Three updates its visual identity as it moves on from promoting itself as a challenger network

Three has today begun on a journey to talk up its strengths and investment, doing away with the long-standing portrayal of itself as a small player punching above its weight.

Three is approaching 20 years old, since it launched its 3G network on March 3rd 2003 (3/3/3 – geddit?), and it has long played on the fact that it was a small, fast-moving, and disruptive force amongst a sea of corporate entities.

Indeed, the launch was reminiscent of Orange’s launch in April 1994, which for anyone not old enough to remember was also a creation of Hutchison Telecom (now CK Hutchison Holdings).

With Three now covering 99% of the UK outdoor population and carrying 28% of mobile data traffic (according to Enders Analysis), it now has the most 5G spectrum of all the UK operators – helping it to build a next-generation network more than capable of keeping up with growing demands on data.

It’s fair to say that Three’s actual rollout of 5G has been quite slow, and in many builds the full use of 5G spectrum is still to be realised, but the company has many applications in the works to build more 5G sites (see photo) to offer high-capacity coverage in congested areas.

Three still offers some incredible tariffs, with unlimited data and far-reaching roaming options being seen as benefits of being a subscriber (even if all operators now offer unlimited data packages, albeit usually at a higher cost).

The new visual identity and brand platform, ‘Life Needs a Big Network’ reflects how Three has evolved since being a market challenger, articulating how the network is able to help customers with the big and small moments in their lives.

It uses a fresher, warmer, colour scheme – which will be visible across multiple advertising platforms and social media in the coming months. You can see the first video above, as well as seeing changes already made to the Three website.

“At Three, we’re investing millions in our network enabling us to support our 9.3 million customers day in, day out. We know that network performance is the most important thing for our customers and this will be reflected much more prominently in our marketing as we show how we can enhance their lives by connecting them for the moments that really matter. Our new brand platform embodies the strength of our network and how we can provide better connectivity every day for every customer.”

Aislinn O’Connor, Marketing Director, Three UK