2023 Gold Data Storytelling

Agency: TMW Unlimited

Client: Vodafone

Entry Title: Choice paradox to plan perfection

Executive Summary

With email engagement rates dropping and inboxes more cluttered than ever, Vodafone needed to cut through the noise to boost launch sales of Apple and Samsung flagship devices.

Strategy

Flagship device launches are anticipated tech events which draw in a valuable early-adopter audience. Retaining these customers is a key business objective for Vodafone, prompting them to elevate their commercial targets during such periods.

But financial conservatism and a hyper-competitive market meant it faced big challenges: declining email engagement rates and effectiveness; and the possibility consumers were being given too much choice.

The solution was to combat choice paralysis by harnessing the power of big data propensity and data personalisation to recommend one tailor-made plan, making it easier for customers to choose Vodafone over competitors.

Creativity

To cut through the cluttered inbox, the campaign told each customer’s story through a dynamic personalised video, set within a two-stage pre-order and buy-now email campaign.

It tackled the video challenge by breaking down the complex process into manageable stages that included data-led storyboarding, data and email integration, automated video build, testing and launch.

The creative concept was a fantastical factory environment inspired by Inspector Gadget and The Lego Movie. Together with the headline ‘A plan packed to perfection’ it brought to life the idea that each customer’s device plan was individually crafted in the factory just for them.

Playfully animated robotic elements demonstrated the building and creating of the plan, driving home the message that customers were getting something profoundly personal. A data-driven voiceover script and storyboard catered to 60 different plans, with multiple variable extras and 500 customer names. This created thousands of different stories which required consistent narrative flow. Vodafone’s live data was seamlessly integrated on the Idomoo platform, to generate the videos in real-time: thousands of different stories brought to life in 1.2 million personalised videos, all driven by data.

Results

For Judges eyes only

The Team

Vodafone - Natalie Sylvester, Head of Marketing Communications and Base Engagement - Dana Choucair, Comms Manager - Hetal Vadher, Comms Manager

TMW Unlimited - Daniel Smith, Senior Account Director - Jos Ingram, Planning Director - Fred Brinton, Associate Planning Director - Tom Harman, Creative Director - Alastair Hutchinson, Creative Director - Lloyd Francis, Motion Creative Director - Alexei Awan - Senior Art Director - Thom Petrucci, Senior Copywriter - Robert Ashdown, Senior Digital Producer