Three Bets on an Inflatable Chicken to 'Let Fun In'
Updated: Sep 1
TL;DR: Three has ditched its long-running "Life Needs A Big Network" line for a culture-first brand platform, "Let Fun In," fronted by a viral inflatable-chicken figure skater — a bet that entertainment, not network specs, now sells telecoms to younger audiences.
A telco swaps network claims for pure entertainment
Three, the UK mobile network, has retired "Life Needs A Big Network," the platform that anchored its advertising for years, and replaced it with "Let Fun In." The new campaign, created by Wonderhood Studios and directed by Lucy Forbes through Smuggler, leads with an unlikely hero: an 11-year-old figure skater performing a routine in a full inflatable chicken costume.
The hero talent, Katarina Suemnig, is not a fictional creation. Her real skating routine racked up more than 25 million views on TikTok before Three built a campaign around her. That detail matters: the brand is borrowing existing internet culture rather than manufacturing it.
Why Three is betting on culture over coverage
For a decade, mobile networks have fought on the same battleground — coverage maps, 5G speeds and data allowances. The trouble is that those claims have become interchangeable to consumers, especially younger ones who treat good coverage as a baseline. Three's move signals a recognition that functional superiority no longer moves the needle.
Chief brand officer Maria Koutsoudakis called the launch "an exciting new milestone." The platform runs across ITV, cinema, an Oxford Circus tunnel takeover and London bus wraps, plus TikTok, YouTube, Netflix and Disney+ — a media plan weighted toward the entertainment environments where its target audience already spends its time.
Marketing Minute's read: distinctiveness beats differentiation
Our take: this is a distinctiveness play, not a differentiation one. Three isn't claiming its network is meaningfully better; it's claiming its brand is more fun. In a category where products are near-identical, memorability and emotional warmth are the assets that compound. An inflatable chicken is, by design, impossible to forget.
The risk is the classic one for entertainment-led work — that people remember the chicken and forget the brand. The safeguard is the platform idea itself: "Let Fun In" is ownable, extendable and ties the creative device to a clear brand promise. Expect Three to reuse the device across seasons rather than treat it as a one-off.
What businesses should take from it
The lesson for smaller brands isn't "hire a mascot." It's that borrowing proven cultural energy — a creator, a meme, a real moment that already has traction — is lower-risk than inventing a world from scratch. Suemnig's 25 million views were the proof of concept before a penny of media was spent.
Second: commit to a platform, not a campaign. The brands that build memory structures win because consistency does the heavy lifting over time. Three has given itself a device it can run for years; the discipline will be in resisting the urge to change it.
Quick FAQ
What is Three's new "Let Fun In" campaign?
It's Three UK's new brand platform, created by Wonderhood Studios, which replaces "Life Needs A Big Network." It launched in August 2026 and is fronted by an 11-year-old figure skater performing in an inflatable chicken costume.
Who is the girl in the Three inflatable chicken advert?
Katarina Suemnig, a young figure skater whose real routine in a chicken costume drew more than 25 million views on TikTok before Three built the campaign around her.
Why did Three change its slogan?
Network claims like coverage and 5G speed have become interchangeable to consumers, so Three is shifting to an entertainment-led, culturally-driven platform to build brand memorability with younger audiences.
The smartest thing Three has done here isn't the chicken — it's spotting 25 million views of genuine culture and choosing to amplify it rather than compete with it. When your product is a commodity, borrowed cultural energy and a platform you'll actually stick with are worth more than any speed claim. — Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing
When every product in your category looks the same, distinctiveness — being unmistakably you — outperforms differentiation every time.
Is your brand fighting on features nobody can tell apart, or building something people actually remember?
If you would like to know more about this topic, please contact us on danieln@merxmarketing.co.uk
Sources: The Drum, Campaign, Creative Salon, LBBOnline, Decision Marketing.
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Written by Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing Ltd and Marketing Minute
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