Fonemedia, a mobile marketing company based in North Yorkshire, asked Kong Studio to create a virtual Christmas Card for their clients. They wanted to reflect on the challenges of working during the Covid pandemic while highlighting the great innovative strides made in that time in the use of mobile technology. Both client and creator wanted to drive authenticity by including the real-life experiences and genuine likenesses of their team members.

Fonemedia Managing Director, Kathryn Price Said –

“We wanted to connect in a more personal way with our clients, rather than sending an email or a Christmas card. We have excellent customer relations, but we have all missed face-to-face interaction. This film was our way of re-engaging with our clients by inviting them to see how 2021 has been for our team while making light of the challenges in an uplifting way.”

The creatives at Kong Studio set to work digitally hand drawing the Fonemedia team using photographic references. Fonemedia technical specialist, Adam Boakes, provided the perfect accompaniment through the warm and engaging voiceover. Motion graphic mobile devices were incorporated to convey the interconnected mobile world and technical developments over the course of the last year.

This project marked the first time that Fonemedia marketing manager Hannah Bennet had commissioned an animation. The Kong team were delighted to guide Hannah through the animation and production process – a collaborative partnership between client and creator will also result in a better product. The 200-mile distance between the client and the studio wasn’t an issue either in today’s super-connected world. Kong Studio were excited to be working with a company based outside of London, something which pre-Covid and the normalisation of virtual meetings might have provided obstacles.

Hannah Bennett, Marketing Manager at Fonemedia Said –  

“Working with Kong Studio was great. Bill and Tom’s hand-drawn style was exactly what we were looking for. Emma was our main contact, and her communication was excellent. Emma created a schedule for us that was updated as we worked through the project, so we knew exactly what to expect at each stage.

We also feel that our initial ideas and script were improved by giving the Kong Studio team freedom to lead us as newbies to animation. We love the final animation!”

As the December delivery date drew closer, Omicron raised its head and the homeworking mandate returned. Kong’s flexible and agile culture meant a quick workaround was agreed with amendments to the animation design and another session behind the microphone for Adam. Seamlessly the animation morphed from a Christmas card to a New Year message looking back and forward, focussing our collective gratitude for what we have and the hope to be back together soon.

The New Year message is a beautiful and emotive animation by Kong Studio, that is a testament to the Fonemedia team’s hard work over the past two years.