Vodacom has placed digital transformation as the nucleus of its new brand positioning – Further Together – unveiled yesterday, marking the start of a new chapter to connect consumers to the digital economy.
The telco says the COVID-19 upheaval, which defined most of last year, helped it transform and refine its approach of connecting people − hence the new tagline, Further Together.
SA’s leading mobile operator believes technology can improve lives, and this new positioning builds further momentum for the purpose to connect for a better future and enable an inclusive, sustainable digital society.
Vodacom’s new positioning comes as brands across the world are continuing to transform, laying new foundations for future growth in response to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The revision of its brand comes a few days after its parent company Vodafone unveiled “Together we can” as its new global brand positioning, saying it “celebrates what the human spirit can achieve when combined with technology”.
Commenting on the local brand shift, Balesh Sharma, managing director of Vodacom SA, says: “With the announcement of a new brand tagline, ‘Further Together’, it places the emphasis on how – through partnerships and collaboration – it is possible to connect everyone to the digital economy so that no one is left behind.”
The company says “Further Together” reflects Vodacom’s Africa Connected stakeholder engagement approach, which it says, identifies public-private partnerships as a key cornerstone of continued success in the digitalisation of the continent.
“Strong collaboration will build a future that is fair, inclusive and sustainable.”
The telco says its new brand position is inspired by consumer insights which revealed the role of technology is deeply transforming people’s lives.
These findings, according to Vodacom, identified how technology has evolved from something that simply excites people on a personal level, to playing a more meaningful part in the world at large; in particular, in making a difference to issues such as education, gender empowerment and sustainability.
“For example, over the last year, there has been a significant increase in gender-based violence (GBV), with president Cyril Ramaphosa calling this the country’s second pandemic. This is why Vodacom launched the Bright Sky app – using its core capability, technology – to address this societal challenge.
“Bright Sky provides critical support and information for anyone who may be in an abusive relationship, or those concerned about others who may need help. Digital technology has without doubt become an essential part of the arsenal in the fight against the GBV crisis.”
Additionally, the telco says, during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the availability of Vodacom’s e-School platform played a critical role in ensuring learning continued, as students were able to access the entire syllabus online free of charge.
According to Vodacom, accompanying the Further Together campaign will be an “emotive television commercial” that represents society – featuring a young girl posing questions about the world around her, on the role technology can play in curing disease, fighting climate change and addressing digital inclusion.
“At Vodacom, we want to play a critical role in answering these questions for our customers – from the rollout of 5G, to ensuring connectivity for the most remote parts of the country, and from leveraging our resources to help distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine in Africa, to driving financial inclusion and bringing down the price of data,” Sharma comments.
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