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Vodafone turns unanswered texts into giant public murals in new campaign via Howatson+Company

by Julian Bartolome

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July 23, 2026

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Australia — Vodafone has launched a new campaign that turns one of the most common family anxieties into a large-scale outdoor activation, placing real parents on giant murals near university campuses to encourage students to return their calls and messages.

Created with Howatson+Company, the campaign, titled “Did You Get My Mural?”, is inspired by a simple insight: many parents worry when their children fail to respond to texts or calls.

The activation features three real parents whose faces now appear on large murals across New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. Positioned near universities, the murals serve as public reminders for students to check in with their families.

The campaign follows research showing that 92% of Australian parents worry when they have not heard from their child, while nearly one-third say they become concerned when a text message goes unanswered.

By bringing a familiar family experience into the public space, Vodafone aims to create a humorous but relatable conversation around staying connected.

The campaign also supports Vodafone’s student mobile offering, featuring unlimited national calls and texts, highlighting how easy it is for students to stay connected with loved ones.

According to Vodafone, the campaign is designed to show students how much a simple message or phone call can mean to parents. 

Bec Darley, Group Chief Marketing Officer at Vodafone, said “This new campaign is designed to show kids just how much their parents want a simple text or call back. The good news is that our student plans offer unlimited calls and texts so kids can stop ghosting their parents and drop them a call or message.”

Richard Shaw, Deputy CCO at Howatson+Company, also shared, “As soon as you move out of home, you have less contact with your parents and often don’t  reply to messages as much as you should. “Did you get my mural?” is a cheeky reminder to students  (and other parents) about the fact you get unlimited call and text – so just use it!”

Running across out-of-home, content and social channels, the campaign uses humour and real-life stories to encourage stronger connections between parents and students while reinforcing Vodafone’s positioning around staying connected.

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Related Tags Australia Campaign Victoria New South Wales Howatson+Company Richard Shaw Queensland Vodafone Bec Darley Marketing
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