O2: ‘REDACTED’

How to launch a phone, when you’re not allowed to mention it

PROBLEM: You're not allowed to talk about the thing you're promoting.

SOLUTION: Own the restrictions.

MEDIA: PRESS

The launch of the latest iPhone is an event shrouded in secrecy, with the lack of information helping to build mystique and speculation to rock-star levels. 

But when you’re tasked with doing a pre-launch campaign for the iPhone 6, this creates something of a challenge. Not only were we completely in the dark about what the phone did, we weren’t even allowed to mention it by name. Even talking about Apple or referencing their logo was a complete no-no.

In response, we decided to turn the restrictions to our advantage. We built intrigue and anticipation even further by redacting the headlines, and gagging O2’s spokesperson, Jonesy the cat.

By alluding to the notorious secrecy about product launches, the ads had a dog-whistle effect among Apple’s fanatical fans – clearly positioning O2 as the place to go to get the latest phone. And while the audience perceived O2 as being in on the joke, we actually knew no more than the audience.

The campaign ran in store, online and in the national press, where it achieved significantly higher levels of engagement than average.  (Source: ‘Who Won The Metro?’, Lumen Research 04/09/2014). Anecdotal evidence suggests that consumers had clearly made the link between O2 and iPhone 6: on the day the phones became available for pre-order, O2’s site temporarily crashed.