Vodafone Australia and Howatsdon+Company have decided the first thing you should do with a new phone isn’t photograph your breakfast, it’s shoot a sweaty, once-in-a-lifetime gig with a musical icon.
First Night Only, Vodafone’s debut work with Howatson+Company, is helping people make shooting that gig a dream come true. It’s an exclusive live music event designed to make getting a new phone better than ever – by giving Vodafone customers the ultimate first night with it.
The launch kicked off with the new Samsung Galaxy S26 at Dead Set in Darlinghurst, Sydney’s newest underground sweatbox, with ARIA-winning, genre-mangling force of nature, Genesis Owusu. Customers, creators and media got to see a live performance of his new released single, Stampede, and enjoy the ultimate space to try out the camera and privacy features of the Samsung Galaxy S26 Devices.
Every detail was built to encourage people to use the Galaxy S26. Special lighting was installed to make the most of the new 200MP camera. Sweat towels and stickers were designed for reels. Even delicious post-gig kebabs became content opps.
Cultural tastemakers and influencers such as Ayesha Madon, Tara Chandra, Ethan Lazarov and Angela King were among those capturing the night, helping the energy of the gig travel far beyond the venue.
Bec Darley, Group CMO at TPG Telecom, stated, “First Night Only is about throwing our customers straight into the kind of moments phones are made for; live music, raw energy and nights you’ll want to remember.“
Gavin Chimes, CCO at Howatson+Company, added, “Vodafone’s First Night Only is about culture and intimacy. The type that only happens in an underground punk bar. We wanted to give people real, repeatable moments in places that matter to them. Because those are the experiences that stick, in your memory and your camera roll.”
Credits
Client: Vodafone
Group Chief Marketing Officer, TPG Telecom: Bec Darley
Head of Brand and Marketing: Lisa Cronin
Marketing Lead, Devices: Kate Size
Senior Brand and Marketing Manager: Niharica Bawa
Marketing Manager: Molly McGrath
Creative Agency: Howatson+Company
Chief Executive Officer: Chris Howatson
Chief Client Officer: Katherine Chen
Senior Account Director: Juliet Loneragan
Senior Account Manager: Beth Tootill
Executive Strategy Director: Katharina Vassar
Chief Creative Officer: Gavin Chimes
Deputy Chief Creative Officer: Richard Shaw
Senior Art Director: Jack Close
Senior Copywriter: Zak Hawkins
Chief Design Officer: Ellena Mills-Stainer
Head of Design: Trent Michael
Design Director: Freya Smith
Designer: Jason Nguyen
Studio Lead: Simon Merrifield
Finished Artist: Grant Ashman
Head of Production: Holly Alexander
Producer: Ella Ainslie-Bellak
Head of Post Production: King Yong
Senior Editor: Mark Broome
Content Manager: James Millynn
Group PR & Influencer Director: Michael Rossiter
PR Senior Account Executive: Grace Powers
PR Senior Account Executive: Isla Watson
Photographer: Tim Kindler
Artist: Genesis Owusu
Lighting: Alex McCoy Color Blind
Venue: Deadset
Production Assistant: Alex Goodhew
Music Supervision: Level Two
