Who: oxio, with Juniper Park\TBWA for strategy and creative, Touché for media.

What: “Made to internet,” a cheeky “uncampaign” to help oxio expand across Canada, while proving  the brand has retained its challenger brand attitude since being acquired by Cogeco.

When & Where: The campaign launched Aug. 14, in Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and BC, and includes online video, social, display and out of home.

Why: Oxio launched in 2019 and has presented itself as the anti-internet internet provider—pointing at the things that frustrate Canadians about their limited number of provider options and promising the opposite.

They’ve called themselves the “first internet provider you will actually like,” and, even more brazenly, said they offered the “Internet without all the telco bullshit.”

But last February, oxio was acquired by Cogeco.

“Oxio is an attractive brand with high customer satisfaction and a great team,” said Frédéric Perron, president of Cogeco Connexion, at the time. “With the acquisition of oxio, Cogeco Connexion will now have a second brand to serve the telecommunications needs of Canadians.”

For this first back-to-school campaign since then, oxio wanted to avoid back-to-school tropes and lean into “real moments when good internet is needed most,” said a release.

How: Core brand themes for oxio are truth and transparency, with no hidden fees or long-term contracts. The campaign demonstrates both how transparent it is while also understanding how people, young people in particular, use the internet—like scrolling while using the bathroom.

“If we were to build a challenger brand in the lab it would look like oxio: transparent, capable, caring, irreverent… free of conventions that hold most brands back from forming meaningful relationships,” said Bill Chamness, vice-president of strategy at Juniper Park\TBWA.

Creative includes a billboard with a shot of someone seated, pants down, on the toilet—carefully cropped, of course—with the headline “Made to scroll through cool sh*t,” for example. Another shows a young man with headphones beneath the headline: “Made to listen to playlists on repeat.”

The toilet tableau is also used in the 15-second animated video spot. Each of the executions use the tagline “The first internet provider you’ll actually like,” under the logo.

“The art direction of ‘Made to Internet’ wasn’t just a style—it was a statement, lo-fi, subversive and rebellious,” said Bia Breves, group creative director, Juniper Park\TBWA. “It unlocked a flexible and adaptable design system.”

Quote: “In a world where consumers are bombarded with advertising and we’re competing for attention, we set out to create a differentiated and compelling story that will make oxio stand out and show the new generation of Canadians a refreshing alternative in the telco industry.”‑ Pénélope Asselin Forcier, Marketing Director, oxio.