Contact launches latest iteration of ‘It’s good to be home’ campaign via Special New Zealand

Contact Energy and agency partner Special have launched the latest iteration of their gold Effie winning ‘It’s good to be home’ brand platform.

It tells of how Contact is focused on advancing the quality of home life for all New Zealanders and is developing more than $1.2 billion of renewable energy projects and initiatives to reduce emissions.

This campaign shows Contact is committed to building a better future for humans – as well as all the flora and fauna whom we share this home with.

Says Sera Flint, head of marketing at Contact: “As Kiwis we love our homes and also have a special connection to New Zealand as our shared home. But we don’t live here alone – as seen in this campaign. We wanted to share what Contact is doing to ensure it’s good to be home in New Zealand, both now and in the future. We’re committed to and actively working towards making Aotearoa a better place for all, by promising net zero energy generation by 2035.”

The centrepiece of the new campaign takes place in a Kiwi flat, complete with the trials and angst that come with a mixed living situation. The issues in the flat are what every New Zealander has experienced, from not replacing the loo paper, to bathroom hogging, milk stealing, drain clogging, and the classic goldfish disappearing. (Okay, maybe not that last one.)

This flat and group of flatmates are like no other. The flat is the entirety of New Zealand, and the flatmates are the people, animals, trees, and even the rocks that call this country home.

Says Jonathan McMahon, CCO, Special: “That penguin, Nigel, might come across as a little bit uptight, but have you tried living with a milk-stealing ruru and gaming sea lions and sheep? No? Then probably not a deciduous tree that likes to bathe first every morning either then, I imagine. Well, what about those things we call humans? Sometimes they can just be the worst. Luckily, like Nigel, Contact just wants us to live more harmoniously in the future, with regard to the quality of home life for of all of Aotearoa’s flatties. So much so, they even let the soundtrack be performed by (The) Turtles.

“The Contact team has been a true partner in this project. Animation is always a long, tricky road to take, but their patience, attention to detail, and overall passion for this project has been commendable. It’s been an exciting project to be a part of, especially with Freddy and the team at FINCH, and of course the wonderful team at Flux who have brought all our characters to life.”

Client: Contact Energy
Chief Retail Officer Matt Bolton
Head of Brand Marketing: Sera Flint
Head of Product & Innovation: Sam Morse
Advertising Communications Manager – Brand & Marketing: Shea Whittington
Brand Lead – Marketing Communications: Elle Hunter

Agency: Special
CEO / Creative Chairman: Tony Bradbourne
Chief Creative Officer: Lisa Fedyszyn
Chief Creative Officer: Jonathan McMahon
Creative Director: Steve Hansen
Creative Director: David Shirley
Chief Strategy Officer: Rory Gallery
Senior Strategist: Amy Willemse
Group Business Director: Simone Botherway
Business Director: Michael Lyons
Senior Business Manager: Jeremy Sinniah
General Manager: John Marshall
Head of TVP: Therese Bielawa
Head of TVP: Katie Mortensen
Producer: Nigel Sutton
Producer: Gabrielle Eggels

Production Company: FINCH
Director: Freddy Mandy
Managing Director: Corey Esse
Executive Producer: Rebekah ‘Bex’ Kelly
Producer: Yolande Dewey
Producer: Nikki Walker

Animation: Flux Animation
Executive Producer: Josh Forsman
Executive Creative Director: Laban Dickinson

Photography: Match Artists
Photographer: Ross Brown
Producer:  Gerardine Turney

Music Licensing: Marcus Brooke-smith Leveltwo
Composer: Mahuia Bridgman-Cooper
Sound Design: Craig Matuschka at Liquid Studios

Media agency – Hearts & Science
Managing Director: Rebekah Gierlinska
Business Director: Dan Cho
Associate Business Director: Dayna Moston
Group Digital Director: Sarah Vosloo
Head of Investment & Activation: Amy Pountain