A NEW ZEALAND SEA SHANTY MOVES THE WORLD IN SPARK’S NEW CAMPAIGN VIA COLENSO BBDO
Spark’s latest campaign via Colenso BBDO has launched with a 60” film, and rolls out across Cinema, OOH and online, where the public can find recommendations for the things they’re passionate about.
Entertainers often use their art as a way to start conversations, shape perspectives or inspire change – from shifting cultural norms, defying genres or building a deeper understanding between people or about something. Recognising the importance of entertainment, Spark gives New Zealanders unrivalled access to some of the best shows, music, films and games from around the world.
Directed by Sanjay De Silva, the 60 second campaign called ‘ShantyTok’ tells the story through the perspective of Willa – a teenage girl who discovers a passion for the ocean after coming across a rendition of the sea shanty ‘Soon May The Wellerman Come’ on TikTok, which quickly expands to other entertainment platforms such as Spotify, Twitter, Twitch and YouTube. The original song was said to be written by a New Zealand sailor in 1860 to help lift the spirits of crewmen working in challenging conditions. Fast forward to 2020, the shanty was reignited and became a global viral hit during the COVID-19 lockdowns and once again provided some much-needed cheer and camaraderie during a time when many were grappling with feelings of isolation and uncertainty.
Through the power of entertainment, the sea shanty incited broader conversations that encourage Willa – as it did many in real life – to be curious and delve deeper into the history of sea shanties and sea conservation. This fuels Willa’s newfound journey of discovery and passion for all-things-sea, and motivates her to recommend more entertainment.
Says Spark’s Brand Partner, Ingrid Bennie: “ShantyTok perfectly demonstrates our platform of Little Can Be Huge – how a seemingly frivolous piece of entertainment could be so much more than just a tool to amuse or distract. Entertainment has the power to build connections, start conversations and ultimately build a deeper understanding of the world around us.”
Says Colenso BBDO Group Business Director, Renata Gordon: “We’re super excited and proud to have this campaign live. We believe it’s a progressive reflection of the changing way we interact with entertainment today. With Spark’s unique network of entertainment – from TV to sport to gaming to music – you don’t just get to explore and discover a whole universe of entertainment, you can explore and discover who you are. Or can be.”
Client: Spark
Agency: Colenso BBDO
Media: PHD
Production Company: DIVISION
Director: Sanjay De Silva
MD / Executive Producer: Genevieve Triquet
Producer: Yolande Dewey
DOP: Ginny Loane
Post Production: The Editors & Fin Design
Editor: Leila Gaabi
Colourist: Fergus Rotherham
VFX: Mikey Brown
Music & Sound: Franklin Rd
24 Comments
This is a mess.
Has to be the #1 most annoying ad on TV.
oh no its not
I really wanted to like this. No, I really did.
It started off so well – sea shanties (like the Suzuki ad in Aussie), but then it lurched awkwardly into a generic woke message that I’ve heard or seen a million times before from almost every corporate in town.
Why not leave it at sea shanties and let us all sing along?
Remember Telecom’s Pass the parcel ad with Che Fu? That was a million times better than this schizophrenic mess.
The direction is fresh – so well done to the director.
But…man, what an opportunity gone to waste. Were too many clients involved? Did no one call bullshit on this for fear of their job? I dunno.
All I want to be is entertained, not preached at.
They just made Tik Tok uncool.
Usually a huge admirer of Spark’s TVCs. But this one is just plain odd.
I would bet the parents who pay the internet bill are reminded to get the kids off their devices after seeing this.
We like
Good lord, what a rollercoaster of ideas ending in a multiple message loop the loop.
It’s taken me a dozen analytical watches to realise I just don’t get it. Until reading here, it’s clear they created for themselves an impossible task.
To it’s credit, well shot/directed. Engagement wise there’s some irony
Love the direction. Feels big and international.
Got completely bamboozled by the storyline. Felt lost at sea, ironically. I can only assume that’s from client meddling as Colenso has some very smart creatives that would’ve put up a good fight but lost. RIP clarity.
Weird
Isn’t it the directors job to make Films that make sense?
Terrible, awful, woke preachy rubbish. Can you imagine the pre-production meeting where they decided on the rainbow sweater because “we could just jam one more woke message in there, even though it’s got nothing to do with our business”. Rainbow, eco, washing at its worst.
Well shot and directed? It’s a rehash of every ad made in this category around the world for the last 3 years. Wide angle… camera move in dramatically, saturated colour. Looks very sub par version of Ian Ponds Jewel.
Isn’t it about whalers having a hard time processing whales that they were killing?
Director’s treatment a mash up of Three ads from the UK and Guardians Three Little Pigs.
.. it is pretty pooh.
To use the olde analogy ‘Half my advertising budget is being wasted. The trouble is I don’t know which half’ on this ad; it’s the second half being wasted. Cut to logo and line at the halfway point and call it a day. Would be an ok-ish ad then.
Also, I’m not convinced Spark has the credentials to those environmental statements they’re piggybacking off. If they really truely meant all of that the. They’d be ditching the servers that need fossil fuels to keep them going…anything dramatic would help.
But, Spark bumbles along. Trying to be everything to everyone. All I ask is that you keep prices low, don’t stuff up and have a help desk in NZ.
I think everyone on here might think the world starts on stops on a Facebook community noticeboard. This spot communicates the online world for the young’uns. How memes are born, then even canceled. How the flow of information works, and the pace, for this audience and the different ways of consuming. It looks international quality and I can’t stop singing the shanty. one heart emoji from me.
Young’un here, the ad makes me cringe every time it’s aired.
I’d sum it up as out of touch tokenism.
I have been trying work out what it is about. Spark or something about saving the sea. Please tell me as I confused.
I hope the intention was to promote an interest in this sea shanty.
That’s all it did for me!
But thanks, anyway.
I see now that the underlying message is topical … Covid … challenging times etc. But honestly, it’s chaos.
I hate this ad with a passion. All of it sucks the premise, The shanty, the acting all of it. I just want it off my screen. Move on spark, give us an advert with a dog… I like dogs.