The Times, May 2007
Let’s look at the figures: 31 per cent of concerned consumers do not trust any of the mobile phone operators or providers to sell them the mobile phone package that best suits their needs. When concerned consumers are asked to put the mobile phone operators’ overall behaviour on a scale of 1 to 100, nearly all fall in the negative zone, below 50. The only exception is O2, which scrapes in at 51.
The industry has an image problem.
None of the operators stands out in its efforts to address the social and environmental issues that all of them undoubtedly face. Issues about children being bullied over the phone or exposed to adult content are real causes of concern to the vast majority. They make consumers restrict the age at which they would give a child a phone, thereby limiting market size. And the operators are viewed in a pack on the issue.
This presents a clear opportunity for differentiation on an issue that consumers really care about. If one of the operators chooses to take a leadership position, it could have a dramatic impact. I believe that it would reap significant rewards.
Reassuring consumers that a business is run in a responsible way, while also embarking on activity that demonstrates what makes a brand special and how it can make a positive difference to society, is an increasingly powerful way of building a brand. It can help to shape the picture that people have of a brand in their mind at any given time.
Quite simply, it makes it more likely that people will say “I trust X”, even if they could not articulate exactly why.
Giles Gibbons is the managing director of Good Business www.goodbusiness.co.uk
