Created by Bear Meets Eagle On Fire with partner agency +61, the campaign aims to increase awareness of a service many Australians are still unaware of, despite Telstra making standard calls from its payphones free in 2021.

Telstra has transformed thousands of its payphones into colourful public installations featuring more than 30 illustrated characters, with the activation set to appear across 5,000 locations within its national network of 14,000 public phones.

At the heart of the campaign are various original characters designed by illustrators Brosmind, Nicko Philips, McBess and Ovcharkart, alongside well-known pop culture figures including Rick & Morty, the Powerpuff Girls, Ren & Stimpy and Squidward, turning everyday payphones into attention-grabbing outdoor media.

According to Telstra, the campaign highlights that payphones continue to serve as an important community resource, particularly for people experiencing vulnerable situations who may need access to free communication.

Alita McMenamin, Head of Brand and Marketing Communications at Telstra, shared the campaign was created to remind Australians that the service remains available whenever they need it.

“Telstra payphones are a vital part of how we support communities right across Australia. They’re free to use, and for many people – especially those in vulnerable circumstances – they can be a critical lifeline in moments that matter most,” said McMenamin. 

“We wanted to create a playful campaign to raise awareness and remind Australians our payphones are there for them for free – whether it’s calling for help, staying connected with loved ones, or accessing essential services, whenever they need,” she added. 

Micah Walker, Chief Creative Officer at Bear Meets Eagle On Fire, said the idea was intentionally simple, using humour and recognisable characters to attract attention to an existing public service.

“This is just a very simple idea to support Telstra’s ongoing commitment to free calls. The unique characters and celebrity cameos make for a bit of fun, as they pop up around the country,” said Walker. 

By bringing creative storytelling directly onto public infrastructure, the campaign demonstrates how out-of-home advertising can be used not only to promote a brand, but also to increase awareness of community services that continue to deliver practical value.

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Running under the platform “Young Macdonald Had No Farm,” the campaign challenges the conventions of Australia’s SUV category, where brands often market vehicles around rugged escapes and outdoor lifestyles despite most drivers spending their time in urban environments.

At the centre of the campaign is the question: “You don’t live on a farm, so why drive a tractor?” The line positions the ZR-V as “the perfectly city-sized SUV,” highlighting its balance of comfort, hybrid efficiency, and agility for everyday driving.

The creative is led by a hero film directed by Justin Kurzel of Revolver, which reimagines the nursery rhyme Old MacDonald Had a Farm. Set to a jazz-inspired rendition of the classic tune, the film follows a city professional through her morning routine before she drives off in the Honda ZR-V, ending with the campaign’s central message.

According to Special, the strategy was developed to differentiate the ZR-V from competitors by celebrating the reality of daily urban driving instead of aspirational weekend adventures.

Sian Binder and Lea Egan, Group Creative Directors at Special, said the SUV category had become increasingly predictable, with brands continuing to sell the fantasy of escape even though most journeys happen in cities.

Meanwhile, Eva Barrett, General Manager of Brand, Marketing and Digital at Honda Australia, said the campaign aims to build awareness for a model that remains relatively unknown despite offering a combination of SUV practicality and city-friendly performance.

The campaign also marks another step in Honda Australia’s broader brand positioning efforts as it continues to establish a more distinctive presence across its vehicle portfolio.

Launching nationally from 6 July, the campaign will roll out across film, social media, digital, audio, out-of-home, PR, and partnerships.

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Running throughout 2026 and 2027, the initiative will deliver more than 50 events across Australia, beginning with its first activation in Adelaide. 

Rather than adopting a traditional roadshow model, the program is designed to create sustained community engagement by working alongside trusted local organisations, community leaders, and bilingual advocates.

The campaign addresses a key public health challenge: although around six million free bowel cancer screening kits are mailed to eligible Australians each year, approximately two million remain unused.

To encourage greater participation, Think HQ has developed three community engagement formats. 

The “Loo Post”flagship activations guide visitors through the bowel screening process to help demystify the at-home test, while “Catch it Early” cafés provide informal spaces for conversations about bowel cancer over coffee. 

Meanwhile, Community Conversations bring discussions into cultural festivals and existing community gatherings, with local leaders helping address stigma and cultural barriers surrounding screening.

The initiative also includes a partnership with First Nations specialist agency Winangali, which will co-design culturally safe engagement activities tailored for First Nations communities across Australia.

