advertising campaigns
A MOBILE TAKE ON PDAs
With a change in messaging, Public Mobile showcases its love for Canadians coast to coast
In partnership with Cossette, a Canadian-based creative marketing and
Taking inspiration from the concept of the public park, the color palette
communications agency, Public Mobile released a branding and advertising and typeface of the team’s design work detailed the lines of park benches,
campaign at the end of 2019. The primary driver of Public Displays of Affection paths, paving, and signage that often appear in public spaces. Choosing to
was to generate brand awareness and recall. With a fresh visual brand identity use illustrations of people without facial features, the team emphasized the
that included a new logo, colors, and typography, the campaign ran across general idea that Public is for everyone and represented the many individuals
the country from August through December and centered on four themes: that make up the public.
Diversity, Individuality, Interconnectedness, and Humor.
To introduce the new design and approach to communication, the
After conducting a deep design audit of all the elements of Public Mobile’s team implemented Public Displays of Affection via radio, online video,
branding and an analysis of the competition, the team realized that with the out-of-home (OOH), and social/digital marketing. Expanding its reach,
evolution of the discount mobile category, many brands were starting to look it targeted Canadians aged 18–49 with radio spots across key markets as
the same. Reminding consumers
well as gamers, tech and mobile
that the Public name itself was all
enthusiasts, and value shoppers
with digital ads. To capture the
about people, the campaign’s tagline,
attention of consumers from
“You’re the public. We’re here for
you.” demonstrated a commitment
different demographic groups and
...centered on four themes:
in markets from coast to coast, the
to the customer, a priority of the
Diversity, Individuality,
change in brand image.
team relied on conveying a sense of
Before the re-brand, the company
humor and sharing creative content
Interconnectedness, and Humor."
struggled to stand out from its
that juxtaposed public displays of
competition and connect with its
affection with the ways the brand
audience. In many cases, consumers
shows its love for customers through
had trouble separating Public from other brands and understanding its overall a range of product features. Whereas the quirky and off-the-wall digital ads
marketing message, which manifested itself in low consumer recall (9%) and resonated with millennials, the type of humor in the radio spots related to
brand link (56%), as well as low national awareness (25%).
older consumers.
“We started with strategy. It was clear in our early conversations with Public
For example, the series of 15-second digital ads start by depicting how
that their internal culture was all about putting customers first, so with this characters such as pirates or creatures such as dinosaurs show affection,
consumer-centric strategy in mind, we looked at how to communicate that and and they end with a statement that shares how Public shows affection (e.g.,
humanize the branding,” explained Kali Pearson, external communications “Coast-to-coast coverage that keeps you connected” or “No commitments. No
coordinator at Cossette.
sneaky fees. Just love.”). The radio spots also feature cheeky word play on the
“If you look at the new logo, there are actually six different versions. Like standard reaction to PDA, such as the rolling of eyes at a couple of lovebirds
people, they look the same from a distance but, once you get closer, you’re caressing each other at the park. The narrator says Public offers “nation-wide
able to see the diversity and individuality.”
coverage that has your back—we just won’t rub it.”
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