Telkom shifts strategy from babies to Boltspeed

Enzo Scarcella

Enzo Scarcella, chief marketing officer and deputy MD: Consumer at Telkom mentioned at this year's Integrated Marketing Conference that their 'talking baby' ads inspire either love or hate in consumers.

They're very happy with the ads' performance thus far and will continue with the baby campaign, but they're also looking at all avenues to keep the brand relevant and exciting for consumers.

One such way if doing so is with the Boltspeed campaign, rolling out when Telkom's summer campaign ends in 2016, is centred on fibre internet specifically, while the baby ads promote a range of Telkom products and services.

It's seen as a natural partnership due to the fact that Bolt is the fastest man in the world, and the campaign speaks of the unbeatable speed of Telkom fibre.

'Boltspeed' unbolted

Scarcella confirms that the association was a no-brainer on Telkom's part: "We've got South Africa's fastest network, and Usain Bolt is the fastest man on the planet. What better way to communicate our speed than by partnering with Bolt in the peak of his career?"

This campaign links Telkom not just to another brand, but to an individual who has become a legend in his own lifetime. That's why they were happy to facilitate a message from Usain Bolt to his supporters at home.

View the special message embedded below:

'Boltspeed', then, refers to the data speeds available on fibre networks, which travel at the speed of light - or, for that matter, at the speed of lightning bolts.

While it makes sense, it's still a challenge to communicate. For example, Scarcella shares that Bolt's training programme comes first, so they had to work around that. But at the end of the day, it all came together well.

"We respect and admire his commitment to his chosen career, as that's the kind of spirit we want to communicate too", confirms Scarcella.

"For Telkom, it's important that we continue to drive consideration for our products among consumers, and that we use this Boltspeed campaign to lead in a fibre-driven future."

Time will tell whether it does so.

Click here to view a trailer of the Boltspeed ad, from Markstry.