Jen Sharpe, Founder and Managing Director at Think HQ, said the program was designed to create lasting behaviour change by embedding activities within communities instead of relying on one-off activations.

“Our approach centres on working with local champions and organisations that communities already trust, helping ensure these conversations continue well beyond individual events,” she said.

Jess Billimoria, Chief Audiences Officer at CultureVerse, added that community-based discussions can play a key role in reaching multicultural audiences.

“By taking these conversations directly into trusted community settings and working with bilingual community figures, we can help break down the taboos and cultural barriers that have historically kept screening rates low in some multicultural communities,” she said.

The initiative complements the Australian Government and Cancer Council Australia’s national “Bowel Cancer Waits for No One” campaign, with CultureVerse leading multicultural campaign delivery.

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In her new role, Ward will lead Index Exchange’s commercial strategy and day-to-day operations across Australia and New Zealand, working closely with media owners, advertisers and partners throughout the programmatic ecosystem. 

Since joining Index Exchange in 2022 as Senior Director of Buyer Development before her promotion to Head of Buyer Development in 2024, Ward has led demand development strategies for clients across Australia and New Zealand while building strong relationships with media owners across the region.

Before joining Index Exchange, Ward spent more than two decades in agency leadership, including over 13 years at PHD, where she most recently served as Head of Digital.

Based in Sydney, Ward will report to Adele Wieser, Senior Regional Managing Director for APAC at Index Exchange.

“Since joining Index Exchange, Amelia has played a key role in advancing our strategic objectives and strengthening our position with our partners and clients across Australia and New Zealand. I’m delighted to congratulate Amelia on her promotion, which reflects her outstanding contributions and the confidence we have in her ability to lead Index Exchange’s continued growth in the region,” said Wieser. 

Ward’s appointment reflects Index Exchange’s continued investment in regional leadership as it looks to expand its presence and support the evolving needs of advertisers, agencies, and media owners across Australia and New Zealand.

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The appointment will see Orphan develop creative work to introduce the platform to international audiences, helping CPA showcase its expertise in advancing education and improving outcomes for children and families affected by cerebral palsy.

The new creative work will begin rolling out across Australia and the UK from mid-July before expanding to the United States in September, supporting CPA’s efforts to broaden the reach of its education and training programmes globally.

Michelle Tirtabudi, Managing Director at Orphan, said the agency is honoured to partner with an organisation making a meaningful impact.

“CPA is an amazing organisation doing incredible, life-changing work. Being trusted to help tell that story is a privilege, and something we’ll pour everything into,” shared Tirtabudi. 

Ant Hatton, Founder and Chief Creative Officer at Orphan, added that the agency aims to help CPA amplify its innovation through strategic creativity.

“At Cerebral Palsy Alliance they are changing what’s possible for children and families through world-leading research and education. Often, the organisations making the biggest difference in the world don’t always have the biggest budgets. That’s why at Orphan, we help brands who can’t out-spend their competition, out-think them instead. CPA is leading the way through innovation. Our job is to make sure the world sees it,” Hatton said.

The appointment reinforces CPA’s commitment to expanding the global reach of its evidence-based education while helping more healthcare professionals and communities access its training resources. 

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Created by brand experience agency Curious Nation in partnership with 7-Eleven and Finders Keepers Australia, the activation supports the launch of Mountain Dew’s new Blue Razz Blitz and Typhoon flavours by encouraging consumers to hunt for hidden cash prizes at participating stores.

Mountain Dew turned the launch into an interactive experience that blended social media participation with real-world retail visits, a strategy designed to appeal to Gen Z consumers by tapping into the growing popularity of online treasure hunts and reward-based social content.

The first Flavour Hunt introduced Blue Razz Blitz through a Melbourne-based hunt, where participants followed clues shared on social media to locate a hidden cash prize worth AUD700 at a 7-Eleven store.

Building on that momentum, the second activation for Typhoon expanded the experience into a city-wide challenge across three Melbourne locations, with participants competing to find a combined AUD2,100 in prize money.

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The activation also aimed to strengthen 7-Eleven’s role as a destination for product discovery while encouraging consumers to experience the new flavours firsthand.

According to research cited by Mountain Dew, 41% of Gen Z consumers are willing to try newly launched snacks or drinks immediately after release, making the audience a natural fit for the activation’s discovery-led approach.

