Spark recruits some old friends to help answer Santaline calls in new work via Colenso BBDO

Spark has launched a new campaign via Colenso BBDO, which sees Santa recruit a team of old friends to give him a hand answering calls for real – friends who just so happen to be the elderly residents of Metlifecare retirement villages. They’ll be manning the line for a few hours a day, 5 days a week, right up until Christmas.  

For the last 24 Christmases, Spark’s Santaline has received hundreds of thousands of calls yearly – all from excited Kiwi kids, eager to make sure Santa gets their wish-list. But because Christmas is Santa’s busiest time of year, those calls have always gone straight through to voicemail.

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Colenso BBDO chief creative officer Levi Slavin says that when it came time to find Santa’s helpers, they knew exactly who they wanted to ask.

Says Slavin: “With at least 70 Christmases under their belts, they were the most experienced candidates by a country mile. Luckily, the job had enough perks to lure them over. And we hear Santa makes a pretty good boss.”

Says Frith Wilson-Hughes, social communications manager, Spark: “We’re so pleased that we can use Santaline to connect two completely different groups of people – kids, and the elderly – in such a magical way. And no offence to Santa, but after 24 years of voicemail, it’s very cool to finally have someone pick up.”

The campaign has launched with a film on Facebook and Instagram. The phone’s been ringing off the hook – with call volumes up a staggering 40% on this time last year.

Client: Spark