Who: Freedom Mobile and Rain.
What: “The 2019 Freedom Holiday Campaign,” once again featuring Will Arnett as spokesman. It’s the Arrested Development star’s fifth campaign—which has grown to 10 spots—since first joining as brand spokesperson in 2018.
When & Where: The integrated campaign broke Nov. 29 and runs through the holidays. It includes TV, radio, social and digital, as well as high-impact out-of-home at Toronto’s Yonge-Dundas Square.
Why: It’s a key advertising period for telcos, and the campaign is focused on showcasing what Freedom Mobile calls its superior service versus that of its competitors. The goal is to challenge consumers to ensure they’re getting the best deal from their mobile vendor, says Laura Davis-Saville, chief strategy officer at Rain43.
How: The campaign is anchored by a pair of 30-second spots that once again feature Arnett calling out the fictional Monolithic Wireless company for its greed. (see earlier versions here.)
In the first spot, “Two years from now,” he encounters a customer who bought a $0 phone two years ago but is being forced to pay hundreds of dollars for a small crack—something that wouldn’t happen with Freedom’s signature Big Gig Unlimited plan.
In the second spot, “Holiday Story,” he uses gingerbread men to tell children a story about sinister telco executives, with the executives gloating about how data overage fees are going to pay for their gingerbread helicopter.
Good Will: Davis-Saville says that Freedom Mobile has more than tripled its key business objectives—including awareness, consideration and net new subscribers—since relaunching the brand with Arnett as its spokesperson last fall. “It has been wildly successful for us,” she says. “Our goal was to make a huge splash and position Freedom as a challenger brand, and it’s worked exceptionally well.”
And we quote: “[Arnett] has been incredibly effective,” says Davis-Saville. “He has that stopping power, but he also embodies the overall tone of the brand—which is that person who’s going to pull the wool from your eyes and make you see that what you’re getting right now is terrible [and] you should explore other options.
