Two years after redefining its brand with a new platform and social promise, Telus is leveraging its iconic cute animals in a new, evergreen campaign that’s all about making Canadians feel just a little bit better.
Called “Critter Comforts,” the campaign was driven by insights gleaned from the telco’s own research, which found that 80% of surveyed Canadians feel happier after watching animal videos and 63% of them felt improvements in their mood from watching animal content online. That survey was prompted by an earlier study that showed surprising health benefits from just 30 minutes of viewing images and videos of cute animals, including positive impacts on blood pressure, heart rate and anxiety. Armed with that data, Telus has developed a video playlist for YouTube and its own Optik TV service that harnesses the power of its critters to spread joy.
“This campaign is a clear example of Telus’ purpose in action, not only raising awareness of the positive impacts of animals on Canadians’ wellbeing, but also all that Telus is doing to support animal-oriented community causes across the country,” explains Lisa Mack, VP of brand marketing at the telco. “There was a clear, unique opportunity for Telus to help bring Canadians joy simply by using our brand and delivering more of the content they crave.”
Featuring light music and charming animals, “Critter Comforts” invites Canadians to take a moment to relax – and for each view of the playlist, Telus is donating $1, up to a maximum $100,000, through its Friendly Future Foundation to charities across Canada that focus on supporting service animals, wildlife rehabilitation and animal therapy, Mack says. Among the beneficiaries will be Pacific Assistance Dogs Society, Hope for Wildlife and Canine Opportunity, People Empowerment.
It’s a recommitment to the brand’s beloved mascots, which notably were absent from its last ESG-focused campaign.
The playlist ladders up from other efforts by the telco – since 2018, it has donated $1 million through the Friendly Future Foundation and its community boards to charities “that foster the human-animal connection,” she notes. It also ties in to the regional launch of Telus Health MyPet, a virtual veterinary care platform that the company is rolling out across the country following its initial launch in B.C. last year. The platform is expected to roll out to new provinces later this year.
“Telus Health MyPet offers pet owners a virtual veterinary care platform where qualified local veterinarians provide dog and cat care for a range of health issues through an easy-to-use smartphone app that is free to download. It was primarily designed to support pet owners who live in urban/remote areas and have limited access to veterinary care, or whose pets don’t travel well in vehicles,” explains Mack. “The service has also helped to reduce the burden on emergency vet clinics by diverting non-emergent situations.”
Though the donation component of the campaign is only running until the end of March, Mack says that the playlist will be ongoing, with social, content marketing, influencer, earned media and sponsored content support. Activations are planned over the course of 2023.
National PR handled the concept, strategy, and implementation.
