Koodo pulls no punches with El Tabador

Cellular service provider Koodo Mobile is encouraging Canadians to wrestle their way out of contract headlocks with a new campaign promoting its Tab feature.
Launched last month, the effort developed by Toronto-based Taxi 2 features a new Koodo character, the masked mobile revolutionary El Tabador. The animated lucha libre fighter promotes the telco’s $0 Tab offering – a phone without a
fixed-term contract – through cinema and TV spots, online content and a game, wild postings, TSAs and OOH ads with the tagline “Tab in for phone freedom.”
After other cellular providers embraced similar offerings, like Wind Mobile’s no system access fees, Koodo wanted to highlight its Tab as a point of differentiation for Canadians fed up with fixed contracts – namely, that the tag team of $0 dollar phones without an accompanying contract can’t be beat. And they make their point by challenging other contracts to a cage match.
Taxi 2 saw El Tabador as the best character to lead the revolution for “phone freedom.” In one TV spot, the little luchador announces to the townspeople of his Mexican village that he is off to fulfill his destiny as the champion of the cause, stopping people from being lured by the promise of $0 phones, only to become trapped in an evil contract submission hold. 


“The goal is to let everyone know that they don’t have to suffer with a contract if they want a $0 phone, that they should get the Tab and have phone freedom,” explains Lance Martin, ECD at Taxi 2. “So, we started talking about revolutions, and we came up with the whole ‘Tab in for phone freedom’ notion, and [El Tabador] just naturally developed.”
Koodo’s scrappy effort, which retains brand constants like vibrant colours, a cheeky tone and a value brand positioning, will remain in market until May.

advertiser: Koodo Mobile
agency: Taxi 2, Taxi Montreal
ECD: Lance Martin
CD: Patrick Chaubet
AD: Jeff MacEachern
writers: Mike Blackmore, Josianne Cossette
broadcast producers: Jennifer Cursio,  Anick Rozon
interactive producers: Jennifer Law, Kevin Saffer
print producers: Estella Tolentino, Tara Greguric, Charlene Leong
group account director: Caleb Goodman
account director: Sylvie Bergeron
account managers: Katie Trainor, Steve Waugh
production houses: BENT Image Labs, Woods & Low
audio: Company X
media agency: Media Experts