Page 21 - Sphere No.8 (Mar 2003)

NEC becomes
strategic partner
in Hutchison
Telephone and
H3G HK.
Agreement with
NEC to increase
the Nov. 2001
order of 3G
videophones from
one million to two
million.
Agreement with
THQ Inc to
develop and
publish gaming and
entertainment
content in the UK.
In November,
announces tariff
plans for
“Founder’s Club”
in Italy and begins
receiving
reservations via its
website.
Italian
Communications
Minister makes
first videophone
call over the 3
UMTS commercial
network.
E30 million
advertising
campaign begins
in Italy.
SPHERE
19
3 throws
“Trendsetters
Parties” in Rome
and Milan.
Handsets
arrive.
Aesthetically Teasing
W HEN THE 3 ADVERTISING CAM-
paign kicked off in Italy in
November, it disrupted the usual rules of
advertising and made an immediate impact.
Italians, who are used to being surrounded
by beauty, were immediately drawn to the
distinctive imagery. No products or
services were actually featured – just
strong images of people: a matador, a nun, a
beautiful woman – and a particular
attention to the 3 values, or emotions,
associated with each colour.
Both the poster and video campaigns put
the user at the centre, with the 3 services
offering the opportunity for individuals to
magnify their creative and communicative
potential.
The underlying message was simple: 3 is
not about the technology but about life
itself – fantasy, emotion, drive, passion,
simplicity and surprise.
“The first part of our strategy has been
to present our brand and its values before
anything else,” says Vincenzo Novari, Joint
CEO of 3 in Italy. “We are out of the
ordinary both from a marketing and
advertising point of
view.” We then moved
onto the second phase,
which is inversely
proportional to the
initial one: at first, we
decided to eliminate
products and services
and concentrate on the
brand; now, the stories
are told through the
application of some of
our services.
The company also selected 333 VIPs to
be the first customers.They were invited to
two parties in Rome and Milan and were
the first to receive, test, and give their
impressions of the videophones.
Additionally, dealers throughout Italy
have been visiting the places frequented by
high-spenders, who include technofans,
trendsetters and professionals on the move
(3’s early target market), to engage them on
the benefits of 3.
“It might seem that our approach is
more ‘top-class focused’ than the one
chosen by our UK colleagues,” says Novari.
“This is partly true, but we are dealing with
two very different markets. We are
brothers, but not twins.”
Italy is the leading player among
the densely populated countries on a
continent where mobile communications
are part of daily life for millions. (90%
of the population uses mobile phones,
compared to 51% in the US and 80% in
the UK.)
“To us, this means that the ‘pinnacle’ is a
very fertile place to launch the most