Spark spot features poignant break-up chat

The relationship between a child and their favourite gaming character can be intense, and with concerns increasing about the time kids spend gaming, New Zealand telco giant Spark has launched Play, a gizmo that will help tots balance screen time with other activities. 

With a strong concept by Colenso BBDO, nicely executed by director Mark Albiston, through Sweetshop, the ad, Play, sees young Toby having an awkward chat with an oversized game character squeezed into his tiny bedroom. 

Trying to soften the blow Toby starts off praising his chum for his latest “tricky mission, restoring balance to the universe.” He then neatly segues into a chat about balance saying he and his mum have decided he needs to “play with people from his own galaxy more.”

The campaign promotes Spark’s new Bluetooth-enabled smart ball, which uses custom-built techware – including a gyroscope and accelerometer – that can track minutes of active play and balance this with screen use, sending an alert to the parents when screen time limits are met.

A clever ad for a clever product.