MTN: Go Get Original

MTN has always been the 'other' network - not as sucky as Vodacom, but nowhere as fresh as Cell C. I guess they're looking to differentiate because their new series of ads definitely stands out. There's the 'go fall in love' one, the 'go start something one', the one with the guys on the treadmills, the one with the giant post-it note man walking through the city... The problem is that they're positioning themselves as fresh while using ripped off material. Right away anyone with MTV knows that the treadmill footage is lifted entirely from the Ok Go video 'Here It Goes Again'. Perhaps they got the rights to it [I hope], but it feels half-hearted to just slap your tired brand onto a great music video, hoping like hell for a positive association. And then what about that so-creative post-it man? He's been around on YouTube for a loooong time now - originally conceived as a jaw-droppingly creative installation by a couple of students, and now stolen by MTN in a sad effort to seem current. Not only does this feel patronising from them as a brand [as if we don't consume the same media as their agency...], but it also minimises any genuinely good work that's part of the same campaign. I liked a couple of the other ads a lot, but my perception now is that if I scratch the surface and research just a little, I'll find they're not new ideas either.