Telstra follows ANZ’s rainbow lead in targeting Mardi Gras
Australia’s major telco Telstra is following in the footsteps of ANZ’s award winning GAYTM’s campaign, with the brand creating it’s own “disco phone booths”.
In the past week phone booths in the Sydney CBD, King Street Newtown and Oxford Street Darlinghurst have been given a rainbow makeover as disco phone booths – mirror balls, smoke machines, lasers and even “a pumping anthem”: Disco Inferno, a song released in 1976.
Both companies have sought to tap into the pink dollar by painting rainbows on things and adding on a disco motif ahead of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival. They are part of a wider group of brands seeking to align themselves with the LGBTI community, which marketers see as an increasingly valuable consumer group.
It was reported yesterday that an ANZ GAYTM in Auckland had been vandalised by alleged gay activists who accused the bank of hijacking gay rights to further it’s own corporate interests.
Turning phone boxes into bone boxes.
Cute. But you know what Telstra, if you’re really a supporter of the LGBT community why don’t you use some of your resources to push to Federal government for marriage equality and other pressing issues amongst LGBT people. (Same could be said to ANZ). Then, and only then, would Telstra’s colourful phone boxes and the ANZ ATMs actually have some backbone and meaningfulness. In the meantime your current execution is just your attempt to raise some free PR in the hopes to win some new customers and better your bottom dollar. Oops. Did I say “bottom”? I meant profit.
Lets face it. Who honestly uses a public phone these days? That’s correct; pretty much nobody does.
So, this is a great billboard for Telstra where Mardi Gra revelers will pose for photo’s. You watch them pop up on Instagram. #discophonebooths is a #toohard hashtag mind and only supports 4 photo’s today.
Agreed with Simon:
Dear Telstra, if you are going to ‘come out’ with a marketing stunt like this, then start walking the walk and lobby government to create a far happier society in general.
#discophonebooth *