nauseum) definitely put the first in a good light.
Why does Hammond have to shrug and gurn like a pantomime dame in every bleeding advert?
What really surprises me is the lack of accuracy.
First off was the stuntwoman testing the limits of reception from such remote corners as…Whitford, which is literally 5 minutes from the edge of Howick…Jeez! Pretty damn impressive then. She was also shown crossing…Auckland Harbour Bridge, all of two minutes from the CBD…a stretch target for any mobile phone. As a precept for a Hammond gurn, the woman is strapped into a container which is allegedly dropped into the Harbour. Anyone explain to me how she got out of the container without sinking it. So what is the point?
More recently there has been the advert with fashionwoman, who first turns up in a place called Tai Po Markets. Two things for Hammond to gurn about here: I lived there for a year and there’s no ‘s’, it’s Tai Po Market (which is actually the name of the train station), regardless of which, the footage was taken in Wanchai, not Tai Po.
It’s all about accuracy Hammond!
Angus,
Great to have you back. My colleague saw 3 or 4 ice speed skaters in a local mall, dressed in blue and white and in slow motion imitating (kind of miming) the action of speed skater. Yes an XT promo.
Did the test driving ever get going? Or was it only ever going to Top Gear-like skits.
Oh gawd please stop Telecom – if I buy a new Telecom handset will stop advertising XT?
“It’s faster in more places and it’s more powerful than ever before.” [What exactly does that mean?]
…cue over the shoulder porn shot…
“I can’t wait to put it to the test.” [So we can expect him to fly back, fix the broken XT and test all the systems prior to launch?]
Is this what is meant by ‘cut through’? And most important, did he test drive the horse?