Campaign | How Voxi, Ogilvy and The Mill shot an ad in isolation

Press April 14, 2020

Voxi, the Vodafone network aimed at people aged 25 and under, has created its first ad produced and shot completely remotely as the UK coronavirus lockdown continues.

The ad by Ogilvy UK, “I am endless (even in isolation)”, was shot using the 4K front and rear cameras on the Samsung Galaxy S20 phone, as well as its internal microphone. This allowed for “high-quality footage but with manageable file sizes”.

The film aims to highlight the phone’s “endless abilities with endless data” and shows a young man taking part in a series of social media trends such as baking banana bread, hosting a quiz night and having a virtual romatic dinner with his girlfriend.

It was created by Adam Ronan and Adam Claridge, and directed by Jocelyn Anquetil through The Mill. Anquetil worked on the casting and set design, with the agency creatives and on-screen talent using video-conferencing app Zoom.

The core creative team came together on a live call to set up, shoot and review takes, which simulated the way they would normally work together on location.

Anquetil added: “Whilst there were certain creative challenges we faced on this project, using platforms such as WhatsApp and Microsoft Teams and Zoom to communicate came very naturally to me and the team.

“I worked closely with our lead actor, using real social media references to achieve the performance I was after, as well as watching and feeding back on the takes in real time.”

The campaign launches today (Thursday) across digital and social media platforms. The TV ad breaks during ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent on Saturday evening and will also run on video-on-demand platforms. Dentsu Aegis Network shop Carat handles media planning and buying for Vodafone.

Max Taylor, consumer director at Vodafone UK, said: “Voxi’s latest campaign brings to life just how much our customers rely on our products and services to stay in touch with loved ones or do the things they enjoy most.

“Technology really does have the power to unify us and I hope our story of a totally isolated team delivering a first-class ad from their home offices and kitchen tables inspires everyone.”

Read the full article on Campaign.