Optus have launched a major rebrand, ditching their trademark animals in favour of a colourful little... blob. The rebrand has been spearheaded by M&C Saatchi extending across consumer and corporate avenues, including the telco's logo. The departure from their animal mascots began during 2012 - their roles reduced to cameos as a way of maintaining brand recognition whilst beginning the transition to an animal-free Optus. This campaign reintroduces the 'Yes' slogan that launched the company in the early 90s.
It is a fresh approach to the brand - having been largely set in hyperreal cg animals for a while now, it's nice to see a change to something quite different. Whether or not the little blob character will work in the long run without something more remains to be seen. I can envision a family of characters being developed as a way to maintain variety in their campaigns, similar to how the animals operated previously. His/Her/It's animation and characteristics are quite cute and may be readily executed. Some reactions are that the style is a bit childish in its execution (not something I agree with necessarily). I am however curious where they will go from here once the rollout is complete.
