Special Group and Optus continue to present stories you didn’t expect that show the great things that can come from saying yes. This new one is also the Christmas story you didn’t expect. Warning: you are going to cry.
The film follows an Australian glider, risking life and tail, for an ambitious surprise for its partner for Christmas. A pair of bassinets. Like its predecessors, the film then reverses to the moment of “yes”, when glider decided to turn an optimistic idea into action by starting a family of his own.
Unexpectedly too, the campaign is working to protect Australia’s sugar gliders. Threatened by bushfires, and with limited public awareness of their plight, populations of Krefft’s Glider and Savanna Glider, in particular, are declining. Optus is using the festive season to raise much-needed funds for their cause. Optus has partnered with the Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) to raise in excess of $50,000.
The contribution will help the AWC deliver fire management across 100,000 hectares of natural habitat, remove feral herbivores to help create safe refuges for the gliders and support the AWC’s scientific monitoring programme to ensure key threats to their survival are controlled.
Mel Hopkins, Optus vice president of marketing, stated, “Optus wants to play a part in affecting real change for the future of Australia, as we continue our journey to becoming Australia’s most loved everyday brand with lasting customer relationships. We’ve been part of Australia’s social fabric for 30 years, so it was important that a native species was front and centre of our campaign. We are encouraging Australians to fall in love with these wonderful creatures and join us in saving them in the most generous time of year – now that’s optimism in action.”
Australian Wildlife Conservancy chief executive officer, Tim Allard, added, “Most Aussies know about wombats, koalas and quokkas – but there is little knowledge of this flying marsupial. The discovery that the Sugar Glider is not one, but three species, raises the alarm that there may be far fewer than previously thought and that the population may have declined by as much as 35% over the last 30 years.
“AWC is taking practical and effective action like fire management and feral animal control to address the key threats to the glider’s survival and restore their populations. This partnership with Optus will help teach Australians about the incredible diversity our country holds; and the funds will help us protect these threatened animals now and into the future.”
The Optus Christmas campaign launched on Sunday November 14 with the TVC, supported with social content and OOH.
Members of the public can also support Australia’s native gliders this Christmas by donating here.
Credits:
Agency: Special Group NZ
Director: The Bobbsey Twins From Homicide
Production Company: Finch
Animation Company: Flux
Sound: Franklin Rd
Music: Level Two
Client: Optus
