Children’s audio tech brand Yoto has revealed its first global TV campaign, running across the UK, US, France and Canada, with other markets to follow.
The charming and uplifting TV ad, created by Edinburgh and London-based Insiders, builds on the brand’s platform of ‘For ears with a mind of their own,’ showcasing how Yoto’s flagship Yoto Player – a child-controlled smart speaker – fosters kids’ independence and supports family life.
This campaign is Yoto’s biggest marketing investment to date and marks the continuation of its brand-building campaign work with Insiders, who it appointed in May.
In the ad, we follow a young girl as she wakes and gets ready for the day, choosing Beatrix Potter’s much-loved The Tale of Peter Rabbit (Frederick Warne & Co., an imprint of Penguin Random House Children’s) on Yoto as her soundtrack. Her self-confidence grows through little acts of independence, and is represented visually by two rabbit ears, shot in-camera, which sprout from her head and grow throughout the spot.
The work was shot by acclaimed director Freddie Powell at DROOL Productions, who has worked on famous campaigns for Nike, Lego, NatWest amongst others.
It will run from October 1 on linear and connected TV, throughout the festive period and into 2025, alongside social, digital and OOH. UK media was planned and bought by Squadron Venture Media.
The campaign is based on a crucial insight: that although kids crave independence, they have less of it than ever before. Parents want to help kids develop this independence, but struggle to know how to do it safely.
Hands-on parenting time has doubled since the 1950s, while unsupervised play time has all but vanished in just four generations. And families everywhere are struggling to find the right balance when it comes to screen time.
Yoto offers a safe, fun and empowering alternative – inclusively-designed smart speakers that are controlled by physical cards, with no microphones, cameras or ads.
Alongside 1,000s of hours of content from Disney, Roald Dahl, Universal Music and others, Yoto’s products do more than inspire child-led learning and play. They can also support family routines like getting kids out of bed in the morning, helping them brush their teeth or get ready to leave the house.
In the ad, we see Beatrix Potter’s classic children’s story – voiced by Olivia Coleman – perfectly matched with the action. As Peter Rabbit ‘squeezes into Mr McGregor’s garden’, the commercial’s hero squeezes into a jumper – and as her head pops out, we see that she is sporting a newly-grown pair of rabbit ears.
As Peter climbs up on a wheelbarrow in the story, she climbs on a stool to reach the toothpaste. As she contends with the laces on her boots – using the famous ‘bunny ears’ method – she bats away a parental hand trying to help.
With each act of independence, her ears, and her confidence, grow.
She takes one final glance in the mirror after tying her laces, where she sees a beautiful pair of full-grown bunny ears, and we realise that while the ears were all in her imagination, her independence and new-found confidence is not.
The girl proudly leaves the house as the story concludes: “Peter never stopped running, or looked behind him.”
The ad has been produced under licence from Penguin Ventures on behalf of Frederick Warne & Co. (owner of THE WORLD OF PETER RABBIT™ and today an imprint of Penguin Random House Children’s).
Huntly Gordon, Head of Brand at Yoto, said: “It’s been a joy to work with Insiders and DROOL, who’ve perfectly understood Yoto’s ambition to make inspiring audio and innovative technology a force for good in family life. Today, that humongous ambition comes to life in small but significant ways in countless households around the world – just as we see in this charming film.
“Special thanks also goes to the wonderful team at Penguin Random House for their ongoing support and collaboration. I’m excited to see the impact that this and the surrounding campaign will have as we continue to build Yoto into the next great family brand.”
Ben Da Costa, fractional ECD, Insiders, added: “We wanted to capture a story that showed how with each little act of independence, children grow. There’s something really magical when kids are able to be masters of their own decision making, but they can only do that when they have the right tools to guide them.
“Yoto is something that can play that positive part in family life – not only giving kids autonomy over songs and stories, but helping them learn to tell the time (or at least when they should go in and wake their parents), how long to brush their teeth and more. It’s simple, powerful and empowering at the same time.
“In a world struggling to find ways for kids to safely interact with technology, Yoto offers a joyous alternative.”
Director Powell added: “I loved working on this project. Kids are so raw and pure, you only have to point the camera at them and magic starts to happen plus, I got to channel my inner kid and muck about on set with the coolest little twins. Yoto is a phenomenal product that me and my kids love. It was an honour to work with them.”