The campaign has also generated strong engagement, with the Blue Razz Blitz Flavour Hunt recording more than 2.6 million views and over 13,000 engagements across social platforms, while the Typhoon activation has already surpassed one million views.

Jess Smyth, Customer and Shopper Marketing Manager at Asahi Beverages, said the activation was created to build genuine excitement around the new launches while giving consumers a reason to visit stores.

“We wanted to create genuine excitement around these new flavour launches and give people a reason to seek them out in-store. The Flavour Hunt concept allowed us to connect cultural behaviour with retail in a way that felt natural and engaging,” said Smyth. 

Meanwhile, Gareth Brock, Co-Founder and Head of Strategy at Curious Nation, said the campaign was designed around existing consumer behaviours instead of interrupting them with conventional advertising.

“Retail launches often feel manufactured. The hype is announced before it is earned. This campaign flipped that dynamic by turning the product release into something people could participate in physically and socially at the same time. The result was not just awareness, but action, driving audiences from content directly into the store,” shared Brock. 

The activation also reflects how product launches are increasingly becoming experience-led marketing opportunities, using gamification and participation to create stronger connections between brands, consumers and physical retail.

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The findings come from Kantar’s newly released ‘The Creator Game Plan’ report, which analysed more than 15,000 branded creator assets across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts.

While the study found that 27% of creator content achieved medium-to-high engagement alongside medium-to-high brand impact, the report suggests many marketers continue to overestimate the value of engagement metrics without considering broader business outcomes.

According to Kantar, the findings expose a growing disconnect between the billions invested in creator marketing and the commercial results brands expect.

Irene Joshy, Head of Creative at Kantar Australia and APAC, said the research is particularly relevant as brands across the region continue increasing their investment in creator partnerships.

“While around a quarter of creator content drives effectiveness, the brand itself is too often missed. Therefore, for our region, ‘Cultural Power’ is such an important measure in Kantar’s new Creator Effectiveness framework,” said Joshy. 

“It helps unlock the right balance between creator authenticity and meaningful brand connection, ensuring content feels native to culture while still working hard for the brand,” added Joshy. 

To help marketers better evaluate creator campaigns, Kantar has expanded its LINK AI platform with creator-specific testing, a new capability that measures engagement, brand-building and short-term sales potential against creator content benchmarks to enable marketers to assess performance beyond traditional platform metrics.

Vera Sidlova, Global Creative Director at Kantar, said the findings should encourage marketers to adopt broader measurement frameworks beyond engagement alone.

“Our research is a wake-up call that high engagement and genuine brand effectiveness more often than not do not align. CMOs say they’re under pressure to prove their return on investment. To do this, they need better signals and more rigorous metrics for testing to understand if their creator partnerships are the right fit,” shared Sidlova. 

The report also notes that creative freedom remains essential for successful creator marketing, with 61% of marketers planning to increase investment in creator content.

However, Sidlova said authenticity alone is not enough without a clear strategic foundation.

“But for all the authenticity and personality that creators offer, there’s no gain to be found in a campaign that lacks strategy, genuine audience insight and fails to add value to a brand’s long-term game plan,” added Sidlova. 

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Under the appointment, alt/shift/ will lead OMODA JAECOO’s earned media strategy, managing media relations, press office activity, and proactive communications to strengthen the brand’s visibility and reputation across Australia.

The appointment comes as OMODA JAECOO, operated by Chery Motor Australia, continues to build momentum in the Australian automotive market, recording consecutive monthly sales growth throughout 2026, with 2,570 vehicle deliveries in May marking its strongest monthly performance to date and its flagship J5 EV becoming Australia’s best-selling electric small SUV.

Roy Muñoz, Chief Commercial Officer at Chery Motor Australia, said earned media will play an important role in supporting the brand’s next stage of growth.

“OMODA JAECOO has had an extraordinary start in Australia and earned media is a critical part of how we continue to build the brand’s credibility and presence. alt/shift/ brings the strategic thinking and media relationships to help us do that, we’re excited to have them as our partner,” said Muñoz. 

Sam Vassos, Managing Director of alt/shift/ Melbourne, said the agency is looking forward to helping amplify the brand’s growth story.

“OMODA JAECOO is one of the most compelling brand stories in Australian automotive right now. The growth trajectory is extraordinary and the product is genuinely earning its place in the market,” said Vassos. 

