Wonderhood Studios

London

Transforming Three UK’s Brand from “Peter Pan” to Grown-Up

Background

Three, a long-standing challenger in the UK mobile market, built its brand on bold, youth-centric marketing. However, after 18 years, growth stalled in an increasingly competitive, commoditised market.

To reignite momentum, Three needed a strategic shift- evolving beyond its ‘Peter Pan’ identity to target broader, higher-value audiences while maintaining its distinctiveness.

Challenge: Time for Peter Pan to Grow Up

Three faced three key challenges

Solution: Growing Up Without Losing Three’s Soul

1. A Grown-Up Creative Strategy

Building brand distinctiveness: Leaning into ‘network’ as a core brand association while maintaining Three’s unique and relatable tone.
Introducing ‘Life Needs a Big Network’: A platform showcasing how Three’s strong network supports everyday moments of connection.

2. A Grown-Up Visual Identity

New Colour Scheme: ‘Aurora Sunrise’ – A refreshed brand identity for stronger recognition and consistency across all touchpoints.

3. A Grown-Up Media Approach

Broader media mix: Expanding beyond digital to public channels like TV, sponsorships, and OOH advertising.
Consistent brand presence: Maintaining on-air visibility for 43 weeks annually.
Strategic sponsorships: Aligning with mainstream, family-friendly content like Gogglebox to increase reach and relatability.

Results: Reaching Adulthood

So, how did we fair up to these goals over the past four years?

Objective 1: Broaden Three’s Appeal: To widen its customer base beyond young and mostly mobile consumers, Three shifted its strategy to include a more nationally representative audience across broader age groups and categories including broadband and business. This approach significantly increased brand consideration across the UK, bringing a broader demographic of customers, and driving significant growth in both broadband and business.

Objective 2: Grow Up Three’s Image: Three’s brand overhaul aimed to evolve its image from a youth-centric “Peter Pan” identity to a credible, established network, with big shifts in network perception, stature as ‘one of the big networks’ and added value.

Objective 3: Return to Growth: Growing up Three’s brand and marketing approach has been instrumental in getting the brand back into positive subscriber and revenue growth, from shrinking on average -£5m per quarter pre-refresh, to growing on average £10m per quarter post-refresh.

Source: Three Insights, Revenue (Excl. Wholesale=Wholesale is revenue from MVNOs)

Conclusion

Key Takeaways

Own the obvious: Building distinctiveness through strong, core brand associations (e.g., ‘Network’ and ‘Big’) is crucial.
Prioritise long-term brand effectiveness: Sustainable success requires a steady, long-term strategic approach.
Avoid over-focusing on youth: Broader appeal across demographics drives higher efficiency and sustainable growth.