Most Christmas advertising is all about illusion. The more fantastic, the more surreal, the more cinematic, the more “storytelling”…the better. Even the “real family” Christmas ads are scripted, storyboarded and finessed.

CHI&Partners presents something Christmas advertising isn’t known for. Reality.

Teclo, TalkTalk’s, Christmas ad is a fly-on-the-wall Christmas campaign. Unscripted. The first ever fly-on-the-wall Christmas campaign – shot for real without filmmakers present, last Christmas in the home of the family that has been the focus of TalkTalk’s 2016 campaign.

CHI&Partners: storytelling doesn’t get more authentic than TalkTalk’s

The new Christmas campaign is what happened when fly-on-the-wall cameras were installed and left to roll. Its title, This Stuff Matters, explains why.

“This is an unprecedentedly authentic, honest portrayal of Christmas – aiming to subvert the artifice and saccharine sweetness of the festive season,” the agency stated.

Micky Tudor, executive creative director at CHI&Partners, explained, “Being able to get a genuine glimpse of our TalkTalk family as they laugh, love, hug, play and wrap presents incredibly badly over the festive season has been both joyous and oddly humbling for our team here at CHI&Partners – we hope this totally unscripted spot delights viewers and reminds them about what really matters, setting TalkTalk apart in amongst the glitz, tinsel, artifice and tear-jerkers that will probably dominate the ad break this Christmas.”

CHI&Partners 2016 campaign was heralded as an ambitious, authentic glimpse into family life in the UK. It delivered a surprising emotional punch and demonstrated the role connectivity plays in family life. In other words, it did its job well.

The campaign was a turning point for TalkTalk. The telco took a conscious move away from the increasingly promotional and gimmick-led advertising that tends to dominate its category to highlight its commitment to putting its customers at the heart of its business in a return to its challenger roots.

David Parslow, group marketing director at TalkTalk, commented, “Focussing on how real people live their lives, we’ve captured the little moments that make Christmas special, from picking at the leftovers to messaging absent friends and family to dozing together in-front of the TV.  We wanted to show we understand what really matters to our customers, especially at this time of year, when the products we provide are instrumental in bringing the family together.”

The ad was created by CHI&Partners creative director, Danny Hunt, and directed by Tom Tagholm of Park Pictures. It will be supported across print, digital and social media, with media planning and buying from media agency m/SIX. The print campaign features pictures shot by Olly Burn, who joined the family to capture candid moments as the family celebrated together.

Credits: 

Agency: CHI&Partners

Executive Creative Directors: Micky Tudor & Yan Elliott

Creative Directors: Danny Hunt, Jim Bolton

Creative: Danny Hunt

Planners: Matt Nixon & Katherine Barnett

Producers: Emily Hendrey & Adam Henderson

Production Assistant: Hannah Greene

Business Director: Sarah Wood & Tom McCoy

Account Director: Catrin Tyler

Account Manager: Natasha Thomas & Jessica Sammonds

Production Company: Park Pictures

Production Company Producers: Fran Thompson & Stephen Brierley

Director: Tom Tagholm

Executive Producer: Jackie Kelman Bisbee

Director of Photography: Robin Horn

Photographer: Olly Burn

Editing: Tim Hardy @ Stitch

Flame VFX : Chris Major, Antonio Jiminez, Douglas Haynes & Matt Clarke @ Big Buoy

Post Producer: Ben Spalding @ Big Buoy

Grade: Mark Meadows @ Smoke & Mirrors

Audio: Parv Thind, Aaron Reynolds, Ed Downham @ Wave

Music Company: Leland Music

Media Agency: m/SIX

Media Planner: Yang Bo & Lisa McAlister

Social Media Agency: Nonsense

Social Media Planner: Jamie Chadwick

Brand: TalkTalk

Client: David Parslow, Group Marketing Director