Vodafone customers have slammed the network provider as it stopped working this morning, leaving thousands unable to make calls or access the internet.

Despite the company revealing it is aware of the problem and is working to fix it, many have reported losing their connection today.

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A Vodafone spokesperson said: “We’re aware some customers are experiencing intermittent issues using our network. We’re sorry for the inconvenience, our team is working hard to fix the issue and we hope to have it resolved quickly.”

Tracking website Down Detector revealed thousands of complaints from users affected by a range of issues.

However, Vodafone data issues were present right across the UK.

As a result, many customers have taken to social media to complain about the issue. One user said she is “surprised” by the issue as “Vodafone UK is normally reliable and quite a good network. Anyways Vodafone UK will fix the problem”, she added.

Surprised because Vodafone Uk is normally reliable and quite a good network. Anyways Vodafone UK will fix the problem. They need to read some of their customer's comments to Improve their service though too. #Vodafone #UK #VodafoneDown

— AyySweetsThee (@AyySweetsTea9) January 10, 2024

Another user added: “Alarmed that Vodafone seems to be so down that their system can’t text me a security code to log into my account. So it seems to be a lot worse than just their signal being down.”

Alarmed that Vodafone seems to be so down that their system can't text me a security code to log into my account. So it seems to be a lot worse than just their signal being down.

— mralanjohnsmith (@mralanjohnsmith) January 10, 2024

Anyone else on Vodafone/TalkMobile having problems with their signal?

— 2⃣0⃣Elvis2⃣4⃣ (@EJPSarriesAFC) January 10, 2024

Loving Vodafone saying the network is fine but work 3G network is down and I can't do anything on my phone unless I use a Wi-Fi network. How am I supposed to work in these conditions #vodafone

— Elizabeth Patterson (@ellie_pattacake) January 10, 2024

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Vodafone Ireland has launched a new campaign to launch its new TV offering, Vodafone TV PLAY.

In partnership with creative agency Grey London, the telecoms giant has drafted in award-winning director Tom Green to bring a sense of drama in the two adverts to launch the first of-its-kind service in Ireland.

The service is a smart entertainment hub which features immersive built-in audio and offers access to the best TV channels, sports and streaming services, all in one place.

The advert “Remote”, showcases a family fighting for the remote control before being brought together by powerful entertainment.

The campaign will also run across cinema, TV, digital audio, OOH, print, digital and social.

Vodafone Head of Brand, Orla Nagle said: Vodafone TV PLAY is a game changer, an innovation-led design to redefine home entertainment and bring customer experience to the next level.

“Our desire was to deliver a campaign that matches the quality of the product itself. Grey’s expertise, creativity, and dedication aligned perfectly with our vision and the level of craft and quality in the campaign has blown us away.

“I am excited for customers to experience this new entertainment platform with a fantastic range of TV and broadband bundles that give real value savings.”

Grey London ECD David Wigglesworth added: “The launch of Vodafone TV PLAY is a huge moment for the brand, landing them a player in the crowded home entertainment space.

“To do this with credibility we needed to show up with the same level of cinematic gravitas that audiences expect from their entertainment, but with a twist – the humanity and connection that sits at the heart of the brand’s DNA.”

He concluded: “We dramatised how Vodafone TV PLAY’s amazing content, sound and picture can bring everyone together, even a family squabbling over the remote on family movie night. Huge thanks to Tom Green and Stink Films for doing all the above with aplomb.”

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Vodafone UK CEO Ahmed Essam has credited 5G as a green ally in the battle against climate change.

According to the boss of the telecoms giant, 5G helps cut power usage and carbon footprints in crucial areas of the economy, especially as he claims “there are no singular silver bullets in the fight against climate change.”

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Instead, he attributes 5G as a tool which can help both cut carbon costs and transition to renewable energy.

He said: “5G offers reliable connections, fast speeds and lower latency – solid foundations that are key to its usefulness here”

Essam, who became CEO in February 2021, added that 5G is a tool that would be “invaluable in making industries like power generation and food production more efficient, as he reveals they can be difficult to decarbonise.

“By facilitating remote control of operations and logistics that would otherwise be laborious and time-consuming to carry out, 5G can help realise energy and carbon savings in the process,” he said.

“In the world of farming and food production, 5G has a role to play in every step of the value chain from field to fork. 5G-connected drones and sensors can monitor soil and crop conditions to help maximise yields and significantly reduce wastage produced on farms.”

He continued: “Driving net zero and addressing climate change is a complex problem, and one that needs many plans of attack, all working together.”

As a result, he claimed the UK needs a countrywide 5G SA network, which its merger with Three UK will have the scale to invest in such “an ambitious, far-reaching rollout”.

