Telstra: Together is for Christmas - Girl & Ghost
Telstra wanted to evolve its Together is for Christmas platform to resonate with a modern Australian audience. Bear Meets Eagle On Fire was tasked with creating a holiday campaign that moved beyond traditional festive cliches. The goal was to reinforce Telstra's role in fostering meaningful connections, specifically targeting those who might feel overlooked or socially isolated during the high - pressure holiday season.
Creative Idea
A lonely goth girl and an invisible ghost find belonging in each other's company.
Telstra subverted festive cheer by pairing a misunderstood goth girl with a literal invisible ghost, proving that true connection is about being seen by someone who understands your isolation, set to a nostalgic 90s alternative anthem.
The Goth The Ghost and The Smashing Pumpkins
A First for Steve Rogers
While Steve Rogers is one of the most decorated commercial directors in the world, this campaign marked his first-ever foray into animation. To maintain his signature cinematic realism, he collaborated with Mathematic in Paris and Montreal. The team took a staunch anti-AI stance, opting for hand-crafted 3D animation to ensure the Australian suburbs felt tactile and "lived-in." This grounded aesthetic was essential to making the supernatural friendship between a teenage goth and a bedsheet ghost feel emotionally authentic rather than cartoonish.
The Sound of 1995
The film’s emotional weight is anchored by the 1995 alt-rock anthem "Tonight, Tonight" by The Smashing Pumpkins. Telstra’s Head of Brand, Alita McMenamin, noted that the track was chosen to resonate with Gen X and Millennial parents while perfectly capturing the "melancholy-cool" tone of the story. This "Emo Christmas" approach sparked significant debate on platforms like Reddit and Mumbrella, with some critics labeling it too "weird" for the holidays, while others praised it for subverting the saturated market of cheerful festive tropes.
Viral Reach and Physical Gifts
The campaign achieved massive scale, surpassing 7.1 million views on YouTube and generating over 700,000 likes on social media. Beyond the screen, Telstra extended the "Girl & Ghost" universe into the physical world. They produced a range of bespoke merchandise, including glass baubles, cookie-cutters, and pins, which were distributed in retail stores as "small acts of generosity." This bridged the gap between a high-concept animated film and a tangible retail experience for Australian customers.
Creative Strategy Deconstructed
Company
Australia's leading network capable of connecting anyone, anywhere, regardless of how they choose to live or celebrate.
Category
Festive advertising typically relies on saccharine family reunions, bright colors, and traditional tropes of overwhelming holiday cheer.
Customer
Many people feel like outsiders during the holidays, experiencing a sense of invisibility or disconnect from mainstream celebrations.
Culture
A growing cultural embrace of emo aesthetics and the recognition that loneliness is a significant part of the holiday experience.
Company
Australia's leading network capable of connecting anyone, anywhere, regardless of how they choose to live or celebrate.
Category
Festive advertising typically relies on saccharine family reunions, bright colors, and traditional tropes of overwhelming holiday cheer.
Strategy:
Reframe connection as the act of acknowledging the invisible to position the brand as a champion of inclusion.
Customer
Many people feel like outsiders during the holidays, experiencing a sense of invisibility or disconnect from mainstream celebrations.
Culture
A growing cultural embrace of emo aesthetics and the recognition that loneliness is a significant part of the holiday experience.
Strategy:
Reframe connection as the act of acknowledging the invisible to position the brand as a champion of inclusion.
Strategy Technique
Attack a Cultural Blind Spot
It acknowledges the segment of society that feels alienated by forced festive joy. By highlighting those who feel invisible, Telstra positions itself as the brand that facilitates deeper, non - traditional connections.
Explore Technique
Creative Technique
Embrace the Weird
It uses a supernatural, melancholy premise to stand out against traditional holiday cheer. The weird friendship between a ghost and a goth girl makes the message of inclusion feel authentic and modern.
Explore Technique
Craft Breakdown
The campaign's emotional impact is driven by world-class character animation and a perfectly synced soundtrack that mirrors the protagonist's internal journey.
The character design and subtle facial expressions convey deep emotion without the need for dialogue.
The choice of 'Believe' by The Bravery provides a nostalgic and driving emotional backbone that perfectly fits the 'outsider' narrative.
The synergy between the visual metaphor of the ghost and the lyrical themes of the music creates a powerful narrative of belonging.
