Vodafone launches campaign aimed at countering doubts over network’s poor quality

Er…….”Vodafone says the “self-deprecating” advertisement is an honest attempt to acknowledge poor consumer perceptions of all telecommunication companies, not just Vodafone.”

Seriously? The ad couldn’t be clearer that it’s playing on people’s reactions to the Vodafone name. If you’re going to be brave and go out and do this, why undo it with duplicitous spin?

What does that guy mumble? The stunned reaction expressions on the faces look like something out of a bad comedy. Feeble attempt at highlighting and then laughing off a major issue.

One of the worst pieces of advertising I’ve seen in a long while. Poorly scripted and acted. Self-deprecation? They’re just showing what a terrible network they are without highlighting any improvements. If they’re going to invest up to a billion dollars in fixing their network, they should be screaming that as much possible to get people to come back, not make jokes about how bad the network is currently.

I really hate Vodafone – especially the drop out zone next to Darling Park in Sydney CBD.

But the b***ards give me 700 minutes a month free and I can use this to call international so I renewed.

Unless you need this, avoid – they’re still s***. You will leave.

What if you are hold on the phone to get out for longer than 30 days?

They should be guarantee the life of the contract, not just the first 30 days. Plus get some decent ads.

As of yesterday their service is still extremely poor. Nothing is going to change.

Thank you Vodafone for further highlighting how shit you are.

They need a name change. No one will ever get past VodaFail.

It’s a good idea poorly executed. We all know the best thing to do is own up to your mistakes, but, as Bem says, it’s poorly scripted and acted and Tony’s also right – where’s the info about what is being done to improve the problem? Believable information, please. And finally, like my fellow moron, I got sucked into renewing with Vodafail 16 months ago because of the incredibly good deal they offered. But we all know it’s not a good deal when you can’t access the network, can’t download your email and don’t get your SMSs or calls until it’s too late. As soon as it’s financially viable, I’m back off to Optus or Telstra.

Who is this aimed at? Portraying the female customer as dumb, blond, vain and dressed like a clown isn’t actually funny and isn’t a joke? This is a stereotyped and cliched ad. Never mind poor network service, customers want reassurance that their private information won’t be made available to outsiders and that Vodafone has prevented further breaches of its customer database.

This campaign simply highlights Vodafones deficiencies, infact up until those ads, i didnt realise how bad the coverage was.

I stayed because of aggressive retention.. but the fact is their network sucks. I regret staying with them and can’t wait to leave them.

Really – spend money talking about why you are rubbish, and do it in a rubbish way.
goodbye vodaphone, you are an exbrand.

it’s funny how what is a called a ‘new marketing approach’ of admitting the negatives to move the debate on is simply PR/comms 101

and the execution is irrelevant, ad nerds.

Vodafone customer should be glad it was cheaply made and aims simply to get the message across

While it is good that Vodafone are out there acknowledging the issues… grabbing the bull by the horns and [insert more cliches here] they continue to miss the point. It looks like the people who made this dont even interact with Vodafone customer service and retail at all.
blatantly trying to be hip and cool by having a a “bobby socks”, “suicide blonde” girl is a bit over the top.
And they have a whole bunch of people who have stayed with them… why not suck up to current customers to be brand ambassadors?
What is great about Vodafone now? The customer service from the Tasmanians and the Social Media teams (the overseas cust serve are as impotent as all other telcos)

I think it is a good ad.

They are appearing to be upfront and sincere. “Only paying for what you have used” that part would be interesting to understand. How the cost is calculated if you break the contract etc

To some degree Vodafone could come out firing over the next few years. They have had to rally their own troops to work hard on fixing the network and the public have scrutinised them all the way along. What you might find as a result is a far better organised telco, with a great network and over time, dare I say it; very happy customers… Only time will tell I guess…

…..”The spokeswoman added the ad shows they are not shying away from past problems.”

….Did I miss something, past problems – more like current problems!

Epic fail

I wish people who have put up with their terrible coverage after 18 months could leave

Great way to pi$$ off already pi$$ed off customers even more.

And I include myself as one of those already pi$$ed off customers.

Pi$$ off, Vodafone!

Fire the art director and the stylist !

Lucky to get coverage or a Help Desk response within the first 30 days. Never, never again will I use Vofafone. Now this next bit hurts me to say, but since I switched to Telstra just over a year ago … not a glitch.

What about people who have been trying to get out of their contract for months because of poor connection?!!

Geeez you people are hard to please. There is not much wrong with this ad. Single-minded proposition, clear connection between proposition and storyline, it means joe average will be able to understand it. AND as a vodafone customer I recognise that reaction when you tell people your network, so it’s based on a consumer truth. Now role out phase 2 shouting out network improvements (and believe me, it HAS improved since the days of 3).

After 11 call drop outs to vodafail customer service, i was “escalated” to a customer service manager, who dropped out 4 times (i live 6 klms from sydney cbd). We established my call drop out rate of 10% was unacceptable and exchange related ie Vodafails poor coverage. We also established that i couldn’t get out of my contract and would suffer a hefty exit fee of the full remaining minimum period 14 months. i was helpfully given a vodafone reference number if i wished to proceed with a complaint to the office of fair trading. now that’s what i call customer service. I have been with vodafail for 15 years, i hate them and i tell everyone i know, never to sign up.

If vodafail were serious they would offer a service guarantee. If we can’t deliver coverage, and this is something they measure, no exit fees to escape. 30 days shows they don’t care and accept their “service” is sub-standard.

Wow, how did they afford to cast Katy Perry?

I think Vodafone should withdraw from the Australian market entirely based entirely on my experience with their customer service team.