If it comes to fruition, the merged company would be able to invest £11 billion to deliver 5G SA across 95% of the UK’s populated areas, he revealed.

The news comes as Three UK has been accused of profiting from its planned merger with Vodafone after it paid its Hong Kong-listed owner, CK Hutchinson £2 billion.

According to trade union Unite, the dividend paid to CK Hutchinson, which is a conglomerate of the billionaire Li Ka-Shing owned by Three, is highly profitable as an independent business and could remain sustainable without merging.

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Mobile Marketing Magazine sits down with Vodafone UK’s Brand and Marketing Director, Maria Koutsoudakis, to discuss sustainability, key brand messaging and mobile marketing being a “strategic priority” for the brand.

Positioning Vodafone as the trusted digital partner

Navigating the competitive telecoms market requires a strategic vision, according to Koutsoudakis who has been with Vodafone UK since 2018 joining from retail giant Marks & Spencer (M&S), where she held a series of senior positions including Head of Brand and Marketing and Head of Customer Experience.

As a result, the company aims to be the “trusted digital partner for UK families” and positions itself as a technology communications hub, connecting customers, businesses, and devices to unlock the benefits of digital innovation.

“We try to highlight that we offer customers a reliable award-winning network, and more recently that we were also awarded London’s Best Network,” she says.

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Prioritising mobile marketing

Given that mobile customers form Vodafone’s most substantial user base, mobile marketing takes the spotlight in the company’s brand strategy, Koutsoudakis admits.

As a result, it ensures an “incredible network and fantastic customer experience”, she claims.

The shift to digital platforms is also embraced, with a focus on BVOD, YouTube, social display, and PPC representing the majority of Vodafone’s media budget.

Koutsoudakis adds: “We continue to ensure all our communication is targeted to where the customer is and fit for the platform in execution.”

Embracing sustainability and social responsibility

According to the brand and marketing boss, the telecom giant places a strong emphasis on sustainability and social responsibility.

Using its everyone.connected programme as an example, it aims to bridge the digital divide between those who have access to digital technology, and the 1.7 million households who do not.

As a result, Vodafone has committed to assisting four million people and businesses to cross the digital divide by the end of 2025. However, this is not the only factor Vodafone is committed to.

“Sustainability is also at the heart of what we do,” she states.

As of 1 July 2021, 100% of the grid electricity Vodafone uses in the UK is certified to be from renewable sources.

“Through our Great British Tech Appeal, we also work with our charity partner Barnardo’s to clean up, re-box and give donated tech to someone in need, along with six months of free data, calls, and texts,” she says.

The role of the Vodafone app

Koutsoudakis states the Vodafone app has become a priority experience as she reveals ecommerce is now Vodafone’s biggest store.

“We feel it’s important we offer the best possible experience for customers via our app,” she says.

As a result, all-encompassing features allow users to manage accounts, view bills, make purchases, engage with customer service, and enjoy perks via VeryMe.

Adapting to emerging trends

As the telecom industry surges forward, the mobile service provider predicts two key emerging trends in the mobile marketing industry in time for the New Year.

As a result, Vodafone positions itself to leverage trends effectively, which include continued fragmentation of media formats within different media, as well as a big shift towards creator or native creative within social platforms.

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Three UK has been accused of profiteering from its planned merger with Vodafone after it paid its Hong Kong-listed owner, CK Hutchinson £2 billion.

According to trade union Unite, the dividend paid to CK Hutchinson, which is a conglomerate of the billionaire Li Ka-Shing owned by Three, is highly profitable as an independent business and could remain sustainable without merging.

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If UK regulators approve the merger, the main competition will be among Virgin Media O2, EE/BT, and Vodafone/Three.

Hutchison 3G claimed the one-time dividend payment followed the £10 billion sale to Cellnex of mobile phone masts across Europe, which included 6,600 UK assets.

However, the deal has been branded as a “clear attack on consumers” by Unite, which claims the dividend payment, shown in the company’s latest accounts, was made months before Three increased some of its contract prices by 14%.

Unite executive head of operations Sarah Carpenter said: “The siphoning of record dividends from Three while crying ‘failing firm’ to push through the harmful Vodafone merger is nothing short of cynical exploitation.

“This deal is a clear attack on consumers, threatening a staggering £300 hike in yearly mobile bills and putting 1,600 jobs on the line while making hollow promises about future investments.”

Carpenter added: “On top of that, entrusting vital blue light contracts to a Chinese state-influenced company raises alarming national security concerns. Unite continues to stand firm against this merger, fighting to protect the interests of workers, consumers, and the broader public.”