“We’re thrilled to bring our earned media thinking to a brand with this much momentum and help tell that story in a way that cuts through,” added Vassos. 

The appointment adds to OMODA JAECOO’s marketing efforts as the brand continues to grow its footprint in Australia, while further expanding alt/shift/’s automotive client portfolio. 

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Founded in 2019 by Nadia Bartel, Michelle Ring and Laura Broque, HENNE has built a strong following for its minimalist wardrobe essentials and premium fashion aesthetic, becoming one of Australia’s fastest-growing contemporary fashion brands.

The appointments mark a new chapter in HENNE’s growth strategy as the Melbourne-founded brand looks to strengthen customer acquisition across Australia and New Zealand ahead of future international expansion.

Under the partnership, Jaywing will oversee paid media strategy, execution, and optimisation across Meta, Google, TikTok, and Pinterest, while also managing reporting, analytics, creative strategy, and production support to improve campaign performance and marketing effectiveness.

Meanwhile, The Social CliQ will lead HENNE’s social media strategy across Meta and TikTok, delivering full-funnel campaigns spanning influencer marketing, user-generated content (UGC), and conversion-focused creative.

The appointments follow a competitive pitch process, where HENNE evaluated agencies based on strategic thinking, creative capability, performance marketing expertise, measurement and team fit.

As part of its remit, Jaywing will also deploy its proprietary FeedOps platform to optimise HENNE’s product data across paid media channels, helping improve campaign performance while preparing the brand for emerging AI-powered and agentic commerce environments.

Ash Terry, eCommerce Director at Jaywing, said the partnership comes at an important stage of HENNE’s growth journey.

“We’re delighted to be partnering with HENNE at such a pivotal stage of its journey. What stands out is the brand’s commercial maturity and its clear focus on sustainable new customer acquisition,” said Terry. 

“That long-term mindset creates the conditions for truly effective performance marketing, where data, creative and media work in lockstep. With the addition of FeedOps and our advanced measurement approach, we can unlock new levels of efficiency and scale for HENNE,” added Terry. 

Talia Datt, Founder and Managing Director of The Social CliQ, added that HENNE’s strong brand identity creates opportunities to build deeper engagement across social platforms.

“HENNE is a brand with an incredibly strong aesthetic and cultural resonance, which gives us a powerful platform to build from. We’re excited to be working alongside Jaywing and the HENNE team on this great Australian brand,” said Datt. 

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Founded in 1997, CX Lavender has built a strong reputation for helping Australian brands improve customer experiences through loyalty programmes, digital platforms and transformation projects that connect strategy with execution.

The acquisition marks another step in Omnicom Oceania’s strategy to expand beyond traditional media and creative services into broader customer and marketing transformation. 

It also reflects growing demand from businesses for integrated partners that can combine strategy, technology and customer experience under one roof.

The deal includes CX Lavender’s team of around 20 specialists, its proprietary technology assets, and its brand, with existing clients, including Westpac, continuing to be supported by the agency under Omnicom Oceania.

Nick Garrett, CEO of Omnicom Oceania, said customer experience has become a business-wide priority for organisations.

“This acquisition accelerates our customer experience  capabilities across the group. The partnership marks another step in Omnicom Oceania’s progress moving beyond a  traditional media and creative model into a broader marketing and customer  transformation business,” explained Garrett. 

Adrian Paul, COO of Omnicom Oceania, added that the acquisition strengthens the group’s connected capability model.

“This acquisition will preserve the independent spirit and culture of Lavs, backed by the  scale and capabilities of Omnicom Oceania. This investment strengthens the connected  capability model we are building across Omnicom Oceania and further expands our ability to help clients navigate increasingly complex customer and marketing environments,” said Paul.

Ryan Stubna, Chief Creative Officer at CX Lavender, shared, “Joining the Omnicom Oceania  network gives us the opportunity to scale our capability and continue evolving how we help  clients design and deliver connected customer experiences. Our Client Services Director, KaLing Ng, and I are excited to retain our indie energy, backed by a powerhouse network.” 

“There’s a strong alignment in how both businesses think about the future of customer  experience and the growing need for more connected customer journeys. Bringing our specialist capability together with Omnicom Oceania’s broader network creates exciting opportunities for both our team and our clients,” added Stubna.  

CX Lavender has worked with leading Australian brands across financial services, retail, and travel, delivering customer transformation programmes that combine strategy, experience design, and technology.

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