Telstra launches rebrand to evolve from a telco into a tech company

Telstra has announced a new brand campaign as part of its aim to evolve from a telecommunications company and into a technology-driven one. The rebrand will look to reflect Telstra’s vision of a connected world and highlight its support for and development of the startup ecosystem.

Telstra group managing director of media and marketing Joe Pollard told The Australian Financial Review that the rebrand is part of expanding people’s perception of Telstra as both a local and global brand.

“Super important to us is that we’re one brand globally. This strategy, this work, will go everywhere. Whether you’re in Hong Kong, the US, the UK or Australia, the same look, feel, emotive connection is something that we really pushed ourselves on.”

The rebranding is the first major transformation the company has had in five years. In 2011, Telstra refreshed its look adding pops of colour into its logo to ‘welcome life in full colour’ and speak to consumers in ‘everyday language.’ Now the motto ‘welcome life in full colour,’ has been replaced by ‘the magic of technology,’ to show its consumers how Telstra is playing an important role in the digital revolution. As technology impact on the everyday consumer evolves so must Telstra’s role and vision, the company said.

Telstra will now be demonstrating how the company is providing the best experiences and solutions to its customers, through innovative technology and support of local startups, with Pollard also acknowledging the high-profile issues the company has faced over the last few months in terms of service outages.

“We want to reset the brand after some of the recent outages and say ‘this is who we are, this is what we stand for, we’re loud and proud of a number of things that Telstra is and will continue to be in the future,” said Pollard.

Outside of Telstra’s core mobile business, the company wants to shine a light on its other investments into innovative technology and local startups. Telstra is the major sponsor of accelerator program muru-D and has supported entrepreneurial talent in the Asia-Pacific region to drive tech-based economic development. Muru-D has played an important role in helping startups to take their ideas from product to commercialisation and has become the place for tech startups to access investment and business assistance.

To show how important investment into startups and technology is, Telstra has released a 90-second commercial, revealing the impact innovative technology has on people’s lives around the world. The commercial is part of Telstra’s multi-million campaign, which has been dubbed Telstra 3.0.

In the new commercial, Telstra features new technology that focuses on connecting people around the world to love ones and people in need. For example Telstra highlights LANES technology, a mobile solution that creates a dedicated communication channel for emergency services to access in times of disaster, providing relief for millions of people around the world.

The commercial also features Telstra Health, the company’s eHealth business that offers solutions for people to better manage their health. Services under the eHealth initiative include telemedicine startup Readycare, which makes health data easier for patients to access and use.  

Better access to data through smart devices enables consumers to better monitor and manage their lives from anywhere around the world. Today the average Australian household has nine connected smart devices and by 2020 that number is expected to increase to 29.

Through this digital revolution and transformation of everyday objects, Telstra has launched a self-monitored and fully serviced home technology platform called Telstra Smart Home. The platform has introduced smarter energy consumption for households and businesses. Through smart monitoring Smart Home embeds technology into windows, power plugs, cameras, lights and locks to help customers control their devices from their smartphone, both at home and away.

These new tech-based solutions delivered by Telstra will be the key focus of its rebrand to push the company out of its telco image and into the future. With the government’s National Innovation and Science Agenda (NISA) Australian companies are urged to think innovative and utilise the ideas and services being created by startups. Consumers are increasingly looking to more tech-driven companies, and with Telstra positioning itself as a leader in tech solutions, peoples expectations of telcos and the services they provide will start to change. 

The rebrand comes as major competitor Optus has focused on positioning itself as a champion of small business.

Pollard said in a blog post, “It is our goal to create world class products, services, experiences and solutions built on our best networks for our customers.  We aim to source and curate the best software, services, content and experiences.  Our role is to help and advise people on how to navigate the complex digital world safely and securely, ensuring they have solutions tailored to their needs. And finally, we play an important role to innovate and push the boundaries of technology and shape solutions for the future.”

Image: Joe Pollard. Source: www.cew.org.au.