Back in 2021, Three UK launched its new visual identity and brand platform, ‘Life Needs a Big Network’, as it ‘comes of age’ almost two decades after launching as one of the UK’s major mobile network providers. 

The new brand platform, ‘Life Needs a Big Network’, articulates how Three UK is perfectly placed to help customers with the big and seemingly small moments in life, from keeping a business connected to helping families and friends stay in touch. Three’s marketing now also includes a new fresh, warmer colour scheme, reflecting the next chapter for the business. This was conducted as a joint project with Wham, Three’s global design agency.

Our new positioning aimed to reflect how far Three UK has evolved since its market challenger days and aimed to mark a new beginning for the brand.  

In line with this rebrand, in 2023, Three UK announced the launch of its new fully integrated brand campaign, ‘Live Your Best Phone Life’, which demonstrates how Three’s network strength enables Britons’ increasing relationship with their phones. 

Recent research reveals that we spend on average a third of our waking hours on our phones. We’re using them to do more things than ever before and the lives we live through our phones have never been more important – they’re our wallets, our doctors, our financial advisors and our personal trainers. If we’re spending that much time on our phones, Three helps to do it in the best way possible with the UK’s Fastest 5G Network. 

So, we created the multi-channel campaign – spanning TV, VOD, cinema, radio, OOH, social and retail – to be the next iteration under Three UK’s Life Needs a Big Network brand platform from 2021. The campaign launched with a 60-second TV spot, directed by Somesuch director Raine Allen-Miller, director of critically acclaimed feature film, Rye Lane. 

‘Live your best phone life’ can mean something different to everyone. For some, it might be cooing over photos of your grandchildren, or streaming your favourite football team, for others, it might be listening to that favourite nostalgic tune on loop. The supporting OOH, shot by Kell Mitchell, spotlights some of these relatable everyday moments of connection by focusing on the feeling and emotion that comes with ‘living your best phone life’, which is also brought to life in the radio and social assets. 

The campaign launched on TV during some of the biggest shows, such as Riches on ITV1, Love Island on ITV2, Celeb Gogglebox on Channel 4, and Yellowstone on Channel on Friday 21st July, with radio and cinema premiering the same day, and the OOH campaign launching on the 24th.

To align with our TV advert, from July 21st, we launched 10 and 6-second TV cutdowns across Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Reddit. Then from the 4th of August, we launched our content creator campaign, where we followed the #VanLife community - who are digital nomads living their best phone life, fuelled by 5G and a sense of adventure. 

Alongside this, we have also been working with Three Business to help launch its first-ever brand campaign across radio, digital and OOH, targeting busy business leaders and owners. 'Life Happens While You Work', highlights the increasingly blurred lines between life and work experienced by many of the 5.6 million small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK.

Our adverts are based on insights from Three’s research panels, which found that business decision-makers are feeling busier than ever and are on the go non-stop. With multiple ‘plates’ to be spun across their work and personal lives, SMEs are looking for a big network that meets all their needs with ease.

Our campaign is designed to raise overall awareness of Three’s business offering as a whole to help them grow market share – cutting through a busy sector with a campaign that resonates with and engages business decision-makers.