I am very tempted to create something that just ranks the (first name only ever given) customer service staff.

It feels like Vodafone customers have no collective voice with which to speak to Vodafone.

Having been a customer for more than 16 years, I feel the strongest form of hatred toward the Vodafone brand imaginable.

AdGrunt public service announcement:

You lot in contracts should get in touch with the TIO. Even mentioning them to Voda Customer Service should expedite resolution.
Upshot, you’ll get out of your contract at any point if the service is (still) shite.

Worthwhile to note that both Telstra, Optus and Virgin offer similar coverage and satisfaction guarantees.

It’s nothing, and that’s the worst thing an ad can be.

1. Who on earth would believe a young, retro-looking chick talk about Vodafone’s service guarantee?

2. Shouldn’t the guy talk about swapping wives instead of swapping husbands?

3. Could the kitchen be any cleaner?

The unremarkable characters, awkward dialogue and unnatural scene = the kind of ad you’ll forget about in a split second. The only thing that will linger is Vodafone’s perceived poor coverage.

Sloppy job by Ogilvy.

If they are so sincere and confident in their network why are they not offering the network guarantee to exisiting customers? Cunning, sneaky and un-trustworthy.

errr, good luck with that.

I can’t believe Ogilvy developed such a shitty TVC. I mean, for such a big agency with good talent, this is the bet they could do? How many storyboards did they had to go through with the client before this was approved?

I ended up with Vodafone after they merged with 3 (who I’d never had any problems with previously). After being unable to get any reception in my own home, in the middle of Sydney, I ended my contract and returned the phone. Despite supplying all the required proof of purchase and accessories, plus receipts from Australia Post stating it had been delivered, they hounded me for nine months, sending me bills for the phone ($1200) and then threatening to send in debt collectors if I didn’t pay up. Each month I had to sit on the phone, repeating the whole story, to get them to acknowledge I didn’t owe them anything, only to have the same thing happen the following month. It’s not even bad service – they deliver a parody of bad service. The stores don’t want to help you (they simply direct you to the general service line) and it’s impossible to deal with anyone with actual managerial power. This ad’s just another nail in the coffin. What’s that, there’s a chance my phone might work for 30 days? Thanks but no thanks.

@micheal Go straight to the retention team. Calling the customer service number and complaining to the first person is not the way to go about it. Don’t speak to the first person, don’t speak to their boss, DON’T EVEN SPEAK TO THEIR BOSS. Say you want to go straight to the retention team. Tell them you will cancel due to service issues and ridiculous data charges. Tell them you think they are a joke. Ask them why you should stay with Vodafone. Then when they are stumped asked what they are going to do to keep you on board. Throw in a few expletives, and before the call come up with an idea of what you want (three months free, bill halved something along those lines). It will take you half an hour or so of extreme repetition and aggravation but you get what you ask for.

Vodafone will let anyone out of contract who complains insistently about lack of network coverage/quality. Their standard procedure is to refuse first up, but you just have to keep insisting, and they will absolutely let you out of contract. They may ask you to return the handset if you are on contract, though.

This ad is saying, “YOU’RE FINE TO FLY WITH US, BECAUSE WE HAVE A PARACHUTE”

I switched from Vodafone to Optus and now I get signal where previously I was told that there wasn’t one.

The merger of Vodafone and 3 killed both Vodafone and 3 network coverage, IMO. I used to have uninterrupted coverage and rapid download speeds with Vodafone. After the merger in 2009, I had nothing but problems – couldnt connect with the network or slow speeds, even though I live near the centre of Sydney. I was told by others on a Vodafone forum that the network couldn’t cope with so many new users from 3, but it will eventually be fixed over time except the problems were never really fixed. I subsequently left Vodafone even though they had competitive prices, broadband coverage had become absolute crap.

I don’t know what is happening in there and it also seems a revolving door for staff, but they need to survive to create a robust industry. Imagine Telstra without competition. Ugly, very ugly.

Vodafail living up to its name.

They were trying to get some high profile celebrities to front their campaign a while ago and apologise for their network problems but they couldn’t find anyone with credibility prepared to do it. They should put their CEO on an ad saying sorry for the poor services, sorry for lying to the people who were told that the problem was with their phones and not the network and give people the right to leave at any point in their contract. Why on earth would anyone trust them for two years?

Vodafail’s 30 day guarantee isn’t worth a pinch of sh@t – my wireless broadband worked very well for the first 6 weeks then went diabolically bad. And I can see their tower from my loungeroom.
I gave up complaining to the idiots – I got heartily sick of their “we’re sorry you are having trouble” – not half as sorry as I was. I ended up going to the Ombudsman who ordered them to release me from my contract.
Now with Optus and haven’t had a moment’s problem.

Perhaps banking on the notion the queue will be too long after 30 days and people will give up

They are kidding. I took out a contract with Vodaphone and nothing worked. I had wasted about 12 hours over a week either on the phone to god knows where or in their shop. I took advantage of their 30 day guarantee and retained all the paper work. At the end of the month I received a bill for over $1400. I contacted them again to advise that the contract had been terminated. The following month I received a demand from Commercial Gredit Control demanding Almost $1800. I contacted them advising the same, after several more demands I received a ‘Notice of intention to commence legal procedings’ from Rostron Carlyle, solicitors. I have advised all these shoddy organisations of their incompetence and my agreement with court action to settle this, but still they make demands. It’s now over a month since the last demand so they may have desisted, but if that is the case they have made no attempt to contact me.
Their guarantee is fraudulent.

Who is the male actor?? He reminds me of Heath Ledger.

Is it Scott McGregor? Reminded me a little of Tom Hardy.