Astronauts and Skeletons Whistle and Strut for Telstra

'Wherever We Go' gets a sequel

More strutting! More whistling! More cute energetic animation! Such is the stuff of Telstra’s latest “Wherever We Go” campaign from Bear Meets Eagle on Fire.

Last year’s effort introduced a lanky dude named Mick and his bird-buddy. They displayed tuneful swagger in a cartoon that generated tens of millions of views.

Today, Telstra goes bigger, with neighbors, workmen, chickens, rats, astronauts and the undead joining in:

Whistling past the graveyard. Well played, Telstra.

“We knew we wanted to revisit Mick and the walk duet, but we wanted to find the right moment and way to do it,” agency CCO Micah Walker tells Muse. “Because the first spot and ‘walk’ picked up so much organic traction last time during the rugby and Aussie Footy coverage, we felt like the start of this years’ footy season was the right moment.”

Working with Somesuch directors Alan Smith and Adam Foulkes, the team crafted the sequel “in a way that felt bigger but also more playful.”

The first film showed two characters in lock step as a metaphor for Telstra and its customers. The follow-up “is more about that journey being welcome to everyone. There are all kinds of easter eggs in this one as well, so little nuggets for people to pick up on,” Walker says.

Telstra’s been on an impressive creative journey of its own of late. Notable work includes elements like a giant synthesizer built from trash, a tiny stop-motion town brimming with life and Steve Buscemi as a frazzled galactic potentate.

“It’s never only about entertainment,” Walker says. “Brand and reputation-led campaigns tend to get the most press coverage, but even then, it’s not about entertainment for entertainment’s sake.”

“Our ‘Villains’ campaign (with Buscemi), for example, was built off a message about network security. The series of 26 ‘Better on a Better Network’ spots were all about Telstra’s superior coverage, and so on.”

“What we don’t do is try to cram everything into everything. It’s about the right message at the right moment. Every campaign runs deeper across the funnel than what a press release might focus on.”

Here, the frames are packed with sights, sounds and motion. But there’s no hard-sell or USP/pricing clutter. This new work delivers a sunny vibe, succeeding with simplicity.

“There will always be moments that focus on beautifully executed, hard-working retail messages, as well as moments where the brand’s imaginative storytelling takes the lead,” Walker says.