O2s Branding and Marketing Strategy - Dissertation Example

It is through branding that businesses have been able to win the confidentiality and loyalty of their customers (Marketing Week, 2009, p. 1). O2 is the second leading mobile operator within the telecommunication industry of the United Kingdom. O2 has concentrated on building brand loyalty within the UK mobile market. The company has remained unique in its branding and marketing strategy. There are many changes within the UK telecommunication industry that O2 must adapt to in its marketing communication so that it would remain at the top of the mobile business.

O2 whose parent company is Telefonica has maintained leadership in the UK mobile market through the use of loyalty deals (Marketing Week, 2009, p. 1). This is through alluring advertisements which are designed to depict the company’s brand as the most authentic and reliable within UK’s telecommunication sector. Technological, political, economic, legal, environmental, social, and cultural changes have played a role in influencing the direction of the mobile business in the UK. O2 Mobile is no exception in the effects of the changing market forces, especially for its branding and marketing strategy.

According to Marketing Week (2009, p. 1), the marketing strategies used by O2 have received criticisms and assertions that the company has maintained old-fashioned approaches to marketing its products. For example, the company delayed in adopting 3G and 4G services like its business rivals because it considered them costly. Regardless of this, the company has been able to capture more than 24 million customers within the UK mobile market (Marketing Week, 2009, p. 1). This has led to an annual turnover of more than 5 billion pounds from the company’s operations in the UK.

However, Marketing Week (2007, p. 10) reports that the changes in the information and telecommunication industry are likely to catch up with O2’s branding and marketing strategies and make them less effective within the dynamic market. It is in this regard that the effectiveness of O2’s branding and marketing strategy comes into question especially since the UK industry is characterized by radical changes in the political, technological, economic, social, and cultural environments.

Moreover, the preferences of the customers are changing in addition to the highly competitive business environment which is increasingly coming up with innovative technologies and mobile applications.The changes in the UK telecommunication industry include increased demand for digital communication. Moreover, telecommunication companies are focused more on the accessible and portable markets.