Telstra’s singing donkey wishes you a holly, jolly Christmas

Bear Meets Eagle On Fire created the 90-second spot, directed by Revolver’s Steve Rogers

Published On
Nov 11, 2024

Editor's Pick

Telstra, the Australian telecom, wraps up a strong creative year with a charming Christmas commercial that continues its embrace of animals—as a donkey becomes an unlikely singing star after swallowing its owner’s smartphone.

Also read: 13 creative campaigns to know about today

Created by agencies Bear Meets Eagle on Fire and +61 and directed by Revolver’s Steve Rogers, the 90-second spot shows the donkey enjoying instant fame and going on a global tour—before realizing it actually wants to be home for the holidays.

The ad follows the 26-spot Telstra campaign from last summer, in which stop-motion animated animals spoke to camera from far-flung places across Australia about how great the Telstra network is there. It also follows Telstra’s sweet Christmas spot from last year, featuring a girl and a lost reindeer.

Billboard with Telstra's donkey and its owner

“This is a second chapter for us—our second big Christmas ad, following on from last year’s, that was a business success and picked up a couple of Effies,” said Brent Smart, Telstra’s chief marketing officer. “And more importantly, the second chapter in our ‘Wherever We Go’ brand platform, reminding us that no matter where we go in life, Christmas is about getting back to those who matter most.”

“We wanted to tell a Christmas story without falling into the holiday clichés. Hopefully the heart of this rings true and people get a bit of giggle along the way,” said Micah Walker, Bear Meets Eagle on Fire’s chief creative officer.

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Credits

Date
Nov 11, 2024
Client :
Telstra
Agency :
Bear Meets Eagle On Fire
Agency :
+61
Media Agency :
OMD Australia
Chief Marketing Officer :
Brent Smart
Head of Brand & Sponsorship :
Alita Mcmenamin
Head of Creative Excellence :
Anna Jackson
Brand Manager :
Dene Mackenzie
Senior Marketing Specialist :
Stephanie Fredericks
Marketing Specialist :
Annabel Hudson
Senior Retail Marketing Specialist :
Candice Neels
Retail Marketing Specialist :
Tamara Saleh
Media & Marketing Operations Lead :
Paula Marreiros
Senior Media Specialist :
Robert Aoukar
Production Company :
Revolver
Director :
Steve Rogers
Managing Director/Co-Owner :
Michael Ritchie
Executive Producer/Partner :
Pip Smart
DOP :
Nicolas Karakatsanis
Production Designer :
Steven Jones-Evans
Costume :
Margot Wilson
Casting :
Peta Einberg Casting
Editorial :
The Editors
Managing Partner/EP :
Nicoletta Rousianos
Editor :
Jack Hutchings
Post Production :
Blockhead VFX
Sound House :
Rumble Studios
Lead Sound Designer :
Tone Aston
Sound Designer :
Renee Park
Sound Designer :
Daniel William
Music Production/Arranging :
Jeremy Richmond
Executive Producer :
Michael Gie
Music Supervision :
Trailer Media
Music Supervisor :
Anton Trailer
Photography :
Derek Henderson
Retouching :
Capturelab

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Project Type