The Vision: A Fast Success.
Be Broadband was an independent premium internet service provider. A minnow amongst 333 ISP’s. They were charging £24 per month for a service that others like Talk Talk were advertising as being ‘free, forever’. Our brief was to get Be noticed and recruit new users. At the same time we needed to lift Be over and above the commoditising price war.
Our most direct and most powerful competitors were category outsiders - mobile, fixed line or TV / satellite network operators. Recognising the threat that broadband represented to their core revenue streams, they were prepared to give it away for free or bundled with other products (so called triple play.)
This did not lead them to provide the best broadband product and service and it was at odds with a growing premium user group who understood that broadband wasn’t a commodity, but the force unleashing a new world of communication, collaboration and creativity. This was a vision that Be's management shared being passionate about, experienced in, and totally focussed on the provision of superfast broadband.
Our positioning transformed Be into the Broadband Experts. Our simple creative vehicle made the company logo into an avatar giving the brand personality by using the brand's own experts and provided a campaigning platform against their largely faceless competitors. (As Experts, Be's founders instantly became the go to folk for media comment on industry matters.) Be’s fan base took to it straight away and were soon creating their own avatars as they interacted with the brand.
The Reality: The Broadband Experts campaign doubled subscriber numbers for three straight years. Be also maintained its premium price. Be’s user community was the most active of any ISP in the UK, with over 30% of its members regularly contributing to the forum. Be won ISP of the year and was eventually sold to O2 for £50,000,000.
CLIENT'S VIEW
“It was clear right from the pitch that My Agency immediately understood our brand and business objectives and has subsequently operated as a key partner to help build our business. My Agency have offered invaluable strategic insight into our audience and defined a unique positioning and brand personality for Be Unlimited. They have also delivered highly creative and innovative advertising solutions through the line, acting as brand guardians and responding with admirable flexibility to our needs as they developed.” Tania Hannaford Be Unlimited Marketing Director
