One NZ: from 80% negative to 86% positive sentiment

When Vodafone became One NZ in March 2023, 80% of social sentiment was negative. We met the backlash head-on with Mean Tweets, then built a social-first content engine on TikTok and Instagram. Those two channels grew from 14,000 to 150,000 followers, more than every other NZ telco combined.

TechnologyNew Zealand

150KTikTok and Instagram followers, more than all other NZ telcos combined

Mean Tweets: a One NZ leader laughs on a green stool while reading a harsh comment about the network

Client: One New Zealand
Industry: Technology
Region: New Zealand

the results

the results for One New Zealand.

86%positive sentiment, up from 80% negativeWithin months of the 2023 rebrandSource: Social listening

150KTikTok and Instagram followers, from 14,000October 2026Source: Public profiles

#1NZ telco on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTubeOctober 2026Source: Public profiles

SilverBest Use of SocialTVNZ NZ Marketing AwardsSource: Awards

Sentiment flipped from 80% negative to 86% positive within months of launch
TikTok and Instagram grew from 14,000 to 150,000 followers, more than every other NZ telco combined (October 2026)
One NZ is the biggest telco on social in New Zealand, first on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube
"Mean Tweets" became the highest-engaging ad on TikTok globally at the time
Won Silver for Best Use of Social at the TVNZ NZ Marketing Awards

the challenge

the challenge for One New Zealand.

When Vodafone New Zealand rebranded to One New Zealand in March 2023, the public response was brutal. Social sentiment sat at 80% negative, people hated the new name, mocked the logo, and weren't shy about saying so.

Making it worse, their social media presence was practically invisible. Content consisted of TVC cutdowns repurposed for social, boring, uninspiring, and completely ignorable. Community management only existed to handle complaints. There was no strategy, no engagement, no reason for anyone to follow.

One NZ needed to turn public perception around, fast and build a social presence worthy of one of New Zealand's biggest brands.

the solution

the solution for One New Zealand.

We embedded a dedicated team of 8-9 people and got to work.

First, we addressed the elephant in the room. We created "Mean Tweets" inspired by Jimmy Kimmel's famous segment, where the CEO and rebrand team sat on a green stool against a white backdrop, reading the harshest comments about their rebrand out loud. "Your new logo looks like a butthole" was a crowd favourite.

By acknowledging the criticism head-on and laughing at themselves, One NZ became human again. The campaign became the highest-engaging ad on TikTok globally at the time (by engagement-to-views ratio) and won Silver for Best Use of Social at the TVNZ NZ Marketing Awards.

From there, we built a structured content strategy balancing commercial messaging with culture. We activated their One NZ Warriors partnership, bringing rugby league fans into the fold. We created social-first content at volume, stuff people actually wanted to watch and share.

We established response protocols, tone guidelines, planning cadences, and approval workflows. Weekly touchpoints, content pods, and team-wide alignment made us an extension of their internal team, not just another agency.

in their words

Getting agencies to collaborate and work together is one of the biggest challenges I've faced in my career. TAS operate within an ecosystem of One NZ agencies with an ease I very rarely see. This is because ego and pride don't come into it.

Kimberly Harcombe, Social Media Lead, One NZ, One New Zealand

the videos