Vodafone Ireland's family films find the funny in violin recitals and K-pop concerts

Families invest in funny, excruciating and often difficult activities to stay connected; Vodafone's Red Family Plan, saving money on three to six mobile and broadband accounts, rewards exactly that.

Two films of families enduring — never discouraging — a daughter's violin practice and a dad surviving a K-pop concert: connection costs, and it's worth it.

Two lead films, 'Violin' and 'Concert', directed by Max Sherman through Somesuch, ran seven weeks across TV, VOD, radio, out-of-home, print, digital and social — deliberately with 'no ha ha funny bits', just painful moments that become funny.

The campaign carried the broadband extension of Red Family Plan across seven weeks of media; ECD David Wigglesworth framed it as proof 'you don't have to be crying by the end of the ad for it to be authentic'. No sales data in source.

In September 2023, Vodafone Ireland launched a Grey London campaign promoting its Red Family Plan, which lets customers save money when they hold between three and six mobile and broadband accounts — now including broadband. Two lead films anchor it: 'Violin', in which a family endures a young girl's proud amateur recital rather than discourage her new hobby, and 'Concert', in which a dad takes his daughter to a K-pop boy band concert against his better judgement.

Executive creative director David Wigglesworth told Campaign the tone was a deliberate departure from Grey's previous 'tearjerker' work for the brand — 2022's 'Gigahome', the emotional story of a family separated by divorce but united in raising their teenage daughter. 'There's no ha ha funny bits,' he said. 'It doesn't feel like we're playing for laughs. It's just painful and it becomes funny because you're going through this pain.' The team avoided over-egged comedy beats and 'stupid, conceited' scenarios, settling on relatable moments.

Director Max Sherman of Somesuch was chosen for his performances: 'He doesn't go for absurd or weird, he has weird character interactions.' Senior marketing manager Niall Reynolds said Grey had brought the broadband extension to life 'with humour and charm'. The campaign ran for seven weeks from the start of September across TV, VOD, radio, out-of-home, print, digital and social.

The product promise — paying for the connections a family already maintains — needed stories about connection's everyday costs, not network claims.

Following 'Gigahome', another tearjerker would have made the platform predictable; comedy kept the family idea fresh.

Recital and K-pop concert scenarios are universal enough to travel across TV, radio, OOH and social in one campaign.

Understated direction keeps the films about the family, so the plan reads as supporting something real rather than a joke.

A brand platform can pivot tone without pivoting substance: the same family-centered idea moved from divorce tearjerker to deadpan endurance comedy.

The campaign ran for seven weeks from early September 2023 across TV, VOD, radio, out-of-home, print, digital and social media, carrying the Red Family Plan's broadband extension.