Is this really the best Orange can do?

I posted last December on the "death spiral" of the once great brand, Orange. They have slipped from leading the UK, both in share and image, to be number 4. Tom Alexander was brought in from Virgin Mobile, and was hailed as the saviour. And boy, has he got his hands full. As the visual below shows, they've zig zagged their way through one different communication campaign per year. Any brand meaning Orange had has been diluted. 

So, after 6 months of the Tom era, its time for a drum roll, bated breath and the revealing of the new campaign. It will be rolled out to no less than 26 countries and use every media channel you can dream of. So, is this the beginning of a renaissance for Orange?

Uh, no.

You can watch the ad by clicking below if you're on the blog, or here on You Tube.

In it, a chap talks about all the people who have made him who he is, with the repetition of the phrase "I am": "I am my mum", "I am all the girls I've kissed" etc. And that is, well, it. Yup. That's your lot. No point of view on mobile communication. Absolutely nothing at all about why we should consider signing up with Orange. Nada. Rien. Zilch.

The press ads are just as bad. See one of them below. Again, a person reels off the people who made them who they are.

But, again, what the hell has this got to do with Orange? Absolutely bloody nothing as far as I can see. She certainly didn't talk to any of the people she describes on her mobile phone.

Perhaps Orange have taken too seriously the advice in their brilliant cinema ads. These use the line "Don't let a mobile phone spoil your movie" to remind you to turn off your phone (click below for an example). The Orange guys try to force-fit a mobile into a movie script with hilarious consequences. With "I am", its as if the agency have indeed said, "Please don't let your mobile phone spoil our movie", taking out anything to do with Orange.

In an earlier post, I had a go at O2's new campaign for being generic, rather than differentiating. Well Orange have made the O2 work suddenly look highly differentiated and product-led. At least O2 have a highly impactful and memorable visual brand world (blue and bubbles), and the brand has a point of view: "We're better connected".

My guess is that we'll be back here in a year or so talking about the next installment in the "Orange campaign of the year".

Comments

[Bianca]

Hi, David,

I agree that Orange is, and has been for ages, in dire trouble, relentlessly confused about what its brand is actually about etc etc.

What I think is interesting about this ad, however, is that it takes a highly emotional interpretation of a functional message (in complete contrast to O2).

Both O2 and Orange talk about connection (essentially what mobiles are about). O2 talks about it in its typically rational way (we're all better conected). Orange's as is about connection too - we're shaped by the people we connect with in our lives.

I actually think there's a much more interesting truth in Orange's comms than O2's, which is quite banal in comparison. But unfortunately, I think Orange might have slipped too far for such an emotional campaign to rescue it...

Bianca

[David Taylor (brandgym)]

Paul,
Thanks for your comment. You are right that there is no "sausage". But there aint even any relevant sizzle! Where's the emotional message relevant to mobile communication?

As you rightly say, at least New York Blackout has a view on people and communication. The issue, in the UK at least, is that the fight between 5 mobile networks means its a daily dogfight, where high-level emotional communication will struggle to do the business.
David

[Paul]

hi David, agree there is no 'sausage' here, as you would say yourself.

Pity, as I must admit that I like a lot of their stuff. Their New York Blackout ad is one of my favourite ads. True, Blackout is not giving a rational reason to choose them over a competitor but it does give you a glimpse of their "view" of the world and is very optimistic and human - so appeals to the emotional side.

I liked their 'Rewind City' ad too, not sure if you've seen that?