AUSSIE SINGERS FIRST TO GIVE OPTUS ANIMALS A VOICE

Some of Australia’s most popular recording artists have given voice to some famous animals in a breakthrough advertising campaign for Optus.

Tammin Sursok, Kate Ceberano, Human Nature, Doug Parkinson, Lee Kernaghan, James Morrison and Tex Perkins have performed a classic and charming hit, Give Me The Simple Life, in an ad that stars, among others, an MGM lion, and the bear from Dr Dolittle. The animals TVC was shot over ten days and then finished with three months of intricate post production in Sydney, using cutting edge technology to lip synch the singers' voices to the animals. The cast includes Sursok as a deer, Ceberano a giraffe, Human Nature a quartet of zebras, Parkinson a bear, Kernaghan a lion, Perkins as a friendly alligator and Morrison as a trumpeting elephant.

"I have been in marketing for many years and this is one of the most creative and innovative projects I have been involved in. We were pleased such strong Australian talent were able to give voice for the first time to our popular animals," Stephen Cameron Optus Director, Corporate Marketing said. "The performances are great, and the song is wonderful. The ad has enjoyed a brilliant reaction from absolutely everyone who has seen it."

The performers recorded their delightful rendition of the old Benny Goodman and Bing Crosby song Give Me The Simple Life at Song Zu studio in Sydney. Animal Logic - the Sydney digital production company that created the special effects for films like Matrix 1 and 2, Babe, Moulin Rouge and, most recently, Stealth - completed the special effects work.

The TVC is the next evolution of Optus' brand since the launch of the 'Just say the word' brand campaign in 2002 and reflects the company's internal changes and continued focus to make customer experiences a little bit simpler.

"Simplicity is what Optus is all about. We wanted the ad to reflect the simplicity you encounter when you choose Optus, the 'yes' brand. The ad skilfully depicts this," Mr Cameron said. The ad will go to air on free-to-air and subscription television nationally on Sunday, August 14.

For more information, please contact:

Simone Bergholcs, Optus Corporate Affairs on (02) 9342 7846 or 0412 206 602

Andrea Kerekes, Dialogue PR, on (02) 9270 2728 or 0418 427 412