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Telecoms giant Vodafone has relaunched its ‘Elf & Seek’ campaign, a free Augmented Reality (AR) game, with more interactivity and chances to win prizes.

The campaign was first launched last year, in partnership with Dentsu and encourages players to use their phones to catch little digital elves for a chance to win thousands of prizes powered by VeryMe, Vodafone’s exclusive rewards programme.

Prices include all-inclusive family winter sun holiday to Tenerife, weekends away, Nintendo Switch consoles, Lavazza coffee machines, entertainment bundles and Amazon gift cards.

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The game also allows users the chance to donate one of 50,000 SIM cards to those in need, as part of Vodafone’s Everyone Connected commitment.

In a media first, Vodafone will also be bringing the campaign to Ocean Outdoors’s interactive screens at Westfield, Liverpool’s Media Wall, Printworks in Manchester, and The Screen in Nottingham.

Vodafone UK Brand Director Maria Koutsoudakis said: “Given our theme for our Christmas campaign this year revolved around traditions, and a clever little twist on the role of the elf this Christmas, we are excited to have our Elf and Seek game back for a second year.

“This will be our most ambitious year yet, with a longer running campaign, more players, more prizes and of course more elves.

“It’s a great way of getting everyone excited about Christmas, in a fun light-hearted way, so get playing and find those elves.”

Last year, the interactive game which features AR and geotagging was played by over 245,000 people, the company revealed.

Dentsu UK Head of Creative, Chris Davey added: “It’s fantastic to see innovation at the heart of Vodafone’s Christmas campaign this year. It’s a perfect example of how brands can move into the gaming space in a way that consumers will find instantly engaging and rewarding.”

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Britain’s biggest mobile phone network providers are facing a class action claim that their loyalty customers are being overcharged.

According to consumer rights champion and former Citizen’s Advice executive, Justin Gutmann, Vodafone, EE, O2 and Three are “abusing their dominant positions” in the UK mobile industry by charging a ‘loyalty penalty,’ in which long-standing customers were overcharged for handsets beyond the end of their contractual term.

Gutmann alleged the mobile operators have overcharged on up to 28.2 million contracts and, as a result, is seeking damages of at least £3.285 billion.

If successful, someone who held a contract with just one of the mobile operators could receive as much as £1,823.

Gutmann said: “I’m launching this class action because I believe these four mobile phone companies have systematically exploited millions of loyal customers across the UK through loyalty penalties – taking over £3 billion out of the pockets of hard-working people and their families.

“These companies kept taking advantage of customers despite the financial crisis of 2008, Covid and now the cost of living crisis. It’s time they were held to account.”

He added: “If our claim is successful, it will finally stop these firms from taking advantage of their loyal customers and stop the immoral practice of loyalty penalties.”

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Vodafone has signed a multi-year partnership with Broadmasters music festival as its official connectivity partner.

As a result, the telecommunications company will be boosting its network on-site to “ensure festival-goers can stay connected to friends and family”, and allowing non-Vodafone customers to try out an eSim for the duration of the festival.

Vodafone also revealed it will be offering ticket holders free charging facilities, alongside, selling fully-charged mobile power banks which can be exchanged when dead for a charged replacement by simply heading to the Vodafone ‘Connect and Charge’ site.

“We’re excited to extend our partnership with Superstruct Entertainment to include Boardmasters to our thriving partnership portfolio,” Vodafone UK Chief Commerical Officer Max Taylor said.

“We will provide festivalgoers with the best possible experience on our reliable award-winning network.”

Andrew Topham, Founder of Boardmasters Festival, added: “Festivalgoers have the unique opportunity to experience Boardmasters across its two festival sites in Newquay, and therefore staying in touch with their friends is incredibly important. We’re delighted to be partnering with Vodafone to keep our fans connected and sharing memories next summer.”

The partnership builds on the company’s other music festivals portfolio including Kendal Calling, Mighty Hoopla and Glastonbury.

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Leo Burnett names Doskow CMO
Emily Doskow has been announced as Chief Marketing Officer at Publicis Groupe’s Leo Burnett. Reporting to North America CEO Andrew Swinand, she will drive Leo Burnetts business growth by drawing on the agencys creative firepower, now backed by Epsilons data assets, and allowing the agency to understand people at the individual level.

Doskow rejoins Leo Burnett, where she won Ad Age’s 2011 ‘Marketer of the Year’ and spent several years leading the Coca-Cola account team. Between her stints at Leo Burnett, Doskow spent three years at the helm of business development, architecting the teams and processes that led to significant global-scale wins, and helping build and market new capabilities to drive organic growth for Energy BBDO and helped build the business development practice for VSA Partners.

