Vodacom goes red

Vodacom has officially unveiled its new brand and identity at the Unlimited music festival in Soweto.

At 9pm, fans saw the stadium turn from blue to red in a display which culminated with a link to the iconic Ponte tower, illuminated for the first time in red.

Unveiling the operator’s largest ever brand make-overs, Vodacom Group CEO Pieter Uys noted that its services would also improve.

Vodacom goes red

“The change in colour is the tip of the iceberg, just the outside indication of a much bigger change at Vodacom. The role we play in our customers’ lives has changed – connectivity has gone from a convenience to a basic need, and we need to turn our business on its head to make sure that we cater for this.”

“Power to You” isn’t just our advertising slogan – it’s a new approach and new direction for Vodacom. This isn’t a once-off change, it’s a journey and I’m confident that as the weeks and months unfold, you’ll find the changes run much deeper than simply turning from blue to red,” he said.

Uys added that network, service and value, which are the three critical customer touchpoints - are all being transformed as part of this process.

“We currently have the most extensive network in SA, but we can’t stop here. We are going to more than double the number of Vodacom 3G base stations in the country, which will take connectivity to more people than ever before. We’re leading a revolution to connect the entire country – this isn’t about cherry picking a few people in cities for an elite service, it’s about getting a decent connection to everyone and ensuring that nobody gets left behind.”

The company currently has more than 4,300 3G sites in South Africa, half of which are 21 Mbps enabled and just under 1 000 of which are enabled for 42 Mbps sites.

To put this next generation 42 Mbps technology in perspective, with compatible modems the theoretical peak speed achievable by customers is more than 100 times faster than Vodacom’s original 3G offering launched as a South African first in December 2004.

“Our customers expect the best service to match our leading network. We’re rolling out totally redesigned stores to make the entire experience of Vodacom fresh and inspiring – and we’ll of course showcase the latest technology,” he added.

Customer service would also be revamped with new communication channels such as Twitter, which will help back up the introduction of new products and services.