2022 Gold Utilities and Telecommunications

Agency: Ogilvy UK and Carat, London

Client: Vodafone

Campaign Name: Everyone.connected: How Vodafone is working to eradicate digital exclusion

Campaign Overview

1.5 million British households have no access to the internet. Vodafone set its sights on tackling the digital divide: to raise awareness, build understanding and connect one million people by the end of 2022, driving brand consideration in the process.

Strategy

The mobile operator needed to act differently to previous campaigns. To crack the national consciousness, it put the issue at the heart of its entire business, made it tangible, and asked people to join its mission.

Alarmingly, 80% of Brits were unaware of the issue. But the disconnected miss out on opportunities many of us take for granted: from accessing basic services to online learning, and just staying in touch with the people we love.

The strategy was to go further than any CSR campaign it had done before.

Creativity

The campaign platform - everyone.connected - was a mission that creative teams and the business could get behind and stretch beyond a channel plan.

It started by Vodafone building its commitment into the heart of its products. With 'Buy-One-Give-One' and 'Charities.Connected': every new Vodafone Together customer donated six months of connectivity and data to those in need via charity partners.

The campaign looked beyond comms to launch a hard-hitting Special Report Week on Global's LBC, plus a Heart Takeover Day and six-part content series. To be disruptive and make the problem more relatable, the work borrowed the semiotics of 'Essential Ranges', creating a giant supermarket aisle in the middle of London to dramatise how essential digital needs are comparable to staples such as bread, milk and eggs.

This was backed with a nationwide outdoor and social creative detailing the challenges of living with digital exclusion. Additionally, people were asked to donate their old devices via the Great British Tech Appeal. This formed the heart of the Christmas campaign, encouraging people to 'Give the gift of connection' across AV, radio, PR and social, including a giant illuminated giftbox on London's Southbank.

Finally, the brand dropped traditional discounting to rebrand Boxing Day to #ReBoxingDay. With Roman Kemp, it encouraged people to rebox old devices for refurbishment, taking over ITV with multiple ad spots.

Results

The campaign connected more than 500,000 people, and the brand worked with 1,000 charities to help people across the UK - from vulnerable families to Ukrainian and other refugees, and the homeless.

The initiative reached 23 million people and collected 17,000 devices. Vodafone raised brand consideration by more than 20%, built positive sentiment and drove long-term brand ROI in the process.

The Essentials campaign had 271 million on-air and outdoor impacts. Meanwhile, the Christmas campaign reached 22.3 million people.

Vodafone is committed to continuing its mission. Everyone.connected has established a platform to reach 1 million by the end of 2022, and to go further.

The Team

Ogilvy UK - Andre Laurentino, Chief Creative Officer - Robert Sandford, Strategy Director - Justin Cox, Client Lead - Lucy Nebel, Business Director - Nicholas Wittenberg, ECD - Naomi Nichol, Creatives - Lily James, Creatives - Gianna Palyvou, Managing Partner - Erica Wood, Account Director - Madeline McCarthy, Senior Account Manager - Marcella Zanin, Account Manager - Hannah Crowley, Strategy Director - Edward Perenyi, Social Strategy Director - Adam Robinson, Designer - Tom Bellamy, Social Creative

Vodafone - Maria Koutsoudakis, Global Marketing & Brand Director - Dan Mogridge, Media Lead - Ellie Spiers, Brand Manager - Lisa Walker, Head of Media & Sponsorships

Contributors

Hogarth, Storylab, and Posterscope