“Im incredibly proud to return to Leo Burnett, where my passion for driving agency growth really began,” said Doskow. “More than anyone, Burnetters know what it takes to be both timely and timeless—helping brands move at the speed of culture while also ensuring they stand the test of time. I couldnt be more excited about what this means for the future of our work with client partners.”

Pair of key hires made at R/GA
R/GA, IPG’s innovation consultancy, has brought in Ashish Prashar as Global Chief Marketing Officer and Rowena Vithlani as Executive Client Services Director at R/GA London.

Prashar, who begins the role on 2 March, will oversee the global marketing function for R/GA with responsibility for market strategy, brand, and corporate communications. He joins from Publicis Sapient with over 15 years of experience.

Prashar is also known for justice reform activism, having created programmes for incarcerated peoples following his own incarceration and campaigned for bail reform, the ending of solitary confinement, and the restoration of voting rights. He recently worked with the Vice-Chair of the Democratic National Committee for Joe Biden’s 2020 Presidential Election and previously served as a campaign Press Secretary for Boris Johnson in his Mayor of London days.

“I feel honoured to contribute my experience to an already dynamic legacy and I have a special place in my heart for those who use their creativity, technology, and their platform to drive social change,” said Prashar. “R/GA is that kind of modern company. Im looking forward to helping Sean and R/GA grow, build and execute the next generation of digital businesses using mission-driven innovation and technology to design better experiences for the human future while helping brands become better citizens of the world.”

Vithlani will be responsible for the leadership of R/GA Londons senior client relationships, growing the agency’s client services team and leading strategic partnerships to help clients navigate industry disruption.

Vithlani joins R/GA from AnalogFolk, where she held the role of Managing Partner. Here, she led the implementation of AnalogFolk’s marketing innovation capability and output, building and leading multi-disciplinary teams to create and deliver work for clients including The Coca-Cola Company, BT Group, and Unilever. Before that, she held roles at Sapient Razorfish, AKQA, and BBH London.

“After meeting Becs [Rebecca Bezzina], and the new leadership team she’s building, I was inspired by the direction the agency is moving. To be part of the journey of shaping the next chapter of success here is something that excites me.” said Vithlani. “Ive always been an advocate of delivering best in class service, not servility, and my vision for this role is to foster an innovative mindset and culture where the output is that the work can be the best it can be – with a sharp focus on relationships, commerciality and creative affinity.”

Havas appoints Bland to newly created role
Paul Bland has been hired by Havas Media Group as Head of Biddable Media. He will lead the 100-plus digital specialists in Havas Media Group’s UK and international teams, who will now come together under a new biddable team structure. He will set the strategic vision for all biddable channels, and work to deliver greater cross-channel agility to further drive client business performance, all fuelled by data and insights.

Bland joins from iProspect, where he spent nearly six years and was most recently Head of Performance Strategy within the agency’s leadership team, responsible for driving growth and innovation across digital and performance products and solutions, contributing to winning new business, and developing new partnerships with brands. He previously held positions at MediaCom and Equimedia.

“I’m absolutely thrilled to be leading Havas Media Group’s biddable operation and can’t wait to get started on a mission to make digital and biddable the most meaningful media for brands,” said Bland. “This move comes at a genuine pivot point for media, with shifting consumer behaviours and expectations driven by tectonic change, leading to far more direct connection between people and brands.

“It’s an incredibly exciting time to be leading the new biddable team, as we partner closely with clients, innovating to drive tangible business results.”

Laycock elevated to CEO at Incubeta
Incubeta, an independent digital marketing services group, has promoted Sally Laycock to UK Chief Executive Officer. She will be tasked with continuing to drive Incubeta’s growth trajectory through the innovation of services and products and will also join the global Incubeta steering committee.

Laycock joined Incubeta in 2008 as Financial Controller and became Chief Financial Officer UK and US in 2017 overseeing all financial and business operations.

“Luke [Judge] has been instrumental to the success of Incubeta in the UK and the US. Not only has he been an outstanding leader and CEO, he is also an incredible colleague, friend and a truly amazing and humble person. Having worked side by side with Luke for many years, I have certainly learnt from the best and I am honoured the baton has been passed on to me,” commented Laycock.

“I want to ensure we carry forward the legacy of a strong people culture which has been built up over the years with a particular focus on creating an environment where people feel comfortable to be themselves at work. This is something I am absolutely passionate about. Over the past 13 years I have watched employees at Incubeta thrive and progress. I’m so proud of what we have all achieved together and I am excited to be at the helm to ensure this continues.”

