Create a brand for Three’s new venture: a travel eSIM brand that stands out in a crowded but underdeveloped market.
Context
eSIMs are a flourishing new technology, a digital version of a traditional SIM card that allows users to download and switch plans digitally, instead of swapping out a physical SIM. They are particularly gaining speed in the context of travel. Telco-giant Three saw an opportunity to enter this nascent market with a new travel-oriented, eSIM brand.
Ask
Enter the high-growth travel eSIM category by creating a distinctive, customer-facing eSIM brand that Three’s global markets can use.
Approach
To start, I carried out a category mapping exercise to understand where this new brand could fit and how to distinguish it.
I then did some research on customer drivers for Travel eSIMs to understand what customer priorities we needed to consider within the positioning.
From there, I devised a brand strategy for the brand, and used that as a basis for the creative development, from naming and visual identity to tone-of-voice.
Competitor analysis
Insights
The category mapping uncovered 3 main insights :
Low awareness category: 3 in 5 Britons are unfamiliar with eSIMs
‘Insider’ category: assumes tech-savviness, providers do not have a lot of guidance around eSIMs and their use, not geared towards new adopters
Commoditised category: offerings are very homogenised, competition is based on price rather than brand or innovation. Low barriers to entry means a high influx of players, roughly 400+ when we carried out our research
Strategy
eSIMs are transforming travel connectivity, but most brands in the space assume a high level of tech-savviness, and forego brand, competing solely on price.
The strategy was to create a credible, friendly brand that introducers travellers to and helps them navigate the eSIM experience with ease: a warm, friendly and guiding presence in the travel eSIM space.
We developed some initial identity territories for the client, of which HelloWorld was preferred, later renamed to HelloGlobe for trademarking concerns.
Brand development
We created a lovable mascot, Globey, who added a friendly, helping hand-type feel to the brand.
We could also enhance the travel-nature of the brand, by having Globey show up in different travel scenarios and destinations.
