Telstra Goes Intergalactic in Latest Campaign

Telstra’s unveiling of Hollywood legend Steve Buscemi as its new intergalactic ambassador certainly turned heads within Australian advertising circles. Many praised “Scamageddon’s” all-out approach to tackling the nation’s cybersecurity woes with creative flair and dare, while others cited the risks involved in adopting such an off-the-wall approach.

Would regular folk push back on the trivialization of such an important issue? Or would the ad’s stark contrast to the telco’s previous campaigns prove a bridge too far in connecting these memories back to the iconic Australian brand? To get to the bottom of these questions, we tested the ad among everyday Australians. As it turns out, both sides make a valid point.

Right off the bat, Buscemi’s role as an alien scammer demanded people’s attention, with most finding the unexpected narrative exciting and amusing. While some did also find the absurdist plot irritating (humor rarely pleases everyone!), concerns about trivializing such a serious issue were largely unfounded, with levels of anger and frustration not materializing in the way some had expected.

In terms of what the campaign set out to achieve, the approach certainly ticked a lot of boxes, working well to draw people in and set the brand apart from other telcos. What’s more, by positioning the brand as the protective force around Buscemi’s evil plans, “Scammagedon” demonstrated how wildly creative advertising can still keep the brand squarely in the spotlight.

As a result, people generally understood the idea that Telstra provides a protective shield within the cyber security realm. However, some people were left wondering exactly what it is that Telstra does to block scams and keep people safe from cyber-attacks. And while these more functionally-led objectives can sometimes take a backseat to the ultimate pursuit of cutting through, it can also risk jarring with people’s existing ideas and expectations, impacting branded memories from taking hold.

As such, even when delivered by the nation’s largest and longest-standing telco, many people struggled to retrieve clear and credible information from the ad—an issue that frequently arises when it comes to highly irreverent creative endeavors.

This, of course, is not to say that bold, disruptive advertising doesn’t have its place. In fact, since Brent Smart took the helm as CMO, Telstra has continually shown a willingness to take risks, have fun, and challenge category conventions. And that alone puts it ahead of many others in delivering advertising that actually gets noticed in the first place. But by better balancing these admirable creative pursuits with a consistent look and feel—one that unmistakably screams, “Telstra”—the full commercial impact of these creative pursuits will ultimately be unlocked.