Vodafone adds Swantee to board
Olaf Swantee will be appointed as a Non-executive Director following Vodafone Group’s annual general meeting on 27 July 2021, subject to shareholder approval. He will also become a member of Vodafone’s Audit & Risk Committee.

Swantee was CEO of Sunrise Communications between 2016 and 2020, transforming the company’s brand, network, and services to establish it as true challenger to Swisscom. Prior to that, he was CEO of EE, where he successfully merged Orange UK and T-Mobile under BT Group. He has also held senior positions at France Telecom (now Orange Group), Hewlett-Packard, Compaq Computer, and Digital Equipment.

“It is an honour to be invited to the Board of Vodafone, Europe and Africa’s leading telecommunications company,” Swantee commented. “I am greatly looking forward to working with Jean-Francois [van Boxmeer] and the board to support Nick [Read] and the executive team successfully drive forward the strategy.”

Rizwani hired to direct strategy at Tribal Health
Tribal Health, a division of DDB Worldwide’s Tribal Worldwide, has recruited Niaz Rizwani as its new Strategy Director. He will support Tribal Health’s clients across multiple activities notably – connecting a client’s commercial goals with interactive customer experiences, shaping data strategies and omnichannel planning, knowledge sharing, and delivering innovative approaches.

Rizwani joins from Publicis Health, where he was a Senior Strategist. Before that, he worked in strategy and innovation projects at DigitasLBi and Blue Latitude.

“This is a fascinating time to be involved in healthcare and I’m delighted to join Tribal Health as Strategy Director,” said Rizwani. “There is so much change in the world, and the way healthcare companies are digitally interacting with their customers is fundamentally and rapidly evolving. I’m looking forward to working with our clients to help them deliver meaningful change to their customers and business.”

4A’s welcomes new board members
Vita M. Harris, Kate MacNevin, and Megan Pagliuca have taken seats on the Board of Directors as Directors at Large at the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A’s).

Harris, Chief Strategy Officer at FCB Global, is dedicated to helping drive agency and client success, as well as cultivating new business opportunities.

MacNevin leads MRM as Global Chairwoman & CEO, where she has sought to reinvent how agencies serve their clients, employees, and communities.

Pagliuca, Chief Activation Officer for Omnicom Media Group North America, leverages the Omnicom network’s vast data resources to advance more customer-centric and data-driven investment strategies.

“The challenges of the last year have reaffirmed the pivotal role the 4As plays in guiding our member agencies and helping them thrive during these uncertain times,” said Marla Kaplowitz, President & CEO of the 4A’s. “As we continue to support the needs and ambitions of our members in 2021, I am thrilled to welcome such a wonderful group of leaders to our Board of Directors who will partner alongside our leadership team to further identify opportunities to support members and advance the industry.”

Senior ad industry players signed by Admix
In-game ad company Admix has appointed Nigel Morris to its Board and enlisted Rob Norman as a Senior Advisor.

Morris, who is already an Admix advisor and investor, will work closely with the leadership team. He was a central figure at Dentsu Aegis Network for over 25 years, founding Isobar and transforming the US Group. He is currently Chair of The Upside, on the Board at Gyana, and a Non-executive Director at Guardian Media Group.

“The video gaming domain will be the next big media channel following social media’s emergence some 15 years ago. In-Play is intrinsically engaging to audiences and brand safe for marketers at scale, and will become a key driver of sustainable growth strategies for brands,” said Morris. “The Admix team is very conscious of the whole ecosystem for consumers, brands and publishers, and we have developed a pioneering and agile platform that provides a great experience and performance for all.”

Norman will focus on the Americas, acting as an advisor to Admix’s US team. He was a long time CDO of WPP’s GroupM and additionally served as its North American CEO. He is also a Director at Simpli.fi, Director at Piano, and Non-executive Director at BBC Global News.

“I am delighted to join Admix as an advisor. Gaming on personal devices has become a huge part of media consumption,” Norman commented. “In-Play advertising creates revenue for publishers and reach and engagement for advertisers. Admix unlocks the economic opportunity with programmatic speed and precision, and does so without compromising user experience.”

Remerge selects Eichmann as GM
Patrick Eichmann has been appointed General Manager of the Americas at mobile app retargeting company Remerge. Focusing on the US, Canada, and South America, he will head up strategy in region to build upon and drive the company’s growth in those markets.

Eichmann has been promoted from Vice President of Sales. Before Remerge, he was Director of Sales and New Business at Liftoff.

