Belong celebrates the random wonder and whimsy of the internet.
Belong, Australia’s first carbon neutral mobile and internet provider, has launched It Feels Good to Belong, celebrating the joyful, inclusive world of data and the internet.
Created by Howatson+Company, the fully-integrated platform extends across the Belong business, including brand communications, product, sim card packaging, website, UI/UX, staff collateral and more.
The platform launches with a 60-second television spot directed by Revolver’s Steve Rogers. Filmed in the Snowy Mountains, rocks are centre-stage, highlighting the phenomenon of pareidolia – a human ability to see faces in inanimate objects. The theme is connection is all around us if we just look hard enough.
In line with Belong’s values, the campaign was produced in an inclusive and low-impact way.The Snowy Mountains’ local Monaro-Ngarigo people were engaged to ensure the storyline, lyrics and land were respectfully considered, with the production being 100% carbon offset.
Howatson+Company ECD, Gavin Chimes says the platform embraces the random wonder of the internet.
“Belonging feels great, so why be serious? ‘It Feels Good to Belong’ allows us to celebrate the joy of togetherness while fully embracing the random wonder and whimsy of the internet – which is at the heart of what Belong offers,” Chimes says.
Using a ‘disruptively distinctive’ media strategy at launch, the 60” format will dominate the buy, complemented by a partnership with Channel 10’s The Masked Singer. A series of product films will showcase Belong’s carbon neutral offering.
The visual identity was inspired by the world of NFT art and features animated 3D characters and objects floating on black voids. These will be supported through digital and OOH channels.
Belong CEO, Jana Kotatko says the work represents inclusiveness and bringing people together.
“We are incredibly proud of our new ‘It Feels Good to Belong’ platform and brand work. Belong is a brand that is all about joy and inclusiveness and bringing people together.”
To promote inclusiveness, audio descriptions have been applied to all visual video formats and will run on rotation for product ads on all commercial networks that don’t currently support audio descriptions for vision-impaired people.
Credits:
Creative: Howatson+Company
Media strategy: Howatson+Company
Media implementation and buying: OMD
Client: Belong
CEO, Jana Kotatko
Head of Brand, Comms & Culture, Kelly Schulz
Head of Product, Aaliah Eggins-Bryson
Brand + Creative Lead, Leanne Boyd
Brand Specialist, Clare Taylor
Marketing Chapter Lead, Nathan Cole
Product Owner – Trading & Propositions, Loretta Bell
Senior Marketing Specialist, Adelaide L’Estrange
Marketing – Trading & Propositions, Josh Bailey
Production: Revolver
Belong Brand Credits
Production Company: Revolver Director: Steve Rogers Managing Director/Co-Owner: Michael Ritchie Executive Producer/Partner/ Producer: Pip Smart Cinematographer: Sam Chiplin
Production Design: Steven Jones-Evans
Editor: Alexandre De Franceschi
VFX & Post Production: Blackbird VFX
Music & Sound: Sonar
Belong Product & OOH Credits
Post Production: Heckler
Director: Julian Wolkenstein
Executive Producer: Carlos Zalapa
Producer: Maddison Costello
VFX Supervisor: Jamie Watson
Head of 3D: Tom Corbett
Design Director: Gina Wagstaffe
Level 24, 242 Exhibition Street Melbourne VIC 3000
Belong is a division of Telstra Corporation Limited ABN 33 051 775 556.
3D Team: Freddie Jiang, Phillip Wang, Gabor Prucsi, Boris Fomin, Dom Femia, Jack Scrase, Tim Jarick, Gareth Chang
Compositor: Nitin Amin
Animator: Kate Knott
I/O Team: Dan Page, Maud Chapuis
Music & Sound: Heckler Sound
Composer: Johnny Green
Sound Designer: Dave Robertson
Voice Over Artist: Lee Perry
