trading, page-4

VODAFONE is very sorry about what happened before -- but now it has changed and wants you back. After several years of muted marketing activity as it worked to improve its network and customer service, Australia's No 3 mobile company is seeking to reinvent itself with a multi-million-dollar campaign aimed at wooing its many ex-customers as well as attracting new ones.But the company dubbed "Vodafail" by customers angered by coverage black spots and chronic dropouts knows that turning around a brand that has been so badly damaged will be no easy task. "We're seeking reappraisal," said Jana Kotatko, Vodafone's head of brand and communications. "We're a fundamentally different business with a fundamentally different offering. We're asking people to think twice and put us back in the consideration set. Shifting perceptions is a long journey. We're under no illusion that this is a silver bullet and that this is all going to turn around overnight." A teaser outdoor campaign has already begun, with billboards declaring "Pleased to Meet You Again" and urging consumers to "Discover the New", with more press and outdoor activity to come. At the heart of the strategy is a TV campaign created by Ogilvy & Mather Sydney. Based on the concept of the "kidult", or adult with a younger outlook on life, it marks a return to Vodafone's fun and youthful market positioning.The first of the TV ads went to air last night, with more to be rolled out in coming weeks and the campaign continuing to unfold for the rest of the year. Media understands the cost of making the TV ads alone was about $3m, as part of a broader $20m marketing spend. "The brief was pretty simple: to get people to fall in love with Vodafone again," Ogilvy creative boss Steve Back said. "It was a good challenge and quite an exciting one to have a go at."What we've endeavoured to do is to give a sense, which hasn't happened in the category for a little while, of how the brandcan enable your life and addvalue to your life beyond a price proposition."Mr Back described the campaign as adventurous, optimistic and cheeky, adding: "On-air it's going to stand out like a squirrel's balls." Vodafone believes this will suit its typical customer and differentiate it from the more staid image of its rivals. "There is a very big difference between the attitude of Vodafone customers and, say, that of a Telstra customer," said Ms Kotatko. "Their attitude to life is more experiential, more adventurous, slightly more liberally minded."For Vodafone, this is more than just another ad campaign -- it is a corporate comeback."We're communicating what's been years in the making in terms of a brand new proposition with a new network and new products and services," Ms Kotatko said."Our priority over the last three years was to put every single bit of effort we had into rebuilding the network and investing in better service. We've been hearing great things from our customers about how things are getting a lot better, but this is now taking that and communicating it to the broader Australian marketplace." - See more at: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/media/vodafail-says-it-has-changed/story-e6frg996-1226719615982#sthash.vBO36h6M.dpuf