Orange was the new kid on the telecommunications block 15 years ago, and boy did it prosper. With its iconic, cool image, the then Hutchison Telecom-owned firm was the most famous and arguably most successful brand of the fledgling mobile phone market. But by the early noughties, it is fair to say the brand, now owned by France Telecom, had lost some of its va va voom. It certainly wasn't the market leader, and its image was becoming less recognised within the cauldron of mobile networks associating themselves with the music and film industries.
Last year, Orange, currently pushing broadband as well as its mobile network, resolved to do something to regain the ground it had lost, hauling in ex-Virgin Mobile CEO Tom Alexander to re-energise the company. In return, Alexander called upon Andrew Ralston, Gerry McQuade and Steven Day - all ex-Virgin Mobile - to join the board.
The mobile phone industry was buzzing. Everyone wanted to know what the rejuvenated brand would do. In the event industry, the interest was whether the company would continue its commitment to branding though Orange-led events.
MUSIC
Fortunately for its new head honcho, Orange already possessed an enviable arsenal of events: the Orange British Academy Television Awards, for which Orange runs the red carpet; the Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction, entirely run by the brand; and Glastonbury, perhaps the world's most popular music festival, at which the company charges 70,000 mobile phones every year.
Not satisfied, though, Orange took its new 'I am' and 'together we can do more' company ethics and slogans (seen recently on TV and cinema advertisements) and added Orange RockCorps - perhaps the year's most talked-about branding and CSR exercise - to its canon.
"We know having a one-way conversation doesn't work any more," says Orange head of sponsorship Ian Smith. "If we can get people to interact with the brand and take part in what we do, the value of our activity is higher. Events are incredibly important to us."
RockCorps is a US brand that Orange brought to the UK to tie in with its new slogans. RockCorps actually approached Orange in October last year, and the project was turned around in less than 12 months. The idea was to stage an Orange-branded rock concert to which tickets are only available after completing four hours of voluntary work. At Event magazine's Event 100 Club this year, the project was highly praised by industry delegates who were impressed by its merging of CSR and strong branding.
The inaugural project saw 60 charity events and 5,000 people working 20,000 hours, mostly clad in Orange-branded gear. The event, which hit the headlines when main act Busta Rhymes was initially prevented from entering the country for 'unresolved convictions', went ahead successfully with performances from Rhymes, Feeder, John Legend and Guillemots.
Next year, the sponsorship and events team is looking at taking the programme to the regions, once it has analysed this year's results.
"All the signs are that it has been a tremendous success," says Smith. "We can reach places with branded events that marketing alone cannot. The most important thing at the moment, though, is maintaining the 'together we can do more' message."
FESTIVALS
That message will also be extended to Orange's traditional events. But with regards to its ten-year association with Glastonbury Festival, this will require some creativity.
The Chill 'n' Charge Tent, which allows muddied festival goers to charge their mobile phones, is one of the most-visited venues at the site over the three days of the show, apart from the main stages.
Back in 2005, the loud orange-and-black branding stuck out against the backdrop of Glastonbury's largely corporate-free set-up, as did its 500 ticket giveaway that made users call and text a premium-rate line to have a chance of winning. Festival founder Michael Eavis complained, so Orange was asked to scale back its branding.
Nevertheless, Orange has still been able to create an event space at Glastonbury that resonates with its target audience. Clever use of the brand has included handing out bright orange ponchos to deal with the usual precipitous Glastonbury weather, and this year giving Orange-branded Wellington boots to VIP guests. Also this year, one in every nine festival goers downloaded an Orange 'Glastonav' site map, designed to help them navigate their way through the festival.
The presence at Glastonbury has become a byword for using restricted branding to maximum effect, remaining unobtrusive, yet still getting a message across through carefully staged event management.
"The key to making it a success is not just focusing on the event itself, but tying in other elements of marketing with it," says Smith. "Look at the digital work we did with Glastonbury."
Orange worked with M&C Saatchi, Ronin Events and Euro RSCG KLP for this year's festival, and produced an online Spot the Bull competition for a chance to win tickets. In the absence of huge banner branding, such as that seen at the Virgin-run V Festival, Orange has had to be creative to get its message across.
The festival allows Orange to establish a connection with the 16 to 33 year-old market that mobile phone companies crave. It is the reason Vodafone embarked on its Vodafone Live events, and the V Festival is heavily branded by Virgin Mobile.
AWARDS
To maintain differentiation, Orange continues to sponsor and stage events at the Baftas and the Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction, although Smith says that the events still fit nicely within the target demographic.
"Sport, music and films are traditional in this space," he says.
At the Baftas, the opportunities are restricted to the red carpet and the naming night, which Orange also stages. Smith says the audience for the Baftas is aging, resulting in Orange attempting to lower it with features on Facebook and My Space, and attaching people such as Myleene Klass to its events. The company also sponsors the Orange Rising Star Award, which it pushed at the naming ceremony. Hospitality events associated with the awards help, especially on the corporate side.
The Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction, which Orange has sponsored since its inception in 1995, grows year on year, with the company wholly managing and producing the event at the Royal Festival Hall.
Next year is Orange's 15th anniversary, which is sure to see some sort of celebration, although details are not yet finalised. With the continuation of the 'together we can do more' message, Orange will stick to its focus on events and, as Smith says, combining said events with a co-ordinated marketing output, particularly in the digital space.
"We have a good bedrock of events at the moment, but we are not ruling out anything (new) next year," says Smith.
If next year turns out to be as successful as 2008, then the future is bright indeed.