“App marketing is at a critical crossroads. At a time when Apple is ushering in changes to IDFA to empower user privacy, we are also seeing a surge in consumer demand for mobile gaming, shopping, food delivery and more. Remerge has been at the forefront of respecting privacy changes and building new products to allow apps to thrive in this new environment. I’m proud to be helping build Remerge into the leading mobile DSP in the Americas,” said Eichmann.

Gore promoted to CDO at Zeta
Zeta Global, a marketing tech company, has elevated Neej Gore to the position of Chief Data Officer. He will lead the Companys global data and analytics strategy, creating growth for brands by transforming data into actionable business insights, and continue the development of Zetas large identity graph, while driving further innovation within Zetas Opportunity Explorer.

Gore was previously Chief Business Officer at Boomtrain, which was acquired by Zeta four years ago. More recently, he was President of the Data Cloud division at Zeta.

“I am thrilled to continue advancing Zetas Data Cloud, which we have proudly grown to be one of the largest proprietary consumer data assets in the world,” said Gore. “Data literacy and insights have become essential for every enterprise business to connect with consumers at an individual level, and to do that successfully, they must have strong identity and intent based data solutions. I look forward to furthering our mission at Zeta to help marketers acquire, grow and retain customers and combat their toughest challenges.”

Sightly turns to Papp as CTO
Stefan Papp has been hired by Sightly, a media services and tech company, as its Chief Technology Officer. He will growth of the company’s technology and its Brand Mentality solution.

Papp joins Sightly after serving as the Senior Vice president for Deloitte Digital. Previously, he was the CTO at Blab. He also held leadership positions at technology companies including AdReady, Intelligent Effects, and Solutions IQ.

“In todays turbulent world where information and events happen at an unprecedented pace, Sightlys technology is fundamentally transforming the way that marketers react and plan,” said Papp. “Our Brand Mentality methodology taps into the fire-hose of public discourse, leveraging advanced technologies, to provide brands with the unique and extremely necessary capability to act on real-time insights at speed, while trends still resonate.”

Four countries get new leadership at Lycamobile
Mobile virtual network operator Lycamobile has appointed new country managers in Australia, France, Russia, and Romania.

Brendan Feeney takes up leadership in Australia. Boasting over 20 years’ experience in the telecom sector, he previously created brand awareness and converted momentum into customer growth at Optus.

Mikis de Bonneval takes up the France gig. In his more recent position at Lebara France, he oversaw a significant organisational reshuffle leading the firm back into profitability.

Mikhail Alilekov is now Russia Country Manager at Lycamobile after over 15 years working for telecoms firm including VimpelCom and MTT.

Finally, Mihai Nica will lead the Romania business. Over the past 10 years, he has worked at telecom companies including Vodafone and Telekom Romania.

“We’re very pleased to welcome such an experienced group of country managers to the Lycamobile family,” said Navanit Narayan, Group Chief Operating Officer at Lycamobile. “Each of them brings the depth of experience needed to boost our growth at a national level. I look forward to the exceptional work these four will bring to their new roles and look forward to realising our shared priorities.”

Bounteous hires Wang to lead strategy
Oscar Wang has joined digital experience consultancy Bounteous as Senior Vice President of Strategy & Insights. She will lead a multi-faceted team to create insights-centric strategies that drive transformative digital experiences.

Wang joins Bounteous with 15 years of experience at Prophet. She was a founding member and a key driving force of Prophet’s global strategic consumer insight & analytics practice, leading client engagements, hiring and developing talent, cultivating culture, and creating and evolving intellectual property critical to Prophets overall human insights-driven integrated branding, marketing, and innovation offerings.

“We live in a time where the old business books are being re-written in front of our eyes. Companies big and small are moving with a heightened sense of urgency to adapt,” said Wang. “In this context, I believe there is no disruptive growth without disruptive insights. It will be a true honour and great responsibility to lead and serve Bounteous’ clients in this transitioning world.

“It requires a fundamentally collaborative mindset, an agile but disciplined approach, and a pragmatic, strategic, and human leadership style. Within the Bounteous leadership team, I have found a group of comrades working toward this cause. I am proud to join a like-minded organization with a tremendous foundation. The co-innovation opportunity is, in a word, bounteous.”

Bell and Nicholls join Momentum exec team
Growth consultancy Momentum has appointed Robert Bell as Group Chief Financial Officer and Will Nicholls as UK Managing Director.

Bell, whose appointment follows his sale of private equity-backed company Cawood Scientific, has a track record of leading organisations through periods of high growth and international expansion and will guide the group’s M&A strategy – with a particular focus on North America.

“I am excited to be joining the team at Momentum during such a significant time in the company’s development and growth and look forward to leveraging my experience as we drive the business forward,” said Bell.

