Helping hosting and cloud giant IONOS land in the hearts and minds of the British public.

IONOS, founded in Germany, were looking for an agency to help them create a 360 campaign to gain traction in the UK market. Timings were aggressive. With an on-air date of September 13th locked in, it was important to have the right team involved from the very beginning.

We assembled a winning team, combining our brand and campaign experience with Armoury’s TV and Production wizardry, and 2050’s TV advertising excellence.

As a group we discussed the good old times of British advertising, and the role iconic brand characters have played in our connections to the very biggest brands. From Colonel Sanders to Tony the Tiger, Mr Clean to Ronald MacDonald.

What if we could create a character that epitomised German efficiency (something we Brits love)? What if our character could make it clear IONOS’s role and offer? And what if this character could bring some British self-deprecating dry humour to the party at the same time?

Positioning IONOS as the fixer of your web problems, we created Aunt Helga… the no-nonsense tech wizard that’s here to help in your hour of need.

Going against the grain of the stereotypical web-geek, Helga is a wise woman and 4-foot tall. Small in stature but big in personality. She arrives (and exits) via a futuristic portal built from IONOS’s logo, creating strong recognition between character and brand.

To help the IONOS name stick in people’s minds, we created a catchphrase that worked for the business and their customers. ‘I own this’ becomes Helga’s statement of defiance, but it also works as a signal of empowerment for customers and a sign that they’re able to take control with the help of IONOS.

Helga comes to life in the headline 40 and 20sec TVC, two 15s product ads designed for digital (all directed by Marc Sidelsky), as well as a series of display and social assets (Photography by Nick Eagle). Keep your eyes out for Helga across ITV, Channel 4 and Sky from Sept 13th.