Italy: Uno Mobile

Launched:    June 2007
Network:       Vodafone Italia
Website:       http://www.unomobile.it

Background

As in Belgium, Carrefour Italy already had its highly recognisable ‘1’ brand which highlights the lowest-cost product in its category.

Thanks to Carrefour’s considerable foot traffic, we could appeal to a very broad audience focussing on quality at an everyday low cost. Our offer would expand the brand into a new revenue stream while benefiting Carrefour’s core business as customers return to stores to top up.

A key strategic decision was to abandon scratch cards and use only top-up codes. This reduced costs from day one while creating a strong link between the mobile service and the shopping experience.

Launch

With Italy’s mobile penetration well over 100%, our bargain-priced SIM-only Starter Kit tempted customers to try it alongside their current operator.

In June 2007, Carrefour shoppers started receiving free Uno Mobile airtime on every receipt. The more they spent on shopping, the more free calling minutes they received.

Italians embraced the idea of being rewarded in airtime for their weekly shop. Later on, more features were added – the ‘Family Offer’ proved extremely successful along with shopping-behaviour-specific promotions allied to Carrefour's SpesAmica loyalty programme.

Nonetheless, the proposition remains true to the same principles of transparency and clarity which Effortel evangelizes in all its MVNO projects.

Today

The first MVNO to differentiate itself with retail features, Uno Mobile became a runaway success – the top-up bonus boosting usage significantly beyond the initial launch period.

The brand is now well established thanks to its high visibility and simple concept as an extension of number ‘1’. Some new features are already in the pipeline.