Nicholls becomes MD after a year with the company – having previously held positions as MD at Alpha Century and Managing Partner at both BBH and Saatchi & Saatchi – and will drive business strategy and operations, with a focus on developing Momentum’s consulting capabilities and client base in EMEA.

“It’s an honour to take on the role of MD and I’m excited to lead the continued success of the business here in the European market,” said Nicholls. “During my time in the business I’ve seen huge demand from clients to solve their biggest challenge – how to bring teams together to drive growth.

“Our clients are looking for partners with real depth of expertise to drive business outcomes and flawless delivery. We have phenomenal track record in delivering both and enter 2021 in a strong position.”

Momentum has also bolstered its regional management teams with the appointments of James Mollard as Business Development Director and Jacqueline Gummer as Consulting Director.

Alight hires Carreau to head up direct sales
Jacqui Carreau has been appointed Head of Direct Sales at out-of-home media owner Alight Media. Reporting to Chief Revenue Officer Ged Glover, she will lead Alight’s growing direct sales team positioned across the UK.

Carreau previously spent nearly eight years at Clear Channel, holding roles such as Head of South and Area Sales Manager for the South West. Prior to that, she spent almost 12 years at Newsquest, focused on Somerset and Devon.

“Alight Media has really impressed me, both in terms of growth and ambition, but also in the way the team runs the business,” said Carreau. “I’m over the moon to join a company with a clear mission to make out-of-home work harder for advertisers of all shapes and sizes, with a real focus on supporting SMEs build back better. I can’t wait to get stuck in.”

The post Movers and Shakers: Leo Burnett, R/GA, Havas, Incubeta, Vodafone, and more appeared first on Mobile Marketing Magazine.

Around about three years ago, Vodafone launched an IoT platform called ‘V by Vodafone’. This platform enabled consumers to connect third-party electronic products to the telecoms giant’s global IoT network and eventually led to the release of products such as the V-SOS Band and the V-Kids Watch. Nonetheless, the V by Vodafone platform would soon become ‘Vodafone Smart Tech’ and begin a journey toward creating its own IoT products.

“We learned a key lesson, which was about creating leading customer experiences,” says Pamela Brown, Chief Marketing Officer at Vodafone Smart Tech. “It’s a nascent category and, to really open up the category and ignite it, we stood back and we realised that we needed to build the experience end-to-end from a hardware perspective, the software on the device, and also integrate that all into one app, the Vodafone Smart app. And thats really been the plan that weve been executing on over the last 12 months.”

The shift toward becoming Vodafone Smart Tech involved discussions with consumers in places such as Italy, Spain, Germany, and the UK. In listening to consumers, the brand realised it had to begin building “that leading customer experience” itself and that these consumers also struggled with the idea of ‘V by Vodafone’ from a marketing perspective.

“People didnt quite understand Vodafones role because, although we were branding it ‘V by Vodafone’, they were in fact somebody elses devices connected with a Vodafone SIM. And that was a little bit confusing for consumers,” explains Brown. “The role of Vodafone wasnt very clear. So, when we reset our product strategy, which was to design end-to-end, in-house hardware and software integrated in one app, we also decided we would redesign our brand approach with that.”

Fast forward to the here and now, Vodafone has released Curve, a smart tracker it debuted last summer, and unveiled Neo, a smartwatch for kids that was developed with Disney and will go on sale soon.

With these two devices, Vodafone has chosen to make its role clear and hero the devices through product imagery and lifestyle imagery, while putting a focus on educational content around smart tech on its eShop.

“We tested pages where we had more educational content about smart tech. When we did that our conversion rate was five times higher than without that information. So, we know education in this category is important,” says Brown. “People want more information about everything to do with it, which I was quite surprised about. It just goes to show that theres a theres an interest in it but, in order to make the purchase and decide to part with their money, consumers want to really get into the details of how they can use it and how it works.”

Vodafone, which already boasts more than 100m IoT connections, believes that one of the most important factors in its products is the fact that they have its SIM cards at their core. And both existing products focus on the idea of keeping connected – something that has been pushed to the forefront of many people’s minds in the past year.

“Weve been connecting people from day one, we continue to connect them, its just in new ways. And weve got a wonderful customer base,” says Brown. “We want to continue to find ways for our customers to stay connected. And in this pandemic that weve been living through for nearly a year now, we’ve really experienced how important that connection is.”

Curve is a multi-purpose tracking device, which can be attached to pet collars, cars, school bags, laptop bags, and anything else you can think of. It enables consumers to keep track of the things or people they care about.

