Anthony ‘Spice’ Adams stars in new Superloop ad campaign

Following a period of rapid growth, internet service provider Superloop launches a new ad campaign and brand platform designed to shake up the category.

A still from Superloop’s new ad campaign featuring Anthony "Spice" Adams.

A new ad campaign and brand platform for internet provider ­Superloop has landed on TV screens, social media feeds and out-of-home advertising real ­estate today and, with it, a goal to shake up the internet service provider category.

Superloop, also a network owner, acquired independent internal service provider Exetel for $110m in 2021, a move that significantly grew Superloop’s market share, which now sits at more than 300,000 NBN subscribers. The company’s growth trajectory to date has pointed upward; according to Superloop’s latest report, a surge in new customer acquisition saw its revenue increase by 31.7 per cent year-on-year to $148.9m in the first half of FY23.

Superloop has been in existence since 2014 and ASX-listed since 2015, and it has been relatively quiet on the brand communication front, until now.

Superloop chief marketing officer Ben Colman said the business’s recent growth and network readiness makes now a key moment for the brand to take its message to market.

“We’ve got an opportunity to move very quickly. The network is ready. The product is ready. The experience is ready. We just need to tell as many people as we can about it, and that’s what the campaign is all about,” Mr Colman said.

Creative agency Leo Burnett was tasked with this mission, and the new campaign is the first piece of creative work to come from the firm since winning the account last year.

Leo Burnett general manager James Walker-Smith said: “They kind of from the get-go knew that if we didn’t have bold and engaging work, then we wouldn’t get cut-through. Similarly, there’s been an incredible growth journey, and (they’ve) had a fantastic couple of years. Now, this is the point to accelerate.”

The brand platform created by the agency “Refresh your internet” covers a series of features called “Super moves”, as Superloop looks to position itself as a challenger internet provider.

As part of this campaign, ­Superloop’s network strength – including deep sea fibre optic ­cables – is the focus of one 45-­second ad, while a feature called “My speed boost” in another 30-second spot explains how users can increase the speed of their internet on-demand.

Leo Burnett looked to the internet for its creative cues, landing on a popular meme featuring former NFL player Anthony “Spice” Adams, who stars in the advertising campaign.

Adams has become a bona fide “reaction” meme in recent years. On social media, he is often depicted wearing a bright yellow jacket, peering from behind a tree, rubbing his hands together and licking his lips, nodding subtly in delight.

In one of the new Superloop ads, Adams is seen directing his attention towards two engineers, but the audience quickly sees that his appreciation turns to a large coil of subsea fibre optic internet cables, which the engineers are tending to.

In another clip, Adams tours a family home, peeking around corners with the same approving reaction, this time directed at household members using their laptops and tablets and the ­internet provider’s speed-boosting function.

Leo Burnett’s creative team also remixed the old internet “dial-up” sound to close each ad – a subtle nod to the internet of the past with a contemporary twist.

Mr Walker-Smith said consumer research from both Superloop and its Leo Burnett’s own focus groups found that some Australians feel indifference towards internet providers.

“You’ve got to start with what helps people and that’s where great creativity comes from,” he said.

This is where Leo Burnett saw an opportunity to create bold and distinctive creative assets.

Mr Colman added: “We wanted to be irreverent. We want it to be watchable, likeable. Likability is something that we really, really strive for. People like to buy brands that they like, and admire from a brand perspective.”

This campaign focuses on the first two of a number of initiatives the business will roll out over the coming months, which Mr Walker-Smith said are designed to go further than brand message.

“It means that we have a way to move that is not just in the brand comms space. It’s actually in the product and the service and the business lives and breathes it.”

The channel selection for the campaign includes all the usual suspects for widespread reach, including television, out-of-home advertising, display, online and social media – however its tone and message will be integrated with other business touchpoints, including customer experience interactions such as Superloop’s website and call centre.

“There’s an energy that comes with this campaign and a down-to-earth practicality we want to leverage,” Mr Colman said. “And that is absolutely the culture that we are developing within the business. So it’s not an advertising campaign. It’s an ethos.”