Waiting by the phone may be one of the oldest clichés in telecom advertising, but Grey London manages to put an enjoyable twist on the idea with its new international Vodafone spot, "The Wait."
Twenty years ago, the ad would have shown a teenage girl hovering over a home phone, trying to keep her parents and siblings off the line while she waits for an important call. Now, she's camped out in a diner with her smartphone and a gaggle of friends, who are struggling to stave off boredom while sticking out the arduous wait with her.
Grey, whose evocative Vodafone spot "The Kiss" won bronze in the Film Lions contest at Cannes last month, used Rattling Stick director Sara Dunlop this time, and the subtle and fantastic visual details tell a timeless story using only one word of dialogue: "Mom." That economy of language, coupled with a story line that almost anyone can relate to, has helped give the ad a global audience. Created to run in Ireland, it's now appearing in Australia with a slightly more coiffed love interest.
Of course, a big part of the ad's appeal is the payoff, which clearly shows that wherever this spot runs, it most certainly originated in the mind of a Brit.
CREDITS
Client: Vodafone
Agency: Grey, London
Executive Creative Director: Nils Leonard
Creative Director: Simon Brotherson
Copywriter: Mike Kennedy
Art Director: Pauline Ashford
TV Producer: Rachael Long
Production Company: Rattling Stick
Director: Sara Dunlop
Producer: Stuart Bentham
Postproduction: MPC
Editing House: Work
Post Editor: Art Jones
Audio Post: Ben Leeves, Grand Central