Neo, on the other hand, is a smartwatch for children which features characters and content from Disney. It doesn’t connect to the open internet or any social media channels and parents are completely in control of the access their child gets, including being able to control who is in their child’s contact list of up to 10 people. Vodafone sees the Neo as providing children with a “first safe step and relationship” with technology, according to Brown.

Both products have been marketed with the aim of generating desirability through product imagery, relevance through lifestyle imagery, and education through illustration in the form of how-to guides, infographics, and videos.

The biggest portion of Vodafone’s advertising budget for the products is in digital, with a focus on performance marketing, social media, and working with influencers, but it is also utilising TV advertising, out-of-home, and radio advertising.

One area where the brand has had to adapt is how it would market products within its retail stores. Or, in the case of the past year, how it would replace retail interactions with ones in the virtual world. And, for Neo, it has done this by creating an augmented reality (AR) experience.

“Traditionally, our retail stores would play a big part in our marketing, but the past year hasn’t allowed that to happen for the most part,” says Brown. “For Neo, because we knew the likelihood of retail stores being open would be quite low, we actually created an AR experience. You can go onto the Vodafone Smart Tech website, scan the QR code, and you can demo the watch at home. That’s one of the key ways that weve had to adapt because we know this education part is so important. How can we bring a demo to people at home and help them along the purchase funnel? Thats a really key component.”

For Neo, of course, Vodafone also has the benefit of having Disney launch its own creative campaigns around the device.

Meanwhile, from an influencer standpoint, Vodafone is only working with parents who are influencers rather than working with child influencers because “we are quite adamant that all our marketing is very responsible and we’re not necessarily marketing to kids”.

“We want to make sure that parents are buying the device because it is a device that they know will be helpful for their children and will help them on that first step within the smart tech journey and because its a safe device to use for kids,” explains Brown.

Over the course of this year, Vodafone will continue to invest in both Curve and Neo, continuing to promote both and deliver new accessories, content, and software. And this desire to continue investing in the products also ties into the brand’s ambitions to keep its customers happy and do its bit the environment.

“There are many features and functionalities that were investing in, building, and creating, and well continue to listen to our customers. Thats the magic formula: what is it customers are doing with their device today? What could they be doing more of better? How can we enhance that experience? And what capabilities have we been building? And then it all comes together beautifully and I get the great job of marketing that and building the customer proposition for it,” says Brown.

“Also, we are very much thinking about usefulness of our technology. The Curve, being a multi tracking device, it might be that one month you’re using on your pet heavily and the next month you’re wanting to put it on your kid’s school bag. What we will do is continue to invest in this product. A real consumer fear is that the old version becomes obsolete in a year and then youve got to upgrade and buy a new one, like we have to do with TVs,” Brown continues. “We will continue to build features and capabilities and deploy them to the devices. We always want to be investing in these devices that our customers buy, rather than making them a throwaway device. So, thats really important to us.

“Sustainability is a key pillar for us a Vodafone, so it really is built into the whole process, from inception of idea, through the product development, through to the delivery of what we have on shelf and in peoples homes.”

Vodafone’s work over the past year also saw it pick up a Good Design Award and the IoT Breakthrough ‘Consumer IoT Platform of the Year’ Award.

“It was the end of last year, just before both of them were announced, we realised that we had won both of them. So, it was quite nice going into Christmas. The Good Design Award really speaks to that ambition that we had, which was to create desirable products. So, to win a design award is like, ‘brilliant, happy days’,” says Brown.

“Our other award was more about our approach. The IoT Breakthrough Award was an award recognising our new approach within the philosophy of designing and connecting our own devices, and our new strategy moving away from third-party devices and investing in the whole end-to-end experience. So, we all went into Christmas holidays feeling like, ‘oh yeah, were doing the right thing, let’s keep going in the new year’. It felt great and we were really excited.”

Despite winning the awards, Vodafone says it is not going out looking to win more and its focus is solely on providing the best products for consumers to connect them to the things they care about.

“We spend a lot of time with consumers and Ive been on some fascinating Zoom calls over the last 12 months in peoples homes,” adds Brown. “One great thing that’s come out of this pandemic is that, whilst weve not physically been able to sit around a table with consumers, we have been in their homes. We have been experiencing their lives and some of the challenges that they face, which helps us think about what are the solutions that we can build to connect for a better future.

“If we just continue to focus on the customer, to build solutions that will really make a difference in their lives and find ways to bring that to life for them, the awards will come off the back of it. That’s really our focus.

“To quote Maya Angelou, ‘people will forget what you say, they will forget what you do, but they will never forget how you made them feel’. And I think our technology should make people feel something,” Brown concludes.

The post “Our technology should make people feel something”: Vodafone talks smart tech appeared first on Mobile Marketing Magazine.