For ears with a mind of their own

Children's tech brand Yoto has launched its first global integrated advertising campaign, with OOH and online creative launching across the UK, US, France, Canada, and Australia.

This campaign is the first of two major international campaigns planned in 2024 for Yoto, the UK-based creator of the award-winning Yoto Player and Yoto Mini—smart speakers designed for independent, screen-free use by children.

Controlled using physical cards, Yoto’s speakers give children safe, ad-free access to audio content from some of the world’s biggest rights holders, including Disney, Universal Music, Ladybird, Roald Dahl, and Puffin. Also available is a fast-growing catalogue of Yoto Originals—content created by Yoto, available exclusively on the Yoto platform.

The flagship Yoto Player was designed by celebrated product designer John Marshall at Pentagram and in 2020 was named one of TIME magazine’s Best Inventions. Yoto has been named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, one of Bloomberg’s Top 25 Startups to Watch, and has won two D&AD design pencils.

This campaign—their largest advertising investment to date—was led by independent creative studio Insiders, using its creatively-driven bespoke model.

Yoto briefed Insiders to create a fame-driving campaign celebrating the power of audio and highlighting Yoto as a safe, screen-free option to help kids develop independence through listening. Yoto’s products solve acute problems in the modern parenting landscape—the challenges of screen dependence, and a reported decline in kids’ mental health that’s been attributed to a lack of autonomy.

Insiders created a bespoke team to develop strategy and creative to answer this brief. The resulting campaign, ‘For ears with a mind of their own,’ shows kids listening to the Yoto Player, lost in a beloved story they themselves have chosen—Peter Rabbit, the Chronicles of Narnia, Dumbo, and The Lion King—and sprouting lifelike ears to match those of each story’s iconic lead characters.

The prosthetic ears for the campaign were shot in-camera and were created by BAFTA-winning firm Millennium FX, which works with the likes of the BBC for Dr Who, Steven Spielberg, and more.

The campaign was shot by acclaimed photographer Sophie Harris-Taylor, a Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize nominee who specializes in shooting captivating images of people at all life stages. Her work includes campaigns for Mothercare, Dove’s ‘Reverse Selfie,’ Persil’s ‘Dirt is Good,’ and Sport England.

Huntly Gordon, Head of Brand at Yoto, said, “Kids have always craved autonomy, but today’s parents are increasingly challenged by how to grant it. Sadly, the technology found in most family homes—and often in kids’ hands—isn’t built with their best interests at heart. And that’s where Yoto comes in.

“This campaign with Insiders captures the power of audio, and its effect on kids’ sense of self when they’re safe to explore what inspires them. It’s that universal feeling of wonder as a story sends your imagination into overdrive—something we’ve all felt—made all the more special by a thrill of autonomy that kids don’t feel often enough.

“Sophie’s photography captures these moments—quiet, personal, but transformational—so beautifully.”

Ben da Costa, ECD at Insiders, said, “Yoto is a rare company that has a real understanding and empathy for the lives of modern parents. They’ve recognized that the best uses of technology for kids are not merely in keeping them ‘safe’ from what’s out there online, but in harnessing it to help kids with the things they love: autonomy, music, and stories.

“Our brief from them was to reach parents and kids with this understanding, and with powerful creativity that could bring this idea to life. The creative is beautiful, arresting, and fun, with a fairytale quality that stops you in your tracks. It’s a testament to the team we built for this project—outside of traditional agency structures—that their work will now run around the world.

“We all know that feeling of being truly lost in a good story. We wanted that magic to translate into the creative. It was important to us to shoot as much as possible in-camera—and to work with a photographer that knew how to get to the heart of their subjects. The amazing prosthetics made by Millennium FX and the work of Sophie Harris-Taylor have been instrumental in making this work as authentic and impactful as it can be.”