Telco announces ‘The new Vodafone’
Telco Vodafone has launched an outdoor advertising campaign to relaunch it’s troubled brand to consumers and reintroduce a ‘new Vodafone’.
The campaign comes off the back of a 18-month effort which has seen telco investing heavily in its network in an attempt to address issues with its reputation for poor reliability.
“Vodafone’s brand has always been different from its competitors – it’s fun, irreverent and fresh,” said chief marketing officer Kim Clarke.
As Mumbrella reported last week, the brand launched its Vodafone Red postpaid and SIM-only products with an online ‘Meet red’ campaign focusing on its ‘infinite’ offering and also taking aim at rivals Telstra and Optus, by promoting Vodafone’s Australian call centre, located in “sunny Tasmania”.
The company said the new visual brand identity incorporates the new Red plans in retail stores with a simplified message and “a younger, bolder and more energetic look.”
“Our Discover the New campaign aims to reintroduce Vodafone as a brand that encourages people to see the world as though seeing it for the first time. Our customers are fun-loving, adventurous types who haven’t forgotten what it’s like to view the world through the eyes of a child,” said Clarke.
Internationally, The Brand Union agency has led the development of the core brand identity, while in Australia the company has worked with its agency Ogilvy under the direction of Steve Back, to produce the new campaign.
The strategy will see Vodafone roll out outdoor ads across Australian capital cities featuring the new identity and inviting customers to “Discover the New”. There is also a second version of the ad which acknowledges past problems with the tagline: “Pleased to meet you. Again”. According the company they are: “asking the public to reappraise the brand in light of the significant improvements it has made across all areas of its business in recent years”.
Vodafone says the full campaign will be unveiled over several weeks.
“This is a bold campaign that doesn’t shy away from asking ex-customers – many of them now not feeling quite at home with our competitors – to reconsider Vodafone,” she said.
“I strongly feel it is the right time for Vodafone to be bold, be brave and be straight up in asking customers to reappraise our brand. These are the values we hold true as a company and reflect those of our customers, who look at the world with fresh eyes. We want to attract their attention and to discover the new Vodafone.”
Vodafone says a new television commercial will be launched in the coming weeks with more outdoor advertising and a new website to follow.
Vodafone’s media strategy is run by Bohemia, with media buying by Ikon. DT Sydney has developed a new website due to launch next week.
Nic Christensen
Surely they had to say “We’ve sorted our network out” more overtly?
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Crazy. Roy Morgan survey released over the weekend on Customer Satisfaction with Telco’s shows Vodafone in last place and STILL declining. In fact after stabilising a little a year ago in the last 12 months the customer satisfaction has dropped to its worst ever result. This campaign smells of desperation of trying to overcome a real issue (customer experience) with a lovely marketing message. It can only hurt them.
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I will never go back to them. They were great for 10 years and then when it went bad they told me and family members that it was our phones that were the problem again and again. Over and over again it was our fault. They apologised for the slow service but they never apologised for the misinformation.
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Brand Identity similar to Telstra?
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Voda works fine for me. Was crap for quite a while there but my 4G throughput smashes all my mates so im the one laughing now. Sooner or later people will clue on i reckon, if not, more for me!!!
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