A revolution is coming
The new ad, which is set to East 17’s nineties hit, ‘It’s Alright’, stars Jackson, a purple puppet created by the world famous Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, renowned for inventing The Muppets.
Dejected, beaten down and damp, Jackson cuts a sorry figure in the big dark city as the story unfolds. But as he reaches his lowest ebb, Jackson remembers an old family mantra, and is suddenly transformed. Galvanised into action, he then spreads the song’s reassuring message to characters in all sorts of sticky situations.
Just like Jackson, Three is leading a movement for positive change The network is rallying the British public to take a stand and unite against network gripes – from high roaming costs to charging a premium for 4G. When stuff sucks, Three is pledging to #makeitright.
Dave Dyson, CEO at Three, commented: “We want to entertain people with this advert, but also want to introduce a more serious message with the #MakeItRight campaign. Jackson might be a loveable puppet – but he was once downtrodden and treated unfairly – just like many mobile customers. At Three our purpose is to change that. We’re taking a stand to #MakeItRight by not charging our customers to use their phones abroad in even more destinations, for example”.
The advert follows Jackson’s emotion-filled journey as he transforms from downtrodden puppet to that of revolutionary leader, raising his triumphant fist as a symbol to show anything is possible.
Jason Weber, Creative Supervisor of Jim Henson’s Creature Shop said: “Three came to us with a fun idea to create a puppet character that can express the way we all feel when things don’t go our way and then the exact opposite – the sheer exhilaration of believing anything is possible. Puppets are at their best when they emote familiar feelings or ideas that anyone can relate to and Jackson is definitely someone we can all connect with.”
The 90 second ad campaign launches on Friday 5th June during Big Brother on Channel 5, with further scheduling throughout the weekend, including spots during 8 Out Of Ten Cats, Alan Carr Chatty Man and Emmerdale.
Last year Three’s 2014 viral advert #SingItKitty became a global hit, with more than 6 million hits on YouTube. The advert featured Starship’s power anthem, ‘We Built This City’, and turned a shared moment between a young girl and her adorably cute pet kitten into an epic journey that saw the duo belt out a powerful rendition of the song, whilst tearing up the cul-de-sac on a pink tricycle.
When stuff sucks, #MakeItRight
It sucks having no signal and not being able to make a call or roam the internet when you’re out and about. Three has been rated the most reliable network in the UK by YouGov for calls, texts and data and is continuing to improve its network in 2015.
Having to pay huge roaming fees to share photos of your hot dog legs on holiday sucks. On Three you can use your phone abroad at no extra cost to call and text back home and use your data in even more destinations, including the USA, Australia, France, Italy and now Spain.
Paying extra for 4G sucks. Three believes you should get fast Internet without having to pay extra. That’s why 4G comes as standard on all of Three’s plans.
Being charged to make 0800 calls sucks, they are calls you have to make, not calls you want to make. That’s why Three was the first network to make all 0800 calls free on its new 24 month contract plans.
– ENDS –
Notes to Editors
For further information please contact:
Three Consumer PR Team – Cow PR
0207 234 9150
three@cowpr.com
About Three
Three is a communications company. We are focused on challenging the industry to make mobile better for everyone.
We want to give customers a quality mobile experience and address the industry issues that frustrate them.
We were the first UK network to introduce all you can eat data and offer 4G at no extra cost. We let customers roam abroad with their domestic bundle for no extra charge in 18 destinations and were the first network to make 0800 calls free on our new contract plans in March 2014.
We continue to look at ways of improving the experience we offer our customers.
Three carries 45% of the UK’s mobile data. Our 3G network covers 98% of the UK population.
Three is a member of the HWL group of companies, with investments in mobile operations in Australia, Austria, Denmark, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Macau, Sri Lanka, Sweden and Vietnam.
Three employees over 4400 people across its offices in Maidenhead, Glasgow and Reading and its 345 retail stores.
For more information visit www.three.co.uk.
About Jim Henson’s Creature Shop™
Jim Henson’s Creature Shop™ provides performed digital visual effects, animatronic creatures, animation and soft puppets to the international film, television and advertising industries.
Based in Los Angeles and New York with satellite shop capabilities internationally, the Shop is known for designing and building some of the world’s best-known characters including the Sesame Street puppets, the classic Muppets, the dinosaurs from Dinosaurs, the aliens from Farscape and the fantastical creatures from The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth.
Other features credits include Where the Wild Things Are, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and The Hangover. The shop is also known for its live performance work with artists like Cee Lo Green, Kanye West, Lady Gaga and Deadmau5.
A recipient of more than 9 Emmy Awards® for its outstanding work building puppets for Sesame Street, the Shop also received an Academy Award® for its visual effects work on the film Babe.
Other awards include a Scientific and Engineering Academy Award for the Henson Performance Control System, a powerful custom-based interface for puppeteers, and an Emmy Award for its work in developing the Henson Digital Puppetry Studio, a patented control system technology that enables puppeteers to physically perform a computer generated (CG) character in real time. www.creatureshop.com
