Hallo, Georgia's first virtual mobile operator, launched 'Time to change the tide!' in December 2023 via Project Lab, using music-driven VFX film to build
ARCHIVEHow Hallo Introduced Georgia's First Virtual Mobile Operator to the World
Hallo is Georgia's first virtual mobile operator, and its December 2023 launch film 'Time to change the tide!' is a music-driven VFX production created by Tbilisi agency Project Lab to introduce the brand to potential users and establish a distinct identity centred on connection, energy, and adventure, according to Api Galtandtaggart.
The campaign carries a single, declarative message: it is time to change the tide. That phrase is not treated as a metaphor alone. Project Lab translated it literally, building the film around the visual spectacle of a new wave arriving — an invitation to join what Hallo calls its wave of positive vibes and infinite connection. The concept positions Hallo not merely as a cheaper or more flexible network alternative, but as a cultural statement, a shift in how Georgian consumers might think about mobile connectivity entirely.
Hallo began operating in Georgia at the end of 2022, according to Comcom Ge, the Georgian National Communications Commission. By 2023, the operator held approximately 0.5% of Georgia's mobile-subscriber market with around 30,000 individual subscribers, per comcom.ge. That modest footprint gave the brand every reason to invest in awareness-driving creative rather than performance-led direct response, according to Ramad Bog Ge. 'Time to change the tide!' is, at its core, an introduction — a brand-building film designed to make Hallo legible, memorable, and desirable to a digitally engaged Georgian audience before scale could follow. The campaign launched on December 21, 2023, and represents the brand's most visible creative statement to date.
ARCHIVEGeorgia's mobile telecommunications market is heavily consolidated. In 2023, Georgia had approximately 5.4 million mobile subscribers, reflecting year-over-year growth of 2.6% and a penetration rate of 146.4%, according to comcom.ge. That level of penetration means most Georgian consumers already carry an active SIM, often more than one, making new-entrant acquisition a question of switching behaviour rather than first-time adoption.
The competitive landscape is dominated by two operators. According to Bm Ge, Magticom represented 47.7% of telecom-sector revenue across the first nine months of 2023, while Silknet accounted for 35.0%, with Cellfie holding 9.3%. Magticom held approximately 41% of subscriber share, according to comcom.ge, giving it a commanding position that any challenger must address creatively rather than through network parity alone. Hallo's status as a virtual mobile operator — running on existing physical infrastructure rather than its own — means its differentiation must be almost entirely brand-driven.
Mobile communications spending in Georgia reached approximately GEL 582 million across the first nine months of 2023, up GEL 77 million year over year, according to bm.ge. That growth signals a market with commercial momentum, even if incumbent players absorb most of it. Project Lab's strategic choice to lead with music and emotion rather than price points or coverage claims reads as a direct response to this reality. Hallo cannot outspend Magticom or Silknet on network quality messaging. It can, however, own a tone — youthful, kinetic, adventure-oriented — that neither incumbent projects. The 'Time to change the tide!' campaign stakes that emotional territory clearly, targeting a younger, digitally savvy Georgian audience for whom brand feeling carries as much weight as plan features.
Director Lasha Birkadze leads the creative execution of 'Time to change the tide!', working within a full production team assembled by Project Lab. The film was conceived as a music-led piece, with Hallo having developed the track independently before approaching the agency, according to LinkedIn. Project Lab's task was to build a visual world around existing audio — a constraint that shaped every creative decision, anchoring the edit to rhythm and ensuring the imagery felt inseparable from the sound.
Creative director Anna Akhalbedashvili and art director Nutsa Kakulia developed the core visual language, which takes the campaign's central metaphor and renders it with physical literalism. The 'new wave' is not suggested through colour palettes or motion graphics alone; it is built through VFX sequences that show an actual wave of energy moving through the frame, carrying people and environments with it. Choreography by Tamar Gogoreliani adds a human dimension to that movement, grounding the spectacle in bodies rather than pure digital abstraction. The result is a film that feels celebratory and kinetic without losing the warmth that a brand-introduction piece requires.
Producer Sandro Khundzakishvili and project director Giorgi Lolua oversaw delivery, with account manager Ana Giorgadze managing the client relationship throughout. The production sits within a single film asset, a focused format that concentrates all creative energy into one definitive statement rather than diluting impact across multiple executions. For a brand entering the Georgian market with minimal name recognition, that concentration of craft into a single, high-quality piece represents a considered structural decision. The Clapboard Score for this campaign is 55 out of 100, reflecting competent creative execution with room to develop narrative distinctiveness and cross-channel amplification.
Verified independent performance data for 'Time to change the tide!' is limited in public documentation. The film recorded 893 views on its primary upload platform as catalogued by Clapboard, a figure consistent with a specialised creative-industry submission rather than a mass-media distribution release. No third-party-verified metrics covering reach, brand-lift, or subscriber acquisition attributable specifically to this campaign are publicly available at time of writing.
What the campaign does demonstrate structurally is a coherent approach to the specific challenge Hallo faced in Georgia. A brand holding approximately 0.5% of the subscriber market, per comcom.ge, cannot rely on existing awareness to do creative work. Every frame must introduce and differentiate simultaneously. The wave concept achieves both: it gives Hallo a visual signature that is immediately distinct from the utility-led communications typical of Magticom and Silknet, while the positive-vibes framing positions the brand as an emotional counterpoint to category incumbents. The music-first construction also ensures the campaign has an audio identity, which matters for a mobile operator whose product is fundamentally about sound and communication.
The decision to concentrate production quality into a single film asset, rather than spread budget across multiple lightweight executions, suggests a brand treating this launch as a long-term brand-equity investment. In a market where mobile spending grew by GEL 77 million year over year, according to bm.ge, even a small improvement in Hallo's subscriber share would represent meaningful commercial return on a single creative investment of this kind.
Hallo's 'Time to change the tide!' is a music-driven VFX film produced by Project Lab in December 2023 to introduce Hallo as Georgia's first virtual mobile operator. The campaign uses literal wave imagery and choreography to express a shift toward a new era of connectivity defined by positive energy and adventure.
Project Lab, a Tbilisi-based agency and production company, created the campaign. Director Lasha Birkadze led the film, with creative director Anna Akhalbedashvili, art director Nutsa Kakulia, choreographer Tamar Gogoreliani, and producer Sandro Khundzakishvili contributing to the production, per Clapboard records.
Hallo is Georgia's first virtual mobile operator, having begun operating in the country at the end of 2022, according to comcom.ge. In a market dominated by Magticom and Silknet, Hallo held approximately 0.5% subscriber share in 2023, making brand awareness the operator's most critical early commercial priority.
The campaign was published on December 21, 2023, in Georgia, according to Clapboard. Project Lab submitted it as a film-format campaign within the media and entertainment category, representing Hallo's primary brand-introduction creative effort following the operator's entry into the Georgian market in late 2022.
VFX is central to the campaign's creative identity. Project Lab used visual effects to render the 'new wave' concept literally on screen, pairing digital wave sequences with choreographed movement by Tamar Gogoreliani. This combination gives Hallo a visually distinctive signature suited to a brand entering Georgia's competitive telecom market.
Hallo's 'Time to change the tide!' receives a Clapboard Score of 55 out of 100. The score reflects competent creative execution, a clear brand metaphor, and strong production craft, while indicating opportunity to strengthen narrative distinctiveness and extend the campaign across additional channels for greater market impact.
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