The task:

Up until 2010 Cell C was seen as the black sheep of the South African Cellular industry, mainly serving a small percentage of lower income earners. All that changed in 2010 when Cell C moved into the data space, increased their Internet-based services,  as well as enhancing their applications and digital consumer experiences. This called for a re-branding and a change in public perception.

Implementation:

To boost Cell C's image, we enlisted beloved South African comedian, Trevor Noah for a relaunch campaign. Trevor initially highlighted Cell C's challenges in a popular stand-up routine, which went viral as part of our strategy.

Cell C’s CEO responded with a public apology in the form of an open-letter in the newspaper, and invited Trevor to join as Chief Customer Experience Officer (‘CEO’). Phase 2 featured "Tell Trevor.com," allowing customers to share feedback directly with Cell C.

Trevor's brand campaign announced his new role, emphasizing Cell C's commitment to improvement. In the final phase, Trevor tested Cell C's revamped network and services to show that promises were kept.

The Results;

In the first year after the re-launch campaign Cell C managed to increase their market share of the higher LSMs by 60%