Vodafone and Raw Branding are now in a relationship

On Raw Branding's Facebook page, I've written that it is important that brands don't use technology to reconstruct the relationships they have with their customers but instead use it to enhance these relationships. It seems Vodafone and Raw Branding are reading from the same hymn sheet:



The action in this clip all hinges on Dad meeting up with Daughter to console her over her recent return to single life. The advert communicates, firstly, that Vodafone allows you to be contactable wherever you are - in this case, even if you're about to make a speech. Secondly, it communicates through the images of Dad talking to Daughter during his cab ride that Vodafone provides a consistently good signal, even on the move. Together, these two messages convey that Vodafone is there for you whenever you need it. Thirdly, and here's what I'm trying to get at, the advert communicates that Vodafone, as a provider of mobile technology, is not out to reconstruct the foundations of a relationship between a father and his daughter by, for example, replacing the comforting sensation of being with a loved one in a time of need for the less complete sensation of merely speaking to them on the phone. Instead, Vodafone is saying that their products can facilitate this relationship by helping you be there when you need to be.

As modern technology spreads more and more into our lives, companies and their brands must ensure that their messaging does not set out to replace experience and sensation. People aren't dummies. Companies can sell us the highest of high definition, digital 3D TVs as big as a house on which we can watch the big game on a Saturday but nothing will replace the experience of seeing that game live in the flesh. Furthermore, on a more basic level, people will never react to something funny by replacing laughter for repeatedly saying ROFL LOL, nor will they blankly say 'sad face' when upset.

Technology is just a tool. We have lived without it and we can still live without it (though this blog cannot). For brands, however, it is vital. Without it, in this internet-addicted world, some wouldn't last a second. So, brands must find a happy medium. And it seems Vodafone has...

[To be continued]