The Client
Virgin Media Business is the UK’s only telco with a national fibre optic network. The company provides innovative, high quality solutions built on brilliant customer service.
Objectives
The launch of Virgin Media Business on 11 February 2010 signalled the arrival of a credible alternative to BT in the B2B telecoms market. Previously known as ntl:Telewest Business, it was vital to show that this was not just a rebrand, but a real shift in how the company operates.
Overall marketing and PR objectives were clear:
- Communicate a real shift in the growth ambition of the organisation
- Amplify awareness of new brand among priority IT decision makers and C level execs
- Generate a clear understanding of what the rebrand means for customers and the market
- Create a brand image of a proactive supplier with excellent customer service
Strategy
The strategy was to create original and compelling content for each of the marketing disciplines that would really pack a punch across all channels. Content was also key to creating the wow factor at the two events and this all needed to be ultra-high quality and video-based. Given a 12 week delivery timescale this was a huge challenge.
IT decision makers and C-level executives needed to recognise a change in the business telecoms landscape – the entrance of a Virgin company ready to shake it up and deliver outstanding customer service. This would mean a shift in the business operation, growth ambition and focus of the company. It was more than just a re-brand exercise; it was the launch of a fresh and innovative company.
Media channel/techniques
Research by The Game Changer found that one of the biggest emotional issues facing IT managers was the feeling that they were undervalued, often unable to make a difference and sometimes even hindered in driving real business change through technology. This research led to the formation of a creative strategy, ‘Clive the IT manager’. Clive was to become hero within his own organisation, implicitly based on his choice of telecoms supplier. ‘Take your business to a better place’, became the campaign strap-line and was part of every execution of the campaign.
PR: Speed Communications
Phase one, analyst event: Target analyst houses, including Gartner, Yankee, Forrester and Ovum were briefed at an exclusive analyst event. Two analysts were so impressed with the briefing that they provided the PR team with quotes and references to use in launch day collateral.
Phase two, VIP events: Sir Richard Branson, Neil Berkett (CEO of Virgin Media) and Mark Heraghty (Managing Director, Virgin Media Business) unveiled the brand to the best of the IT and telecoms press. The rebrand was on a strict ‘need to know basis,’ therefore the PR team were not allowed to reveal any details during their media outreach. Teasing conversations were had with journalists about ‘matching big ambitions with big news’ and infuriatingly vague invitations sent out. The customer event was held at the Science Museum in London and in excess of 300 C-level executives attended
Phase three, launch day: Over 90,000 words of original content was generated to support the launch, this included tailored stories and releases which were pitched to the public sector, wholesale, regional and IT/telecom trade press. The company’s Twitter feed was also relaunched to reflect the transition.
Digital: The Game Changer
A broadcast-quality video to convey the emotional benefits of choosing Virgin Media Business was developed. Our humble IT hero finds himself the subject of adulation as his control over seemingly endless bandwidth makes his colleagues lives a pleasure rather than a chore. The film focuses on Clive’s slightly bemused reaction to his colleagues’ enthusiastic appreciation of his talents, worshipping him as if he was a ‘messiah’.
This video was then worked into a number of high-impact rich media banners to ensure the messages were delivered to the largest possible audience. These were built from tease sequences, additional scenes designed to pull the audience into the full 60 second and 30 second spots.
Advertising: DWA
Advertising needed to bring the Virgin brand to life. The IT community was targeted through a combination of rich media adverts and an innovative in-banner content strategy, all geared for the online IT trade media. With this in mind, DWA bought up banner advertising space on most major IT portals, ensuring a vast amount of visibility for the Virgin Media Business brand. They also arranged to advertise, using Clive, on transvision boards across all major UK train stations for a four week period. Keeping to the IT manager as a ‘messiah’ theme; strap lines such as ‘And lo we connected everything seamlessly. And saw that it was good’ were created on eye catching tube cards that subsequently appeared on launch day.
Measurement and Results
An online brand tracking survey and interviews with 300 market leaders measured the effectiveness of the marketing initiative achieving its objectives, brand KPIs and brand positioning in the market.
Key results:
- 49 per cent of IT mangers surveyed recall seeing the re-brand PR or marketing
- 8 million online banner impressions – average click through was 0.3 per cent (industry standard 0.1 per cent)
- Online interaction rates of 12.4 per cent (industry standard 10 percent
- The ‘Clive’ video viewed by 420,000 individuals, within banners and pre-rolls
- 36 per cent of banner videos watched in full
- 140 favourable press articles
- 82 per cent of articles delivered the key messages of the campaign
- The Richard Branson ‘X-factor,’ secured some exciting headlines including, The Independent talking of “a clear alternative to BT.”
- 100 per cent of respondents rated the new brand image as more favourable
- 38 per cent spontaneous awareness of Virgin Media Business as a leading telecoms
provider
Key perception statistics (Results obtained in May and show a comparison to March)
Virgin Media Business:
- Is a serious challenger to BT: + 25 per cent
- Has an advanced Next Generation Network: + 20 per cent
- Is proactive: +20 per cent
- Can shake up business telecoms: +20 per cent
- Always delivers innovative solutions: +10 per cent
Client Testimonial
Mark Heraghty, managing director, Virgin Media Business “This marketing initiative succeeded in delivering a powerful message; Virgin Media Business is here to shake up the business telecoms market by providing unprecedented excellence in customer service and innovative technology. The survey results speak for themselves; prospects, the press and competitors know that there is a fresh challenger to the B2B telecoms throne, an astonishing achievement in just four weeks.”
