A Strategic Advertising Plan for the ISP Wanadoo Re-Branded to Orange - Essay Example

On the other hand, as Wanadoo's chiefs believe, re-branding will enable the UK ISP to compete more effectively in the field of providing a host of services under one brand name (Armitt 2005). In addition, hence Wanadoo intends to extend the services it has been providing, the new brand will better reflect the range of new offerings. Some of the new services include combined mobile and Internet access, a broadband telephone that tells when a customer receives emails, and remote surveillance of a customer's home through a mobile or a computer.

New possibilities will enable a customer to transfer photos stored on a phone through the ISP's wireless Livebox hub to photoblog and an interactive mobile guide providing location-specific information when on the move (Woffenden 2005). FT Group intends that Orange will become the group's worldwide brand for mobile, broadband, and multiplay services, and re-branding Wanadoo is one of the steps in this way. The expectations of the company are clearly expressed by Wanadoo's spokesman: "A single, integrated brand strategy will enable the company to compete more effectively against our competitors.

It will help to accelerate the momentum of the FT Group's ambition to become the leader in convergence. We will have a single brand with global clout" (The Register 2005). Despite the company leaders' optimism and good expectations, there are some problems to overcome in the situation with the re-branded ISP though. Because the Wanadoo brand itself replaced Freeserve ISP only 14 months ago, the new re-branding may confuse the customers: "For customers in the UK, it's yet more confusion as the ISP takes on yet another identity" (The Register 2005).

In addition, previous Freeserve's metamorphosis into Wanadoo was supported by pounds 20m TV, press, and billboard campaign (Hirst 2004). In future advertising campaigns, the company chiefs should be ready to invest again to save old customers and attract new ones. Summarising all written above, we can outline the general situation. One of the leading UK ISPs Wanadoo becomes the acquisition of a well-known brand Orange. Parent corporate - Communications Group France Telecom - intends to become the leader in providing the host of services under one brand name and the UK ISP is the step on a way for this strategy realization.